The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-07
FAST WORK ON WARSHlPS
Secretary Longs Orders Executed
With Great Despatch.
The Indiana and Massachusetts
Equipped With Remarkable Ra-
pidity mt League Island Navy Yard
Navy Departments Mobilization
Experiment Complete Success.

PHILADELPHIA June 6.-The order
Navy Yard to have the battleships Indiana
and Massachusetts, ready for sea within
three days was entirely unexpected.
The orders were received at the navy
yard Tuesday afternoon at the time the
workmen stopped work for the day. 1t
Admiral Casey opened the orders. Half an
hour later the yard, which had settled
down to its evening quiet. was hive of
industry. Officers were rushing here and
there summoning other officers and work
men back TO their posts. All night long
officers worked in the various store houses,
getting together the stores necessary to
feed and clothe the LOCO men who will
man both ships at sea for sixty days.
The work was so expedited that short
ly after o'clock this morning the Massa-
chusetts was towed from her moorings
in the back channel to an anchorage IN
the Delaware River, opposite Broad Street.
Late this afternoon the Indiana was towed
to an anchorage near her.
But what Admiral Casey and his stan
four hours they were able to equip two
battleships with sufficient stores to keep
--a at sea for sixty days.
Sailors and ship chambers know what
such task means. The great majority OF
laymen do not 1t means that everything
necessary to sustain 1000 sailors and Off
GERS comfortably at sea for sixty days must
be on board; it means that medical sup
plies and drugs must be en- board, ellis and
fnr ha nrOf inn mr. MAJ
and. in short, everything from needles 10
anchors and from matches to ooLpl- cated
surgical appliances. Then the ammuni-
tion and coal has to be-seen to as we'll as
hundred and one other things.
All this has been done for the Indiana
and the Massachusetts, since o'clock yes
terday afternoon, and more. too, for both
ships have been towed around from the
back basin.
The Indiana and Massachusetts, arrived
from Brooklyn Navy Yard at League Island
about two or three weeks ago and were
ordered into the reserve basin. where they
have since been lying, manned by "skele-
ton" crews. which means that each vessel
has about 200 officers and sailors on board
The regular complement of each is about
$50 men and officers.
As far as League Island is concerned.
it will be impossible to equip them with
$50 available men at League Island. There
is also a shortage of marines.
This, officers say, must not be taken to
mean that Philadelphia is not good re-
cruiting station for the Navy. Recently
League leland has furnished hundreds Of
valuable men to Uncle Sans ships
The training ship Hartford. from Hamp-
ton Roads, arrived at the navy yard late
Thu; afternoon with several hundred ma
nd cail
quickly despatched TO the Indiana and
Massachusetts, Their crews, it is thought,
will be completed when they reach New
port.
Officers and men who come overland from
various naval stations kept arriving all
day. Some of them came from points as
far east as Boston.
Considerable interest has been aroused in
naval circles by the order issued Tuesday
by Secretary Long. wherein the battle ships
Indiana, Massachusetts,, and Kearsarge
were instructed to join the flagship New
York and the Texas at Newport X. l.. With
the least possible delay. TIE problem al;
tempted TO be solved by the Navy DEF art
ment is how quickly a squadron of ar
mordads may be modified at a given
point To that end the or3e-s were issued
without any previous waning to the Off
GERS concerned
Many directions were sent by telegraph
and letter TO enable the problem to be
demonstrated properly. In order to remove
any apprehension to the purpose OF
these orders, Secretary Long said that tn =
only idea Of the Department in issuing
them was 10 determine how quickly por-
tion of the feet may be modified, and
be denied. in answer to questions, that the
Departments action had any bearing on
the Chinese situation. or the efforts OF the
Government to collect the Armenian in /
demnity. The experiment of determining |
how quickly a number Of modern war ves-
Eeis might be concentrated was suggested |
by Admiral Crowninshield, the Sc -retary |
explained.
Under the scheme prepared. each bureau |
of the Navy Department was called on to |
perform certain work in connection with I
the mobilization. The Bureau OF Equip |
ment was obliged to furnish charts: !
the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. the |
necessary medical supplies: the Bureau of |
officers and men; the Bureau |
Of Construction. force of workmen to |
put ships in sea-going condition. and the |
Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. cloth |
Ing and the stores.