The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-05
STAINS CAPE VERDE FLEET
GREAT TINTERESTI IN ITS REPORTED
 RETURN TO CADIz.

Naval Officers Disposed to Regard all News
 Emanating from Portugal With sus-
 picion-Navy Department Hurrying To-
 gether an Exceptionally Large Quantity
 of Ammunition, Projectiles and Other
 Supplies to be Sent to Dewey if Needed The Annexation of Hawaii.
 Washington, May A sensation was caused throughout the city by the news that came this morning of the ar rival of a vessel supposed to be the dis patch boat McCulloch at Mfrs bay, forty miles from Hong Kong, the cable terminus. The officials immediately fell into an air of expectancy, waiting for some word from Acting Rear Ad- miral Dewey that would not only con- firm officially the stirring news of the battle of Manila as reported by the press, but also tell what happened since the cable was interrupted. Up to the close of office hours no word had come from Hong Kong and the officials who believe that the McCulloch was explanations of the delay in the report Those touched upon were the eleven hours difference in time, the distance from Mfrs bay to Hong Kong, which had to be overcome by the messenger and the slowness of cable communica- tion owing to the number of delays on the enormously long circuit from Hong Kong to New York. Some of the naval officers, however who contend that Acting Rear Admiral Dewey would not have sent away his dispatch boat until he had received the surrender of Man fla, pointed out that if they were right in that assumption it would not be pos- sible for the McCulloch to reach Hong Kong before tomorrow morning.
 Spanish Cape Verde Fleet.
 Great interest Is felt in the reported return of the Spanish Cape Verde fleet to Cadiz, but while admitting the pos sibility of the fast vessels of the Spanish flying squadron making the passage in the five days that the vessels have been out from St. Vincent the naval of- ficers were disposed to regard with great suspicion the news emanating from Portugal, because of the recogniz- ed sympathy of the Portuguese with the Spanish side. It would be worth a
 l. manding the flying squadron to throw America off it's guard by having it be- lieve that he had returned to Spain.
 Supplies for Dewey.
 The navy department has secured two vessels, the Australia and the City of Pekin, in San Franfsco, which will be loaded with coal and supplies and rushed off to join Acting Rear Admiral Dewey's fleet. Whether or not they will carry troops will be determined positively when the rear admiral is heard from upon this matter. The navy department is hurrying together an exceptionally large stock of ammu- nition to go forward on the City of Pekin to recruit the ammunition of Acting Rear Admiral Dewey's fleet. The first shipment of projecti1es left New York yesterday and additional shipments will be made until the full quota of powder and shot will be in San Francisco within the next ten days, There will be total of more than 10000 projectiles of various cali bre and weight. For the four big eight-inch guns of the Olympia there will be 800 eight-inch steer armor pierc- ing projectiles weighing about 900 pounds each. For the six-inch guns of the Olympia, Baltimore and Boston and other ships there will be 1000 steel proiectiles. The other shipments will include about 10000 six-pound rifle balls, 2,OOO fve-inch shells, 5000 three pound balls and 5000 one-pound balls.
 Ample Stock of Projectiles.
 The navy department is fortunate in having laid in an ample stock of projec- tiles of all weights and sizes, so that there will be no delay in getting a full supply ready for shipment to Acting Rear Admiral Dewey. The supply of powder is not so readily obtained, as powder has been distributed to the sev- eral fleets and ships as fast as it has come from the powder mills. But, ow- ing to the emergency in the case of the Asiatic fleet, powder intended for other uses will be forwarded to San Francis co and sent to Acting Rear Admiral Dewey. The recent explosions of pow der mills have not crippled the navy department in securing supplies of powder, but they have caused some de- lay in filling the orders of the war 0e- partmeut,