Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-07
WANTS
MORE SHIPS
Department Will Send Them
in Near Future.
In Times of Feace Will be Command
ed by Him--He Will Soon
Have Thirty Vessels.


New York, Jan. IA special to the
Tribune from Washington says: The
navy department received a long cipher
cable dispatch from Admiral Dewey,
making rcquisition for ships and supplies
urgently needed on the Asiatic station.
The admiral reiterated the request he has
made several times in a few weeks, that
additional light draught gunboats should
be sent to him, Notwithstanding the fact
that Secretary Long informed him yes
terday that the Castine was starting i'm
mediately by way of Suez and other YES
sells would follow when they could be
spared.
A reply was sent to the admiral today
that the Bennington, now on her way
from Honolulu to max surveys at Guam
would be ordered to Manila in the course
of a few months n the Machias, now
repairing at Portsmouth, N. H, would
follow the Castine through the Medlter-
ranean in a few weeks on her way to JOIN
his fleet. Secretary Long added a request
to Admiral Dewey to designate specifical-
ly any other gunboats he desired, in or
der that the department might crafty
him If possible.
The authorities recognize the advisable
ity of sending all the gunboats that can
be spared to the Asiatic station, on &C
count of their a~daptability to service in
the archipelago, but in addition to the
| Concord and Petrol, which are now at
Iloilo, the Helena is at Port Said on her
way to Manila and Admiral Dewey now
bac ~, commission tho Manila the Cll1-
! goa, the Barcelona, which he captured
from the Spanish and in a few weeks the
Isla de Luzon and the Isla de Cuba which
he raised and sent to Hong Kong will be
manned by the crews which were sent on
the Buffalo. He also has the captured
Spanish ~gunboats Leyte and the Min
danao awaiting repairs, and when the
Helena and Castine arrive ne will have
thirty vessels under his command not
counting the Oregon and Iris which will
soon be at Honolulu awaiting orders to
go to his support. Such a large fleet has
never in times of peace been under the
command of a single American officer,
but the department has such confidence in
the adnirars judgment that it will not
hesitate to send him any further rein
forcements that he demands.
In his dispatch Admiral Dewey calls for
large quantities of plug tobacco, soap and
American food. 1t will be remembered
that soon after the destruction of Mon
tejo's fleet, the admiral cabled for 0,O00
bars of soap, finding he could buy none in
Asiatic waters. This supply has either
been exhausted or the admiral is deter
mined to have a fresh supply on hand
before it gives Out in order that there
shall be 10 uncleanliness in his fleet.
His demand for more plug tobacco is
explained in letters which have recently
reached Washington from officers of the
fleet, telling how tired the men are of
Philippine cigars and how they miss their
sweet end navy plug and their clay pipes.
To carry these supplies the department
decided today to fit up the auxiliary
cruiser Yankee or her sister ship, Prai-
RE, and load them full of necessities,
sending them to Manila by way of the
Suez canal. These vessels are now at
League island, but one of them can be
sent around to New York and made ready
to start in the next two waakS