The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-01
Admiral Sampson and Commander
FoIger Pleased with the Work.
ings of the Double Turret.
PETITION OF IDAHO PEOPLE
ABOUT $500 WANT TROOPS KEPT In
MINING DISTRICT.
Rural Free Delivery Extended in In
Ointments-G;eneral
News of the Capital.

| WASHINGTON, March 31.-The follow
| ing telegram has been received at the Navy
| Department from Commander Folger. of
| the battleship Kearsarge, just returned to
| Fort Monroe, from a sea trial: 1.-The double
| turrent thoroughly tested and is an as
| sured success, both from military and
| structural standpoints. No interference be-
! tween plates on guns inconvenience
| from blast or smoke. The structure tested
with simultaneous discharges of three
| guns is amply strong to withhold the
! united shock of the four guns of either
! turret. The absence of suitable electric de-
| vice for simultaneous discharge of all the
| guns prevented this final test. Both pairs
| of eight-inch guns tested in simultaneous
| firing.
Admiral Sampson, who was aboard the
| Kearsarge during her last run out to sea,
| arrived here to-day from Fort Monroe on
| his way north to Boston. The admiral
watched the test of the double turret. a
feature of naval architecture peculiar to
| the United States navy. The test settled
| completely all doubts as to the practical
| bility of this idea. According to Admiral
! Sampson none of the predicted faults of
the system developed. 1t had been con-
tended that the blast of the eIght-inch
| guns superimposed above the big twelve
| inch guns would make it impossible to
operate the latter that no man could
4 live in the lower tur-et. As a matter OF
| fact the blast was so light that two officers
| stationed in the two sighting hoods on the
| lower turrets were unable to agree as 10
| whether there was any blast at all, and If
| there was they could not tell its direction.
| A piece of cotton wool placed in the for
Il sighting
| hood was driven into the hood but on
either side Ii remained undisturbed. Con-
trary to predictions there was no difhculty
| In maintaing the four guns in the super
| imposed turrets in parallel The shots were
delivered almost in one spot. Owing to a
| fault in the electric connections which can
| easily be rernedied liz was not possible to
/ discharge more than three of the guns to-
! gether, but the three shots at thousand
yards dropped in the same place in the
| water. No trouble was experienced with the
turning devices and other mechanism.
| Everything worked with perfec; smooth
| ness me same was true, according 10
Admiral Sampson. of the Kearsarge as a
whole, everything-boilers. engines, steer
ing gear-functioned perfectly.
Rural free delivery is established to COM
mence April 10 in Indiana, as follows:
| Peru, Miami county-Length of route, q
miles; area covered, So square miles; popu-
| lation served, zoo; carrier, Harvey Hank.
| Carmel. Hamilton county-Length of route.
- miles: area covered, 40 square miles; pop
ulation served, 625; carrier. William j.
| Ward. Converse, Miami county-Length of
route, % miles; area covered. "a square
| miles; population served. 645: carrier, G. r.
| Hiatt. Evansville Vanderburg county
Length of route, 96l2 miles: area covered.
| 10 square miles: population served 2,S75;
carriers, l.. ID. Knight, David A. Corion,
John Krats and Henry Drieier Muncie.
| Delaware county. eXtenSion-Length of
i
miles; population served, Co., carrier, B. f.
| Harold. *$*
Secretary Gage has submitted to the
House a request for 100000 additional to
| the fund to prevent the introduction and
| spread of epidemic diseases. He says that
the surgeon general of the Marine Hospital
| Service reports that on account of the con-
| tinued and increasing danger from plague
| medical officers have been stationed at
| United States consulates in Europe from
which emigrants depart Medical officers
| also have been stationed at the fruit ports
| of Central and South America to guard
against yellow fever. The consulates at
| Yokohama, Kobe and Hong-Kong also
have medical officers. Secretary Gage,
continuing. says: THE surgeon general
| official here states that the plague has re-
Gently been reported in Sanran and the
\
ously apprehended. To meet this state of
| affairs the secretary asks for $500 900 i'm adj
| dition to the 100000 heretofore given, and
| he requests that il be made immediately
| available, since the appropriation is almost
| exhausted, and should yellow fever appear
| curing the month of June a deficit would
| be unavoidable
| Owing TO the enactment of the new
| financial law. Secretary Gage has sent to
the House a request for an appropriation
oh of lett,
national bank currency, to cost sI,S26.
1
| Brig. Gen Fitzhugh Lee, comma nding
the department of the province of Havana
| and Pinar del Rio. has directed the organi-
| cation of a rural guard of one company, to
| consist OF one captain, one first lieutenant,
| one second lieutenant. one first sergeant.
| seven sergeants, eight corporals and not
| to exceed ninety privates. Capt II. j. Slo.
cum, Seventh Cavalry. will have charge
/ of the guard company.
| Capt. Robley ID. Evans, of the lighthouse
| board, has returned to the city from a
visit to Cuba. He recently had a severe
| attack of rheumatism. and, though still
| suffering from that malady, is very much
| improved in health.
| Secretary Long has recommended to Con-
| gress that employees of the Navy Depart
ment be paid for their excess of time in
| Office from Jan. !, 1898. to Jan. 80 1899. This
| is in conformity with the recommendations
made by the secretary of war, the secre-
| tary of the treasury as to the employees i'm
| their respective departments. The secre-
| tary of state made similar request. The
| secretary of war led the way in this mat
| ter. calling the attention of Congress to the
/ extraordinary labors imposed upon the
/ employees of the War Department during
| the Spanish war through the necessity of
/ keeping many of the bureaus open for most
/ expected that Congress will make suitable
| provision for the reward of these employees
| In the case of the Navy Department the
/ estimate of cost is estimated at $4,000
| The President sent the following nomina-
| tons TO the Senate: For promotion in the
| regular army: First lieutenants to be cap
| tains, Charles Miller. Sixteenth Infantry;
| John r. Seyburn. Eighth Infantry: T. o.
/ Murphy, Tenth Infantry. Second lieuten-
| ants to be first lieutenants, c. z. Morton.
/ Twenty-second Infantry; v. Wills. Twelfth
| Infantry: Z. l.. ID. Breckenridge, Eighth
! Infantry: G.. McCaskey, Twenty-fifth In
| fantry. Volunteers: Gustav Moret, of Porto
| Rico, date acting assistant~eurgeon United
/ States army, TO be assistant surgeon with
/ rank of first lieutenant.
Attorney General Griggs has given an
| opinion to the secretary of the navy to the
| effect that the secretary of the treasury has