The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-08-29
COAL FOR FLEET
IS BIG PROBLEM
HOW BATTLEsHIPs WILL BE SUP
Piled ON LONG CRUISE.
GOLFERS TO GO ALONG
Date Of Departure Uncertain Owing
to Target Practice and Posi-
BILE Changes in Turret
Mechanism.


Washington, Aug. 27.-Acting Sec
rotary Newberry returned to Wash
ington Monday bringing official word
of the conclusions reached at the Oys-
ter Bay conference relative to the
projected cruise of the great battle
ship feet from the eastern to the
western coasts of the United States
by way of the Straits of Magellan.
Necessarily, these conclusions were
on broad lines, and 1t was found ex-
pedient to leave to Admiral Evans and
his staff the arrangement of the de
tails of the itinerary of the voyage;
and to the heads of the various naval
bureaus the preparations which will
make 1t possible for the great fleet
to leave the Atlantic coast in perfect
condition for this voyage of 13.772
knots.
Even up to this moment 1t has been
impossible for a variety of reasons to
precisely fix the date of departure OF
the Atlantic fleet. Naval regula-
lions require that each vessel should
carry out the established order as to
target practice every quarter, and no
naval officer is willing that this i'm
portant practice should be dispensed
with, even for this cruise. Target
practice is invariably followed by
more or less damage to the ships, re,
quiring their return to navy yard
for repairs before they can be regard
ed as in proper condition for a pro
longed absence from their home ports,
May Have TO Alter Turrets.
Then 1t is fully expected that the
turret board, now In session in this
city, will recommend number of
changes in the turret mechanism of
the ships to protect the lives of the
gunners and ammunition handlers.
Some time, too, must be allowed the
golfers to arrive at designated points
and 1t is expected several months will
be needed to place the yards on the
Pacific coast In readiness for the re-
ception of the battleship fleet, which
will certainly be In need of repair by
the time II arrives on the Pacific sta.
ton.
Everything will be in readiness for
the feet to sail on December 1, and
the date of departure will be be-
tween December I and Is. All of the
orders to the heads of bureaus are
of verbal character.
Coal Problem is Serious.
AS arranged, the itinerary provides
for ten knots an hour, which is re.
garded as the most economic speed
for the fleet. This will permit the
golfers to accompany the fleet for
part of the voyage on the Atlantic
side. Starting with full bunkers of
coal, the ships will require in add.
ton 100,504 tons, not counting the
coal that will be. burned by the tor
pedo boats, which will be provided
by merchants en- route This great
supply OF coal must be provided by
colliers.N Four small golfers, the Han
nibal, Marcellus, Sterling and Nan
shan, carrying 200 tons each will ac-
company the fleet to Trinidad, and
five large Golfers, the Ajax, Abar-
enda, Brutus, Caesar and Nero, car
rying 1000 tons each, will go as far
as Rio Janeiro.
1t will be necessary to charter IL
additional golfers, and four of these
will meet the feet at Sandy Point,
Magellan straits, four at Callao, Peru,
and four at Magdalena bay. Each of
these golfers will carry 5000 tons of
coal.
Must Buy Some Foreign Coal.
1t is the intention of the navy de-
partment to buy as much American
coal as possible, but in some instances
foreign coal will have to be used
The character of the torpedo boats
makes it possible for them to coal at
regular stations devoted to CONNER
cial steamers.
The Panther, carrying a full ma
chine shop, and the Culgoa and the
Glacier, supply ships, will accompany
the feet the entire voyage.
Magdalena bay will be reached
about March 9, according to plans,
but the itinerary at this point gives
ten days additional. Target practice
there will continue for about month.
Some OF the battleships win then go
to Puget sound. and some to San
Francisco. Nothing has been settled
concerning the return of part or all
OF the feet. and probably this will not
be settled until 60 days in advance Of
tha acfnaI return