The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-02
Army Investigation Board Is to
Make a Side Trip Today.
MILL RETURN BY TOMORROW.
Much Data Regarding Facilities for
Handling Transports and other
Army Business Hns Been Secured
<-Gen. Bates Says He Is Much Inn
pressed With seattIe-Unable to
Address Chamber of Commerce.

Gen. Bates, Maj Carson and Maj. Kill
borne. comprising the army board OF in
vestigstion which for the past two days
has been locking into Seattle's transport
business and facilities for handling army
business, will today go to Tacoma on a
similar mission. A message authorizing
the trip was received by Gen. Bates from
fhe secretary OF war yesterday afternoon.
Tomorrow Gen. Bates and Maj. Carson
will return to this city. where they Will
complete their work and then proceed to
Washington. Upon their arrival they will
report to the secretary of war; furnishing
q statement of the facilities found on
Puget sound and at San Francisco.
Yesterday was very busy day with the
board. Probably not any more so, how
ever. than the day before. Accompanied
by officers attached to the Department of
Alaska and Quartermaster Robinson's
Office they visited the water front and on
returning secured much data regarding
the time required to load transports here.
There was one thing that commanded a
good deal of attention yesterday. Stand
ing on the Northern Pacific sidetracks are
several cars loaded with supplies for the
Department of Alaska. The road Is very
anxious to have these cars unloaded and
returned, but at the present time 1t is i'm
possible. owing to the fact that there Is no
place to put the supplies until they are
loaded on the transports. This one feat
ure bespoke the necessity of establishing
q permanent depot here.
During the afternoon Gen. Bates was in
consultation for several hours with Gen.
Randall. and, IT is understood, secured
much information bearing on the work of
tho board here. In the evening the three
officers paid visit to Capt. Robinson at
his home, where for several hours they
were engaged in gathering data.
-. q he int. I. and rAy
Bates said:
II have received an order from the sec
rotary OF war stating IL / had not already
left here to proceed to Tacoma and look
into transport facilities at that point. This
we will do tomorrow morning. and so.
much as l regret It, / Will not be able to
accept the invitation of the Chamber of
Commerce to address that body tomorrow.
We viii return Thursday morning and
fihsh up. Then we will leave for Wash
ington, ID. G. l am very much impressed
with Seattle as a city.
eOur investigation here has been more
particularly with transport facilities, AL
though we have gone into several other
matters. The object of our work Is to lay
before the secretary OF war the plain facts
regarding the facilities of Pacific coast
cities. so that he may understand the stu
at lon here just as well as we.do. We have
gene into several matters very thorough
~, IT would not, however be polite for
me to discuss them.
"After receiving our report. II II be-
comes necessary for the government to
maintain transport service, the war de-
partment win have comprehensive idea
OF the capabilities of the various ports for
handling army business. Should II be-
come unnecessary for the department to
maintain the large standing army II now
has Ia the Philippines. the transport serv-
fce may he largely reduced. II Is but
speculation, however. Our duty Is to give
the facts as we find them.
81 can speak OF Seattle as we do in the
eavalrS,-it Is a good camp. with plenty OF
hay and oats"