New-York tribune., 1905-06-21
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS.
rFRoM THE TRIBUNE BUREAU


Washington. June 90
VALUE OF VISUAL SIGNALLING.-The ad
vantage OF having signal corps men who under
stand their business is shown in the results at
tanned in the signal corps company organized at
Fort Leavenworth. Kansas under Captain William
Mitchell. He commands the only company which
has remained intact long enough to permit the men
TO be drilled In various duties devolving upon
them IN the way of communication in the field
One of the most intricate details upon which the
signal men are engaged is that of visual signal
ling. This Is considered Of Importance although
it is coming to be superseded by the electrical
Of sue such as the ed tes
for establishing those systems between the central
occasions When de visual signalling viii be used and
it is of Importance that the men of the corps at
ha respeo With haa the qesR says cp in
The Company is now available for service IN the
field and is likely to be sent to the Philippines
under one command for signal corps work, that
there are so many demands upon the service OF
Philippines and In Alaska In which territory there
has been great deal of cable and land telegraph
work accomplished
MORE TORPEDO PRACTICE.-The Navy De-
partment has decided to leave with commanding
officers of ships armed with torpedo tubes the duty
of keeping up the practice with that form Of ar
mament 1t has been found that there has been
great lack of work in that particular. The re-
cent preliminary and record practice with torpedoes
by the ships of the North Atlantic fleet in South
waters convinced the naval authorities that
there must be more systematic training in the fir
ing of the torpedoes if the most effective results
are to be obtained. There practically no
knowledge possessed by officers and men in the
working of the torpedo mechanism and the prac-
tice at Pensacola disclosed the fact that in actual
war the torpedoes Of our ships of war would be a
very uncertain factor in the system Of offence.
the torpedo during Ing the preliminary work but the
pedoes say that in the competitive firing later
sile all that had been claimed for it. at close
range, and that It was in all respects an fnstru-
the torpedo effective was the training of the oper
aors or some 81 such work IS & done at the
necessarily limitations to such instruction and.
itions which shall attach to those Of actual war
fare on board ship. The Navy Department officials
the work Pensacola, the results are destined
attack under conditions which will permit the close
range fghting; In the mean time, the commanding
held responsible for the or failure Of the
s9TpedS ar in time Of war they shall be
pears the most effective.
WARSHIPS' LIBRARIES-The Navy Depart
ment officials taking great pains the selection
of books for the crews and ships libraries in the
navy. The new battleships will each possess
library OF some 1SO0 volumes, costing the govern
ment about $1,000 They embrace wide and varied
range OF subjects, with due proportion of fiction.
such would appeal to the sailor man. and
naturally with strong flavor of the sea. There
VIII be books on such subjects as sociology and
on the sciences Much care has been exercsed in
the selection of these works. and a large number
of volumes has recently been bought of one of the
correspon.dence schools 1t is observed that the
Libraries has served TO stimulate in the crews more
improve their time in pursuing Subjects of a prac
tcal sort, such electricity which will be of use
to them when they are discharged
COLONEL EDGERLY PRoMOTED.-The Pres
ident has appointed Colonel Winfield s Edgerlv If
the I'd Cavalry a brgadier general. taking the
place that would have been filed by Colonel Ar
eral Edgerly is now in the Philippines.
ORDERS IssUED.-The following army and navy
orders have been issued:
ARMY
Colonel WALTER HOWE, artillery corps from, sr.,uer,
district Key West. to command artillery district
Major EDGAR Russell. signal corns ,-o,, ez .A,s
signal officer Isthmian Canal commisson -ce 'H'e
snG olGaS5 %ar IAFa EbW B esps sg u
Msa Se5ea members examining board Army Medical
dIane Ga Js@ sSgYLR rG GsRea stan and lieutenant
First Lieutenant HENRY s. IlIET2srF,D assistant sr
sson before board at Preside examination '4o for
Retirement of Major General JOHN P. STORY an
dat9r JOHN L PHILLIPS. surgeon to Isthmfan Canal
Colonel WILLIAM p CJ,APP retirad from, ,rz,.,uua
militia of Connecticut to his home -i''" 'fsaniA''
Major FRANCIS HERMAN General star rr,r, r-.
sam Houston. report chief staff -
a % es o s5s ps5 to San
NAVY
Commander D. w. CoFFMAN, commissioned
Paymaster G. M sTAcKHoUsD to Charleston
Paymaster 7. II: HICKS detached Illinois: to navy
yard. Mare Island. ''
Paymester p g. KENNARD. detached tbs Newark, 10
the Naval Hospital Norfolk. ~
Paynnastsr q. REEVES, detached Navy p.o.r+rn.n.,
to tho Illinois
Pnymasssr ]. r sANDFoRD eetnehsd navy yard New
York; TO tho Newark "
MOVEMENTS OF NAVAL. vRssELs-Th. fol-
lowing movements OF vessels have bean reported To
the Navy Department.:
ARRIVED
June le-Ths Hist and the Ysnston NspoYt The ps.
Moines at Santo Domingo City.
SAILED.
Monte Ctisa. - 80
June 2O-The Lawton from Guam, for CsvfeA
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LOCOMOTIVE ExPLODEs; TWO HURT
IAttle Falls. N. T., juno ao-By tho explosion OF
a New-York Central locomotive near St Johns
Vile last night, Robert wilkins. OF Albany, the
fireman. and John Nells, of St JohnsviIe, brake
man. fe8rfully Scalded. NeIliss arm WAS