Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-09
Army and Navy News.

Army and Navy News.
Washington Nov. S.-The Naval OBJ )
servatory will make an effort to send
time signals of the new year around
the world. Last year the instant
which marked the beginning of the
new year Was transmitted over three
hundred thousand miles of telegraph ,
and cable wires, reaching nearly every !
important point, even the interir- or
Alaska. THIS year il will he sent out
at midnight on December 81, aud at l, !
2 and o'clock A. NJ, seventy-fifth
meridian time. to announce the exact
instant of the beginning of the new
year to each of the great standard time
belts of the United States. 1t has also
been proposed that at the session OF
the international Railway Congress, i'll
Washington, in May next, the OBJ
servatory send out to the world, as
far as telegraph and cable will carry
them, a special series of time signals
in celebration of the meeting. The
authorities at the Naval Observatory
| also intend to collect information re-
| latIng to the kind of time in actual use
| in the various countries of the world.
Some important tests are to be held
at the army proving ground at Sandy
| Hook. The War Department has al
| loted $1,000 for completing the test OF
| 3-inch deck armor. which will be at
| tackled by 10 and II inch projectiles.
1t has also set aside 100000 for the pur-
| chase OF a Pinch arnnor plate from the
| krupp factory, in order to test fuses.
| The Navy Department does not pro-
| pose to pay for services which have
| not been rendered, and in line with
| this policy it has rejected the claim of
| a foreign coal contractor who offered.
| for prearranged price of 20 shillings a
| ton, to deliver eighty-seVen tons of fuel
! on board the MayfloWer at Genoa. The
| work had to be done in hurry. and
while in progress. and after forty-siX
| tons had been trimmed the COM
| handing officer of the MayfioWer dlS-
| covered that the contractors men haH
suspended work and proposed to have
n noon recess of two hours, which they
employed in lolling about the deck
| smoking and sleeping. This led to
protest from the commanding officer
who sent the ships paymastor to the
| contra ctor to say that he would relieve
| him of further work and have the
1 IN
making a difference of l shilling a ton
| on the contract price. The total
| amount involved was only SIS, but
Captain Gleaves refused to pay the ex-
ira amount. and the Navy Department
has sustained him in his position.
The battleships Oregon and Wiscon-
| sin. the cruiser Cincinnati, the torpedo
| boat destroyer Decatur and the cOlller
Sterling. of the Asiatic squadron, have
arrived at Manila. and are making
urrparaIions for manoeurrcs.
| The War Department has been ad-
| viy,, Il of the acauittal by court martial
Of Lieutenant George :. Richards, Jr
sd infantry who was tried on charges
| of duplication of pay accounts. Lieu
| tenant Richards was acquitted on the
ground that he was mentally ire
| snonsible for his alleged irregularities.
| If it is found that the reported dis
l ability still exists he will be transferred
to the retired list and if not there will
he an investigation of additional
charges filed since the recent court
| martial vas convened.
AS Il result of an Investigation into
the, defect in the Pinch shell used on
| United states war vessels. noted in the
recent target practice of the North
| Atlantic fleet on the MaTtha's Vineyard
. ranges. it has been reported by the
! board of experts that the difficulty was
entirely with the steel bands on the
pr1jectilc and not With the gun. as vas
| apprehendtd This detect can easily
be remedied.
The War Department has sent orders
| for the court martial Of Captain DAVID
r. Mulliken. 9th Infantry. now sta
toned at Fort sheridan. Illinois, on the
charge of deserving his wife, whom ne
married in the Philippines. and also for
duplicating his pay accounts.
| Assistant Secretary Darling mas de-
cided to reject all the bids which were
received some weeks ago for the con-
struction of a new hospital at the
Naval Academy and have the architect
revise the plans so as to bring the cost
of the hospital within the amount
available.
The Bureau of Yards and Docks will
probably reject all the bids which were
received last Saturday for the COM
rletion of the big drydock at the Mare
Island Navy Yard. The bids are con-
sidered excessive. and if the contract
should be made on the basis of those
| figures the cost of the dock would far
! exceed the original estimate and the
) amount available for the work. 1t Is
probably that the work will be carrieu
on by yard labor, except in certain
parts. such as furnishing the electrical
material and building the calssoi''
which would have to be done under
contract. tr -'.
The Navy Department has decided
that the smaller vessels of the navy
shall hold their target practice In the
coming season Of record practice IN 81 !
Joseph's Bay. about one hundred miles
| east of Pensacola.
| Two old portraits of Nelson. III gu