The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-17
TO RELIEVE MONTGOMERY
THE FERN SAILS FROM KEY VEST
 FOR THIS PURPOSE.

-Augmenting the Fleet at Key Vest
 The Fleet at Present.
 Washington, March 16.-The Fern sailed for Havana from Key West this Montgomery as home for the officers engaged in supervising the wrecking operations in Havana harbor. It is said unequivocally that the Montgom cry is not withdrawn owing to any suggestion from Spanish sources that her presence is not desired. It was the announced intention of Secretary Long when the cruiser was sent to Havana to keep her there only so long as the Fern should be engaged in the work of distributing relief among the sufferers in eastern Cuba This task having been performed, and owing to the return of the court of inquiry from Havana, there being fewer persons to accommodate, the Fern, which is bet ter equipped than the Montgomery to assist in the wrecking operations, is re- turned to her position.
 Navy DeparUmenC NOt lniOfmeu.
 Up to the close of office hours the navy department, though it knew off cially that the court of inquiry had come over to Key West from Havana, was not informed as to the findings or plans of the court. It is said that the object of the navy department in pur- chasing such craft as the late MT Og- den Goelet's yacht Mayfiower is to pro- vide as quickly as possible number of picket boats of good speed and sea- going ability to act as scouts and also to aid our ironclads and more eXpen- sive vessels in operations against tor pedo boats A large number of private yachts have been offered to the de- partment, and other acquisitions Of the same type as the Mayflower may be expected.
 Increasing Fleet Off Key West. The fleet at Key West will be aug mented within the next day or two by the arrival of the gunboat Annapolis, the torpedo-boat Foote and the naval | tugs Leyden and Samoset. The gum | boat Henela is now on her way from the European station under orders to report at Key West. The Helena ar | rived to-day at F'uneil. These and the other vessels previously ordered to Key | West constitute the largest essemblage | e war vessels since the demonstration | f,'rowing the Virginius affair, and, con- | sidering effectiveness and armament, | it is the strongest assemblage of ships, | for other than review purposes, since | the war. The fleet now at Key West i and Tortugas Is as follows Cruiser l New York, battleship Massachusetts, battleship Indiana, battleship Iowa, 1 battleship Texas, cruiser Detroit, gun | boat Nashville, cruiser Marblehead, dispatch boat Fern, torpedo boats Du- pont, Cushing, Porter, Winslow and | Ericsson To these will soon be added | the five vessels en route. In addition l to these the Montgomery is at Havana and is practically part of the fleet, the gunboats Wilmington and Castine and the cruiser Cincinnati at Barba- l does, Newport at Colon, with the Puri- tan, Newark, Amphtrite and other ships of the North Atlantic squadron at points along the coast further north- ward.
 Many Vessels Available.
 It appears that there is much larg- l CT stock of vessels right here available for naval use than was generally sup posed, many of which will make eff cient cruisers and gunboats almost equal to vessels of the unprotected cruiser type now in the navy. Such a. vessel was acquired to-day by the de- partrnent, the negotiations being clos- | ed upon the repart of the board of in- spection of cruisers now at work in New York. This is the steel yacht May flower, the property of the Ogden Goe- | let estate. This vessel was built in | Scotland by Thompson in 1S97 She is 1 of 2,400 ton displacement, PTS feet long, 36 feet bredth and IS feet draught She l has 500 tons of coal capacity and with two screws is rated as a 17-knot vessel. She is equipped with all modern appli- | ances, searchlightS, electric plant, dis tillers and evaporators. She has al- ready small but effective battery aboard composed of two 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns, two 1-pounders and two machine guns. The vessel is in
 New York now and is to be delivered immediately. She can be easily trans formed owing to her staunch construc- ton lnIO d SOOQ ulSpaICn DOaC or a small cruiser about equal to the Cas- tine class, although lacking the protec-
 tive deck of the latter.
 Another Big Contract.
 The war department is making ready
 for another big contract looking to the procurement of a lot of projectiles and
 shell. An advertisement has just been
 issued calling for least iron projectiles for sea cannon" The bids are made
 returnable next Monday at o'clock at
 the ordnance office, war department. The shot and shell are of the heaviest description, 1S7 10-inch solid shot, 91O
 12-inch mortar shells weighing 800
 pounds each and 300 12-inch mortar
 shells weighing 1000 pounds each being
 wanted. These projectiles are entirely
 different from the million dollars worth
 ordered yesterday. Those were wrought
 steel shot and shell, known as armor
 piercers and intended for attack upon
 battleships and monitors. Those call
 ed for now are for use either against
 lightly armored or unarmored ships or
 else for deck piercers, being fired from