The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-08
DEWEY ASKS FOR MORE SHIPS
LIGHT DRAUGIrT GUNBOATs ANN
NEEDED ~ PHILIPPINES.
Soap and Plug Tobacco Are Aiso IN
Dcmand-Dewcy VIII Soon Have II
Fleet of Thirty Vessels.

| New York, January IA special to TIL
Tribune from Washington says: The nav,
department received long cipher tele
gram from Admiral Dswey, making requi
sitions for ships and supplies rrgentl.
| reeded on the Asiatc station. The admlra
reiterated the request he has made sew
erai tunes in the last few weeks, that ad
sent to him, notwithstanding the fac tina
Secretary Long informed him yes;erda,
that the Castine was starting immediatel.
by way Of Susz and other vessels woult
follow when they could be spared
A reply was sent to the admiral today
that the Bennington. now on her way from
Honolulu to make sgrveys at Guam, woult
be ordered to Manila IN the course OF .
few months and the Mach!as, now repair.
ing at Portsmouth, N. H., would follow the
Castine through the Mediterranean in 4
few weeks On her way to Join his fleet
Secretary Long added a request TO Admiral
Dewey TO designate specifically any othe,
gunboats he desired, in order that the de-
partment might crafty him II possible
The authorities recognize the adyisability
of sending all the gunboats that can be
ppditu W Vue AStHliC StdllOu, on dCC0Ill
of their adaptabiltty to service in the
archipelago, but. in addition to the Con
cord and Petrol, which are npw at Iloilo,
the Helena is at Pert Said on her way to
Manila and Admiral Dewey now has in
commission the CaMao, the Martha, 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 cap
tured gunboats Leyte amid Mindanao await
ing crews and when the Machias, the Cas-
tire and the Bennington Join him he VIII
have thirty vessels under his commrA a,
not counting the Oregon and the Iris, which
win soon be at Honolulu awaiting orders
to go to his support Such large feet has
never in times of peace been under the
command OF a single American officer, but
the department has such confidence i'll thu
admiral's judgment that 1t will not hest
tate 10 send him any further reinforce
ments that he demands.
In his dispatch Admiral Dewey calls for
large quantities of plug tobacco, soup and
American food. 1t will be rem embered that
soon after the destruction of Montojo' s
fleet the admiral cabled for 10000 bars OF
soap, finding that he could buy none in
Asiatic waters. This supply has either been
exhausted or the admiral Is determined to
have fresh supply on hand before 1t
gives out, in order that there shall be no
uncleanliress In his feet. His demand
for more plug tobacco is explained in let
ters which have recently reached Washing
ton from officers of the feet, telling how
tired the men are of Philippine cigars AMI
how they miss their sweetensi navy plug
and their clay pipes. To carry these needed
supplies the department decided today. to
fit up the auxiliary cruiser Yankee or her
sister ship 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 ma lie
ready to start in the next two weeks.