The evening times., 1900-06-25
WATER CARRIER FOR CHINA.
Hurry Orders To Prepare the Are.
thuSe for Service

AhhSc Tor -tEF Zee
Orders have been issued at the Navy
Department TO have the steamship Are
tbuse. which is equipped as a water ear
rier and is now al the League Island ward
prepared for sea service as quickly as pos
sibIe. \ week ago a board Of survey ir-
spected the vessel and reported thar She
could rapidly be put in drst-class coudl-
ton Sincs the close Of the spanish
American war. in which the Arethuse fIed
an important duty IN supplying war ships
with water especially OF Santiago. the
vessel has been laid up in the reserve ba-
sin az League Island
The work Of preparing the ship for ser
vice in the waters Of China will be started
By large force at once. and it is boped t-
send the ship away with a week or ten
days The feat Of getting- the battIeshi2s
Indiana and Massachusetts, to sea in forty
eight hours has established a record for
quick work at League Island. which ADM
raj Casey. Captain Clark and the other Off
cials there propose to maintain.
The Indiana and Massachusetts. however
were not held in reserve but in ordinary
with steam up and skeleton crews aboard
while the Arethuse has been shut up in
storage, as it were. with no fires and ONLY
a watchman aboard. II will therefore
take some time TO put the water carrier
in shape. 4 crew viii be quickly secured
as she VIII not require more than one
third the complement of a battleship II i
expected that a commander and other Off
GERS viii be assigned within the next few
days.
The Arethuse was formerly the English
oH-tank steamer L'Orifamme. which was
bought for Suet q Co.. &C London. She
was built at Newcastle-On- Tyne. and was
purchased while lying or the Atlantic Re
hninE COmpany's works in the Delaware
she having come there for oil TO be carried
20 England. The Arethuse carried !. 600
0O0 gallons Of oil She has a capacity for
1900 tons Of water and viii be OF much
service in carrying drinkable water taken
from Chinese streams.
After the recent war a distillinc. plant
was built for the Arethuse. that she might
be used to dIstill the salt water of the
streams she might be in. for the ships
crews 10 drink and for use in the boilers
out the plant was never installed in the
vessel, and il is likely that il viii not be
placed in position at this time. as il is de-
sired 20 do nothing that might delay her
departure. The Arethuse is needed badly
as water carrier
Il has been shown that for the past hun
dred years the disasters that have beset
naval expeditions on Chinese soil and il
Chinese waters have been largely due to
lack of water that the men could drink.
impure water or lack of the fluid having
done greater damage than Chinese guns.
There Is now in Chinese waters the dis
tlllinS ship Iris. which has a capacity Of
$4,000 gallons Of distilled water a Gay. 1t
is planned TO have the Iris distill water to
be carried on both that vessel and the Are
thuse. But most of the streams are of
fresh water. which can be pumped directly
INTO the Arethuse.
In getting the Arethuse ready to steam
away it viii take some time TO load in her
35o0 tons Of coal. which il is intended to
carry as ballast 10 the American vessels.
Every available part Of the ship is TO be
iiled with coal.