The evening times., 1899-11-04
COLONEL BIRDS PLANS
Soon to Make an Inspection of
American Transports.
He VIII Go to Manila by the Usual
Route. Examining All Vessels of
the Fleet and Conling Stations.
This Governments Splendid Squad
ron of Troop and supply Ships.

Col Charles Bird, of the Quartermaster
| Generals Department OF the Army. will
soon leave Washington for a four months
tour of inspection Of the transports of the
army Starting at New York. Colonel
Bird will go to Manila. following the usual
route taken by transports. He will inspect
! arrangements at coaling stations en- route
and on arriving at Manila will examine
all ports which the Government transports
! have occasion to visit. He will also inspect
all the transports he finds in ports visited
and consult with the officers Of the trans
| ports and the officers of the quartermas-
ter's department at Manila regarding
changes and Improvements needed in the
service.
He will return to this country via Homo
lulu and San Fransico. making inspections
of stations on the Pacific and of transports
at San Francisco.
Colonel Bird has been in charge OF the
transports Of the army since the begin
ming of the war with Spain and, starting
with half dozen small tug boats. which
were used at tie various seacoast posts in
plying between the mainland and posts. he
built up a big transport fleet in a few
weeks to carry supplies and troops to Cuba.
After peace was declared and hostilties
/ in the Philippines were precipitated, Colo
mel Bird began reconstructing his trans
port fleet until it is now equal to that of
any country in the world.
The feet comprises sixtyfve vessels, in
Guiding troopships, animal and freight
ships. and hospital ships and one cable
ship. OF this number forty-three are char
tered vessels and twenty-five owned abso-
luteiy by the Government.
All the vessels. both those chartered and
those owned by the Government. have been
remodeled and put in the best of condition
and are thoroughly seaworthy. The fleet
can transport at one time $4,000 soldiers
1900 officers. and over 5000 animals. be-
sides thousands OF tons OF supplies and
equipments. II necessary the transports
could be safely loaded with 40. 900 soldiers.
1000 officers, and 5000 animals.
A majority of the vessels of the feet are
plying between San Francisco and Manila.
but good many Of them are also on the
Atlantic coast. On the Pacific coast there
are thirty troopships, eighteen animal ships,
three hospital ships and one cable ship; Oh
the Atlantic coast there are fourteen troop
ships. Following are the ships. their ca
pacities. and stations: their capacities so
far as given:
Chartered troopships on the Pacific coast
Ohio. Il officers. 154 men; Indiana 80
officers. $50 men; Newport. 50 officers, $50
men; Pennsylvania. 80 officers. 1880 men,
Zealardia fifteen officers. $40 men; Va
lencia. 30 officers, eco men: City of Para, 40
officers. Loco men; Tartar. As officers, 1,l76
men; Senator. 35 officers, 1l2 men; Saint
Paul. ~ officers, 500 men: City OF Sydney
% officers, 200 men; Charles Nelson. % off,
GERS. 2l0 men: Belgian King, y officers. 7S0
men; City of Puebla. % officers. 500 men:
Columbia. is officers. $50 men: Manauense
10 officers. 3sl men; City OF Paking. 3s cffi-
GERS. 92S men; Sikh, % officers 641 men;
Tacoma. q officers. 1876 men: George W. Ell
der. 90 officers. 4g6 men; City of Rio. 2S
officers 713 men; Glenogle. 80 officers. us
men; Olympia, not given; Dalny Nostock,
10 officers. SEQ men: Duke of Fife. 40 Off
GERS. SEQ men.
Chartered animal and freight ships or
the Pacific coast are:
Tacoma, 206 animals; Conemaugh, 295
animals; Leelauaw, 250 animals: Wyefield
40 animals; Athenian. 400 animals: Ga
rome. All: Fort Albert, 506 animals; Vic
toria. il9 animals; Siam, 325 animals; Gen.
tennial. $50 animals; Lennox. 1872 animals;
Victoria. rot given: Westminster not Civ
en- Bsnmohr not given: Fort Stephens
500; Pathan, 325: Flin:shire, 325: Aztec
3s3.
Troopships owned by the Government or
the Pacific coast:
Grant, Sc officers. SEQ men; Hancock, 2s
officers. 1,30o men; Sheridan. 81 officers.
$500 men; Sherman. Sc officers. 1880 men:
Warren, % officers. 1924 men.
Troopshps owned by the Government on
the Atlantic:
Buford. "a officers. 500 men: Burnside. 81
officers. 273 men: Crook % officers. s2S
men; ingalls,. 20 officers. $50 men; Kilpa-
trick. 2S officers, $50 men; Logan. Sc Off
GERS. 1,S0O men; Mcclellan. u officers. 500
men: Mcpherson, Ga officers. 562 men;
Meade, 60 officers, 12G0 men; Sedgwick 80
officers 1 200 men; Wright. not given:
Thomas. Sc officers. 1.s00 men; Sumner, so
officers, 1000 men.
The cableship Hooker is in the Philip
pine waters ard the three hospital ships
Missouri, Relief. and Terry are on the Pa
cific coast: