Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-08-29
MOVING THE TROOPS
Transports at Disposal of the
War Department.
Means Sufficient Are at Hand So
Thai IL Is Possible That The Last
of the Volunteers May See
Christmas in the Philippines.


masters department of the army,
which is employing every means at
its disposal for the transportation OF
troops to the Philippines, has pre-
pared the following statement of the
subject:
''The following ships will be avail
able to carry the first ten regiments
and recruits to Manila, getting them
there about the first of November:
Pueblo, Warren, Columbia, Charles
Nielsen, Sherman, Belgian King, Han
cock, Grant, Tennessee, Sheridan,
GIenog.a, Pennsylvania, Valencia and
zealandia. with probably TWO or three
additional chartered vessels.
''The above will not interfere with
getting the last ten regiments to Man
lila by the latter part Of December.
The quartermaster' department has,
in addition to the above ships, for the
purpose of carrying the second regi-
ments, the following: The City of
Para, Tartar, Ohio, Newport, Indiana,
Morgan City, Senator, City of Sydney,
st. Paul, Pubela from San Francisco
and the Thomas, Logan and Meade
from New York
The great success achieved by the
quartermaster's department in the
construction of the troopsships Grant,
Sherman and Sheridan has induced
the war department to increase the
number Cf such ships. Three of the
largest army transports which were
used on the West Indian station dur
ing and after the Spanish war. have
been selected for this purpose and ara
now being remodeIed into troopships
These are the Logan, Meade and
Thomas. The first TWO named are
now in process of ref1tting and reno
-yation. in Brooklyn, and the Thomas
is being remodeled at the Cramps
ship yard, Philadelphia Notwith-
standing the extensive character of
the alterations being made to the
ships, it is expected that they will be
completed and ready for the trans
pOrtation CT troops to the Philippines
by the first of November at the latest
The three vessels have an aggregate
capacity CT about 5000 men.
1t is contemplated that each vessel |
will carry one entire regiment and |
one battalion Of another regiment, |
with ample room for the wives and |
families of the officers and non-com-
missioned officers.
The plans of the new troopships are
drawn so as to provide every possible |!
comfort and convenience for the |
troops, and it is expected that they |
will be even superior in this respect |
to their predecessors, the Grant, Sheri-
dan and Sherman, which excited the |
of the military experts of |
Europe during their progress over
the Mediterranean and Suez route
last winter
Included in the fittings will be me-
tallic folding hunks, supported by
steel tubes, arranged three in a tier;
shower baths and Iafrigerating ap-
paratus for preserving the fresh meat
TO be used enroute. The bridge and
spar decks will almost entirely be
given up tc the ships officers and the
army. The office of the army quar-
will be on the bridge deck,
and state rooms for officers and their
families and an officers reading and
writing room. Forward on the spar
deck, there will be a writing room for
men. On the spar deck there
will also be a dining room for officers,
with a seating capacity of sixty. Two
rapid-f1re guns will be
forward on the spar deck and
TWO aft.
On the main deck will be the quar-
Lers for the crew and petty officers,
nOn-commissioned officers, mess
rooms, shower baths for the soldiers,
iremen and crew, a hospital with an
ward, operating room ard
liet kitchen; a meat chopping ma-
chine operated by electricity, with a
capacity of 500 pounds an hour; steam
cooking apparatus, a distilling appa-
JUS, cold storage room, with butcher
;hCp adjoining; dOugh-mixing and
;offee-grinding machinery, operated
oy electric motors; quarters for non
commissioned officers families, two
steam launches swung in davfts, four
lew twenty-seven-foot life boats, in
addition to the present outfit, and
eight life RATS each with a capacity
If twenty-five people.
There will probably be 700 tiers. of
1unks for the men arranged on the
wo decks below the main deck, leav
ng ample room for refrigerating ap-
oaratus and stores. The total cost of '
h,