Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-26
GETTING READY
TO LAND IN CUBA

~ IIvU IU UUUU
Continued from First Page)
Franklin Bell. chief OF the general staff OF
the army. Will have command of the army
Of occupation. and. that Gen. Barry. who
has been ordered home from Germany,
will become acting chief Of staff.
Orders to Move Awaited.
There is an air Of readiness everywhere
in the War and Navy departments. Orders
to move are expected at any time and will
create no surprise. The understanding be-
tween the navy and the army Is perfect
and the immediate cooperation of the land
and water forces may be expected in case
the army 10 ordered to assist in Cuba.
The War Department has now ready 5000
troops to put into Cuba at a days notice
This the first installment the govern
ment will send as an army Of occupation.
Furthermore, tho department has tenta-
tive contracts with enough transports to
carry its army to the island and all that is
four hour notice to the owners and In that
time enough vessels will be ready to sail
to carry the first installment Of the army.
Cavairy and infantry: the latter largely
mounted infantry, will be the first sent to
CUBA ana the plans are now to send very
little artillery In the first installment to the
island It Is stated by an officer OF high
rank that within one week the army could
be placed in Cuba In sufficient strength to
suffice all demands and that the department
Is ready to do SO. Offers of vessels have been
made In numbers sufficient for all emer-
gencies and these have been accepted under
the proviso OF twentyfour hours notice.
Newport News will be the place for the
embarkation and departure Of all troops for
Cuba.
Officers on Leave Recalled.
Naval officers on leave in all parts of the
United States have had their leaves re-
voked, and scores of orders made necessary
to officer the ships which are to go to Cuba
were issued today. Commander G.. R. Clark,
who Is on leave, was ordered to the COM
mand Of the battleship Texas, which has
been in reserve at Norfolk Lieutenant
Commander A. Althouse, on duty in the
bureau of navigation, Is to go to the Texas
as navigator; Lieutenant Commander Z. T.
Wftherspoon Is to be her executive officer.
Other Officers ordered to the Texas are:
Lieut.. d ". Fl. Allen. detached from the
Constellation; Lieut.. 0. H. Jackson. de-
tached from New York navy yard; Lieut..
H. H. Royal, detached from the Constel-
lation:- Surg F. L. Benton, detached from
Pensacola Naval Hospital: Passed AS
sistant Surgeon J. W.. Bachus, detached
from Franklin; Passed Assistant Paymas-
ter J. 8. Beecher, detached from bureau of
supplies anu ACCOUNTS.
Officers have been detailed from the Yam
kee and ordered to the cruiser Prairie, as
follows: Lieut. Commander L. S. Thomp-
SON. as navigating officer; Paymaster V. 8.
jackson, Ensigns T. r.. Kurtz and c. s.
Mcdowell and Midshipmen ]. M. Poole and
L. 8. Border. The Yankee was placed out
OF commission and the Prairie commission
ed in her place,
The following named officers were or
dered to the Brooklyn Lieutenant Com
mander l.. A. Bostwick. detached from the
Naval War College to act as navigating Of
ficer for the Brooklyn: Lieutenant E. r.
Muslin. detached from New York navy
yard Lieutenant H. T. Baker, detached
from Norfolk navy yard, to act as senior
engineer officer on the Brooklyn; Passed
Assistant Surgeon y. r. Webb, detached
from Portsmouth On. H. Naval Hospital.
Change in Arrangement.
Finding that the battieship Texas cannot
be ready to sail for Cuba tomorrow the
Navy Department has abandoned the plan
of sending that ship from Norfolk and Will
have all the marines from Norfolk and
Charleston. 8. c.. go to Philadelphia and
sail on the cruiser Brooklyn from League
Island. That change was made possible by
the sending of the marines from the At
lantic fleet On the battleships Indiana and
Kentucky. 1t was originally intended to
have those men san on the Prairie from
Boston, but when they took passage on the
two battleships which are hurrying to Cuba
sufficient space was available on the Prairie
and Brooklyn for the remainder of the 1,500
marines who are to go to Havana.
War Telegraph Service.
For the first time since the Spanish
American war the telegraph service of the
War and Navy Departments has been
placed on war footing.
Arrangements have been made by which
at any hour of the day or night messages
bearing on the Cuban situation can be re-
ceived and promptly transmitted to the
officials whom they directly concern.
In like manner, extraordinary facilities
are furnished by which military or naval
officers can be promptly reached by wire.
The policy Of keeping the War Depart
ment telegraph Office open all night was
inaugurated on Sunday, and the Navy De-
partment followed suit yesterday.
At the War Department additional OPP
orators were taken on, and the unusual
precaution was taken of screwing down the
saunders so as to prevent the leakage of
important dispatches.
This department operates its own tele-
graph lines. and 1t is calculated that In
case of emergency any military post in the
United States could be reached from Wash
ington within an hour.
The Navy Department has no special
lines, and the telegraph facilities are not
as complete as those Of its sister depart
ment. Operators are, OF course, kept there,
Dut the messages come by way OF the main
offices of the telegraph companies. The
telephone, however, has been called into
such service that should necessity arise the
chief officials can be communicated with al
most instantly.
Messages for the heads of the War and
Navy Departments now have precedence
over all others, and instructions have been
given to have these officials notified at any
hour of the day or night.
President Still Hopeful.
Special Dispatch to The Star
OYSTER BAY. N. Y, September 26.-1t
is evident that all hope of settling the Gu
ban situation without armed Intervention
has not been abandoned by the President