The evening times., 1899-04-03
AMERICAN ARMY
TRANSPORT SERVICE
European Experts Astonished
at Its Success.
Fleet organized Under the Greatest
Difficulties.
Twenty-Five Thousand Troops Ship
ped to the PhiIippines With
Twenty-Five Thousand Troops Ship
ped tn the Philippines With
cut Accident.

Widespread attention has been attracted
! to a new branch of the service through the
! successful trips of the remodeled army
! transports, Grant. Sheridan, and Sherman
| from New York to Manila carrying re-
endorsements for General Otis.
Ii is the first time that the United States
has operated what may be called fleet
Of transports, and although the ships used
We're not especially constructed for the
purpose, American ingenuity and the abil-
ity of the officers charged with providing
and operating the transports have over
come all obstacles. and have astonished
the European experts by the ease with
which new requirements were successfully
met with new ideas
Last spring, when war with Spain Scent
ed inevitable and preparations for hostili-
ties were begun. nearly all the divisions
Of the War Department were caught un-
prepared. But the tasks involved in re-
cruiting and equipping an army were no
more serious than those which confronted
the Quartermaster General, who was
charged with the added responsibility of
providing transportation for the troops
that would be sent abroad for service.
The Transport Fleet.
the more desirable vessels of American
register and Congress declining emphati-
cally to relieve the emergency by granting
registers 10 foreign vessels, the Quarter
master succeeded before the end of last
June in chartering forty-three transports
on the Atlantic and fourteen on the Pacific
with water boats steam lighters, ocean
tugs and deck barges. The experience in
moving troops TO Santiago demonstrated,
however, that the facilities were not suffi-
cient. and fourteen large steamships were
purchased and added TO the transport feet.
These vessels conveyed during actual hos
tilities 28,195 men TO Cuba, II 460 10 Porto
Rico. 1896 to Manila. and 629 TO Honolulu,
and returned from Cuba q, ,6S6 men, from
Porto Rico 5.5il. in addition to the 1920
civilian employees transported. Since the
close of hostilities with Spain there have
been transported to and from Cuba about
$4,000 men. 10 and from Porto Rico about
l5,00O men, and TO the Philippines about
$500 men, making a total movement of
155, 1876 men.
To Meet an Emergency.
This was. however. a temporary service.
The vessels had been prepared for the ac-
commodation of troops during tine eme--
gency, bnt the fruits of the war impose1
Lew uulleS upon Ine QudrtefmaSter u IN
erals Department The acquisition of
Porto Rico and the Philippines and the
temporary occupation of Cuba compelled
the establishment of permanent system
of ocean transportation, and when Agujn-
aldo and his followers opened fire on The
American troops, starting rebellion
which required the forwarding of re-en-
forcements 10 General Otis. the work that
had been done in the way OF providing a
feet Of transports received a trial. The
first demands made upon the remodeled
ships were as trying as any can be. Tie
United States which has always fought a
home, with the exception of the Mexican
campaign. had battle field chosen for It
on the other side of the globe. The expe-
rience was entirely new. but il has met
with a result that is satisfactory TO the
officials, and has excited wonder and adrni-
ration abroad
The transport feet of the United States
now consists of eighteen vessels, all pur-
chased from steamship companies, with the
exception OF two. the Panama and the Rita,
which were captured by the navy and bid
in by the department when sold as prizes
of war All these vessels have been re-
modelled and reftted. or are now in course
Of transformation, and have been renamed.
as follows: