The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-01-10
DEWEY'S WANTS.
He Makes a Request For More War
Ships and Supplies.
With His Present Vessels, the Captured
Spanish Ships and Those Under Way,
Dewey Will Have the Largest
Fleet in Time OF Peace.

Fleet in Time OF Peace.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-The navy de-
partment received long cipher cable
dispatch from Adm. Dewey making
acquisitions for ships and supplies
urgently needed on the Asiatic sta
ton. The admiral reiterated the re-
quest he has made several times IN
the last few weeks, that additional
light draught gunboats should be
sent to him, Notwithstanding the
fact that Secretary Long inform
ed him Friday that the Castlne
was starting Immediately by way OF
Suez, and other vessels would follow
when they could be spared. A reply
was sent to the admiral Saturday that
the Bennington, now on her way from
Honolulu to make surveys at Guam,
would be ordered to Manila in the
course of a few months, and the
Machias, now repairing at Portsmouth,
n. H, would follow the Castine
through the Mediterranean in a few,
weeks to join his fleet.
Secretary Long added a request to
Adm. Dewey to designate specifically
any other gunboats he desired, in or
der that the department might crafty
him, if possible. The authorities rec
ognize the advisability of sending all
the gunboats that can be spared to
the Asiatic station, on account of their
adaptability to service in the archipel-
ago, 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 Adm. Dewey now has in
commission the Callao, the Manila, the
Culgoa and the BarcelO, which he cap
tured from the Spaniards, 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 sent out on the Buffalo.
He also has the captured gunboats
Leyte and Mindanao awaiting crews,
and when the Machias, Castine and
Bennington join him he will have 80
vessels under his command, not count
ing the Oregon and the 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 admiral'r
judgment that it will not hesitate "
send him any further reinforcemeH
that he demands. -
In his dispatch Adm. Dewey
t for large quantities of yHN
soap and American food. It will a.
remembered that soon after the ON
struction of Montojo's fleet the ad,
miral cabled for 40, 600 bars of soa,A
finding he could buy none inv
Asiatic waters. This supply has
either been exhausted or the
admiral is determined to have
a fresh supply on hand before i
gives out in order that there shall b
no uncleanliness in his feet. His
mand for more plug tobacco is ex3
planned 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 sweetened navy plug and clay
pipes.
To carry these needed supplies the
depart ment decided Saturday to fit up
the auxiliary cruiser Yankee or her
sister ship, the Prairie, 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 weeks.