The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-20
WAR PREPARATIONS

70 be recruited 10 its maximum strength
$500.
WAR PREPARATIONS.
The bulk OF preparations for action are
about completed and the work is now re
dUced 20 perecting details. The army IS
| being modified and ali that remains Is
| to insure the prompt supply Of al classes
OF equipments. and, as was stated at the
! navy department today, the market has
been CLEANED OF available vessels and il
now comes 10 manning tAem and perfect
ing methods OF Communication and opera
! ton. The O'Higgins was the last desira-
! bic ship Of any size IL sight and Il has
| been authoritatively announced that all
hope OF getting her has been abandoned
| General Greeley. IN charge Of telegraph
and telephone communication between
| seacoast Notifications. announces that
this work is IN gratifying state Of for
wardness.
! Superintendent KtmbalI OF the hfe saw
! ing service has conferred with Assistant
/ Secretary Roosevelt OF employing the men
Of the coast service on a regular system
! Of reporting war vessels sighted at points
remote from ordinary ports of entry. Such
system will Goe valuable adjunct 70 The
| regular observation service.
| A novel departure II naval practice is
(! the formal ton Of q marine battalion which
will accompany the North Atlantic squad
ron and be used IN landing operations.
The quartermaster generals department
of the army is rushing work or tents and
/ tent equipage. Ordinarily Philadelphia
gets these contracts but recently the war
department has contracted for making
them at ST Louis. New York and Chicago
also. Quite a consignment of tents have
been allotted to the militia of the states
under the act of congress.
The war department will need about 200
men as packers for the mule teams now
being collected by Captain Thomas Cruise
at jefferson barracks.
A detachment of cavalry from Fort
Grant. Arizona, has been ordered to Fort
sill, L T, 20 take charge Of the govern
ment property at that place.
General Wilson, chief OF engineers, has
furnished to the secretary Of war a list of
engineer officers who. with few exceptions.
are available to immediate service with
the army in the field. It is most compre-
hensive in character and includes the
name of nearly every officer of the en-
gineer department throughout the United
States. In order to take care of the i'm
portant river and harbor and other en-
gineering works in charge of these officers
It probably will be necessary in particu-
lar cases where the works cannot be en-
tirely neglected, to double, treble or quad
ripple some of the duties of the officers in
order that the services of others may
be awaited of in military field operations.
In majority of cases the names are
given with the general idea that the Off
GERS will not be called away from their
present duties for more than a few
months.
In the event of hostilities the engineer
Office of the war department will promptly
take steps to form corps of officers es-
pecially detailed to assist the army in the
field in engineering projects.
WANTS $4,000 VOLUNTEERS.
Washington. April 19.-The cabinet
meeting, it was learned during the after
noon, practically settled the question as
to how many volunteers shall be called
for to supplement the regular army in
their operations in Cuba, the conclusion
being arrived at that the president shall
call for $4,000 men of the national militia.
Secretary Alger, after this decision was
reached, repaired to the war department
and sent for Major General Miles and Ad-
jutant General Corbin, a conference Fast
ing nearly an hour being held as 10 the
means to be employed to give effect to the
decision of the cabinet and the president.
- -
lining thA plan to be followed, but owing
to the complexitv of the subject all the
details could not be arranged at the first
conference. It is purposed to utilize this
additional force in conformity to the
terms of the bill submitted today to con-
gress by Secretary Alger through Senator
Hawley. According to the decision there
in laid down, presuming the bill to be
enacted into a law, the president would
first apply to congress for the special per-
mission required in this case to call for
volunteers. The men thus secured. wheth-
er attached to the first organized militia
or not, would technically pass into the
service Of the United States. This would
be necessary, probably, to escape a viola |
ton of the constitutional prohibition
against sending the state militia ont of
the country. The additional men would
still, however, be actually volunteers and /
only in name part of the regular estab- /
lshment. The law requires that in a call /.
for troops the number required must be
distributed according to population among +.
the several states. In anticipation Of this /.
call. the department officials have pre- /
pared a table showing the number of men /
that would be required from each state, /
according to the apporuonment of the last /
census.
It was said by Secretary Alger after the 4
conference that the matter had not Vet |
advanced far enough 20 make it possible I
10 send TO congress today message from /
the president, asking for the authority TO /
Issue n Oh fnr 1-nl1l,1tanrs