The sun., 1900-06-11
NAVY NOT CAUGHT MAPPING
QUICK WORK Nv GETTING I"O
BATTLEsHIPS READY FOR SEA.
Secretary Long s Mobilization Orders rrompuy
Carried Out by the Indiana ana the MAs
sschusetts-Left League Island navy iAra
~ Hours After the Orders were heee"eo'

HAMPTON ROADS Va, June lO-Jus' MUS
ahead of the expected hour, the twin oatue-
ships Indiana and Massachusetts errlved from
League Island, Pa. early yesterday hlorNins,
completing, when they dropped anchor OH
Fort Monroe, the first part oi the Navy De-
partment's mobilization scheme that was put
in operation without warning three days pe-
fore. The prompt preparation OF 'hese '"o
ships their sudden transformation from peace
full reserves In an out Of the way channel WIN
lust as few officers and men aboard as couiu
keep the ships in condition for service INTO
ships fully manned, officered and equippeo
and the departure to their rendezvous at sea.
all within 40 hours Of the time the origihai
orders were issued. demonstrates again Una,
the Navy is always ready in every department
for any service it may be called upon TO per-
form.
Secretary Long sent out his llttie surprise
Just before o'clock Tuesday afternoon III 'lhe
TO catch the officers and clerks at closing-up
hour of the business of the day. The order went
TO every department at Washington, to all
receiving ships and navy yards OF the northern
Atlantic coast and to the marine BARRACKS.
Thence II went TO the commanding onlcers OF
the ships in reserve and TO other ships that
were to transfer men to them. lnaiew minutes
the entire naval force within the range OF the
orders was transformed from BODY ol men
Just ready to 60 ashore after days WORK IN
office and on shipboard TO the same number
OF hustling men. each enc bent on making the
utmost effort 10 promptly carry Out the emer-
gency instructions from Washington Inc
wording of the srders could hardly have been
more emphatic If an enemy's fleet was OIL the
coast waiting to attack the city ana the salety
OF the country depended upon the haste with
which these two fighting ships could get out
to sea to head them of. That vas part OF
the sqhem @ As i 5n1t den hs ha bsse se
carried out in this country 1t is little wonder
that folks in and out of the service, wondered
seriously for few hours IL realiy n a'1 rss nos
scale. And even now there are some VINO re-
fuse to be convinced that IT does not mean
something more than the naval officers III hlSh
places of responsibility will admit;
The Indiana and Massachusetts, had on board
when the orders came about $50 enlisted
men and dozen officers each bu, sash nnd nnd
shell rooms filed with plenty OF ammunition
for guns, and stores enough TO permit the SHIPS
to go to sea the minute the service c,9,npleII
ments reported on board The addluonal
officers and men began arriving the following
morning Officers who would have laughed
to them that they would be going to sea soon
suddenly received teleeraphic orders that
said: go with all the speed OF the railroad
trains" They left their desks in, navy yards
and Washington bureaus, dumped collars ana
changes Of underclothes into hand bags on top
of their uniforms. grasped swords and went,
tssoPBRGs sHes enf Rey lived nes T enough
The next morning they we're repprtiIhg ing @ lor
duty TO the commanding officers OF the Indiana
and Massachusetts and taking up their sharss
of the bustling work they found going on aboard
the ships
At the same time. on board the receiving
sh' ia at Ss the ofE aa here y" board
the receiving ship Richmond and thLoueh2nt ,h
the entire navy yard at League Island, on the
receiving ship Franklin at Nqriok' ana Else
where men and stores were being assembled
with a rapidity and certainty that was surprls-
ing except to those who had much CONFIDENCE
In the naval system Wsdoeadsv % nes morn mornnr the
men began coming on board the ships, those
nearest at hand first Of course ADMIRAL
,h tesa eSs, ors I5om raoeyed 1--WE om outside
the League Island Navy Yard announcing the
departure Of men for the ships and ne drait
from the Wabash arrived INA, hin evening rori w'sn an
the New York Navy Yard, and were put on
board the ships immediately. :, Before break
Hartford, Just arrived under the same emer-
gency orders from Norfolk, transferred l4o
men to each of the ships, these men being Vest
Department has undertaken to satisfy, with
good results to the service and the men as
well The first detail of marines came from the
Boston barracks. but they were closely fol
lowed by forty men from New York, making
a picturesque detail in the scene ol hasty work
with their red-faced capes thrown back over
shoulders az they marched on board the tug
and few minutes later went on board the
ships, then waiting at anchor in the Delaware
River, of the League Island Navy Yard, for
the word that would set them steaming down
the 100 miles of fresh water to the ocean.
AT $ o'clock on the morning OF Thursday
Capt, Dickins reported the Indiana ready IN
time the first order was given The Massa-
chusetts was reported by Capt. Train a ready
about the same time. During the afternoon
Capt. Dckins. as senior officer. received his
orders from Rear Admiral Casey. commaandant
of the League Island yard. to proceed 70 Hamp-
ton Roads; At $50 o'clock. the tide then serv,,
down the river, the Indiana. with the senior
officers pennant flying. Leading and receiving
and answering salntes Of whistles and dipping
flags along the. way, At $50 o'clock they. an
thored at the bar to await tho morning tide.
getting under way again at o'clock on Friday
morning and proceeding down the river, drop, iGp
| ping pilots of the capes OF Delaware. and then
on TO Hampton Roads
Meantime preparations had been made by
Rear Admiral Barker, commanddant Of the Nor
ships. Although the ships had ywell-illed bunk
ers on leaving League Island. a battleshp's
furnaces eat up a deal Of coal, and tor cruise
of any length II is necessary to fill up to the
| limit, which means about 100 tons in the case
Of these two ships, So on arrival at Hamp-
| ton ROaOS everything was lOunu Teduy LOT
| Immediate coaling. The coliers Marcelus and
Lebanon and coal barges were there and were
run alongside the ships, by navy, yard tugs
| without delay. The GOAL will II Is expected
| all be in the ships bunknrs in time for them to
| sail and reach Newport on Monday morn
| ing and Join Admiral Farquhar's North Atlantic
| SQUADRON on Wednesday and procee, with the
| fleet 10 Boston.
From this hasty review IT will be seen that
remarkably rapid work has been. performed
by every department concerned N was eX-
pected that three days would be necessary to
get the ships from reserve into active service,
but il has been shown that It can he done in
two-thirds that time, thanks 10 the easy work.
ing Of the naval machinery.
Another thing has been demonstrated mt the
same time, and that is the superiority of the
system Of laying ships up in reserve instead Of
putting them In ordinary, or out Of commits
sion. People in general scarcely know the Diff
| but there is n great deal OF difference, ship
in ordinary is laid up in navy y ard with nobody
| aboard but one Waterman, whose only duty IL
! TO look out for fires and trespassers. Navy
yard workmen go aboard from time to time and
| keep guns and machincry and other fittings in
as good condition as they can under the circum-
| stances. A ship IN reserve. on tho other hand.
has small number of officers and n skeleton
crew who live on board and keep the ship in
| thorough condition for service at any time tho
orders may come, The skeleton crew then ex-
| pands readily by the addition Of new men into
| a full complement and the ship goes 10 sea with
| little delay
The Indiana and the Massachusetts we're the
first ships Of their class and tonnage TO be placed
| In reserve, and hence this was the first oppcr-
tunity to try the mobilization idea in haste as IL
| done by first-claSs naval powers on occasions
| To insure the constant readiness so essential for
! an efficient navy.
| tba Va haH haap In nd %