The evening times., 1899-03-21
ALGER'S TRANSPORT
sails SOUTHERLY
Departure of the Ingalls, From
New York for Savannah.
There She Will Be Bearded by The
Secretary Of War.
A Model of Steamship Luxury Under
Command of an Army officer
of High Rank.

New York, March 21.-With housefur-
| nishers busy as bees in stateroom and sa-
loon and white enameled iron bed in one
mysterious chamber, the United States
transport ingalls, gave three little toots of
her whistle and started down stream from
the army pier at the foot of Pacific Street
Brooklyn. at half past o'clock yesterday
afternoon. 1t is an open secret that she is
| to be the vessel ON which Gen. Russell A.
Alger, Secretary Of War. will journey on
trip around Cuba and Porto Rico. No
one one the dock knows 1t officially All
they know Is that she Is bound for Savan-
| nah, Ca, where-but that's the secret
Secretary Alger is to go on board.
Everything possible has been done to
| make the ingalls,. which was once the
Clearwater, fit conveyance for a distin-
guished official. Even In her former state
she was model OF luxurious appointment
She was owned by the Louisiana Lottery
Company, which. after it's expulsion from
New Orleans, used her to carry its stock
holders TO its new home, in British Hon.
duras, and TO speed back with the news of
the successful drawings. She makes 16
knots very handily. and has a length of 225
feet. In those days she went on many
junketing trip
The ingalls,, as an army transport, was
being fitted out at Elizabethport for mil
itary service when General AIger made I'D
his mind to take the trip which he had
expected TO take on the Meade, but had
given up owing to the comment which fol-
lowed the publication of the facts in the
case.
The contract called for the completion
OF the work on March 90. Orders were
sent TO hurry, and the ingalls, was towed
up to the dock at Pacific Street last Satur-
day. She was ordered to sail for Savannah
and extensive preparations were made to
fit her for cruise OF no ordinary nature
She was inspected thoroughly by Colonel
Jones. the superintendent of transport
whose office is in the Army Building. On
every other transport the guartermaster is
a captain, but the quartermaster of the
ingalls, must outrank all others. so Major
Thomas Cluse was appointed to that post
All the preparations were made with
the greatest show of secrecy Army officers
on the dock, when asked why the ship
was going to Savannah. shook their heads
and said they did not know.
There was one room on the vessel which
no one entered. 1t is the last room in the
superstructure. which runs the full width
of the upper deck, and therefore has win
dows at the back and both sides. In this
IDOlH Is the DeQSteau WIN Wnlte en-
amel. Silken mosquito curtains and light
silk draperies of baby blue overhang it,
Similar curtains adorn the walls and hide
the deadeye windows Handsome rugs are
on the floor. white easy chairs of wicker
work, with blue silk cushions; a reading
table, a desk, cut glass sideboard, and a
bookcase are the furniture of this state
room. This is TO be the Secretarys room.
The information is given unoffcially.
House furnishers from a department
store went on board the ship early yester-
day and began to work. They had not put
the finishing touches on the ship when she
sailed, so they sailed with her. They were
taken off at Quarantine by the transport
tug Katharine Francesca.
Just what was in the hold of the Ingalls,
in the way of supplies could not be learned.
IL is known, however, that she carried
away, consigned TO Havana, portion of
the library and other household furniture OF
the late Cuban General Garcia. The books
and furniture had been stored in New
York