Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
no Avoid Goal Shortage.

To Avoid Coal Shortage.
! By special direction of the President
the quartermasters of the army acquired
several weeks ago all the coal needed at
! posts in the northwest for the present
| winter. In letter to the Secretary of
| War, just become public, the President
| said:
The Interstate commerce commission
| urges, upon the recommendation of the
| president of the Northern Pacific Railway
! Company, that the federal government
should set a good example by laying in
| n branches in the northwest well In
| advance of the next winter. so as to
| Ivoid. SO far as possible. the troubles
! caused by the shortage of fuel In that
region last winte-. This is excellent 3D.
| vice.. You are directed to have a COM
| plete stock of fuel at all offices con-
| trolled by your department throughout
| the west pr.or to the LIST of October, so
| that after that date it shall be unneces-
| sary to buy any coal or wood for Indian
ernment USES throughout the no thwest.
To Bring Home the Dead.
The Army Burial Corps is engaged In
| visiting all the posts in the Philippines
| fer the purpose of disinterring the re-
| mains of all soldiers who have died in the
Stands within the past two years and
sending them back to the United States.
| This work is mainly in the southern
| islands of the archipelago. The Philip
pines commission has granted permission
| 20 take up every body that Is buried at
my my post or subpost cemetery: Here
| tofore it has been possible to d!sinter
| remains only after the expiration of two
| years from date of death. The present
| iataif will probably gather greater
| lumber of dead soldiers than any that
has before tn been sent out. 1t will
| include those who lost their lives in vari-
Gus engagements that have taken place
and include numerous points where there
have been sharp fights attended by casual
ties. The Burial Corps has special YES
sel for it's work. the Indianapolis, which
was fitted up expressly for its gruesome
work The corps will visit thirty-one
cemeteries in all.
Naval Wireless Operations,
Beginning January 1, wireless telegraph
operators in the naval service will be re-
CURED to use the continental Morse code
| in sending all messag es, official or private,
except where specific authority to use
| other codes may be given. Wireless oper-
ators may be encouraged to learn other
codes, but they must first become prof.
Gent in the continental Morse code.
Commanding officers and operators in
charge of wireless stations are instruct
! ed to afford operators every possible OPP
portunity to practice the continental code
until their proficiency in that code is as
sured, allowing them, if practicable. to
| rig practice apparatus on board ship, Or,
in case of shNre stations ashore.
Tests of Military Inventions.
The War Department. through the
Army Signal Corps, is arranging for
lar,
and electric hand lamps as a method of
transmitting visible signals. The depart
ment has already allotted a sum for ex-
perimental work, in that connection. A
portion Of the money was spent in the
test of a device designed by Capt. E. E.
Merrill, Artillery Corps, whose instrument
was not satisfactory to the department.
A range indicator for fire direction is
now undergoing tests at Fort Monroe.
Graduation Of Marine Officers.
Because of the pressing need of young
officers of the Marine Corps for duty with
the Atlantic fleet, Lieut.. Col. Charles A.
Doyen, commandant of the Naval Acade
my barracks, has been instructed by Gen.
Elliott commandant of the Marine Corps,
| to graduate at once the ten second leu
| tenants now on duty there, and the school
| of application for the young officers.
which was established at Annapolis sew
| eral years ago, will probably be abandon
ed for several months. and perhaps year.
Torpedo Boat Badly Damaged.
The damage done to the torpedo boat
| Shubrick by collision with the steamer
Maryland of the Philadelphia and Nor
| folk line November % was more serious
than at first reported The little vessel
was cut through to the coming tower and
| her structure SO weakened that as she
was lowed to dock by tugs her bow
swung back and forth as if she was 60
| ing to break in two. A report is expected
| in few days to show what It will cost
| to repair her. 1t is stated at the bureau
| of construction and repair that the hull
time The Shubrick has been put in re-
serve and the Tingey placed in commits
| sion.
Water Bag for Army.
Army officers are showing great int er-
est in water bag 'l.s gned ~ the cLicf
packer in the Philippine Division. which
| has been successfully tested in the mill
tary operations in the Island of Jolo.
| This bag is made Of twelve-inch canvas.
| waterproofed and twenty-eight inches
deep with round bottoms. The saddle
portion is twenty-one inches long and
eight inches wide and the opening is
closed with a flap to be rolled and held
! down by the lashings when on the mule.
| It's capacity is twenty gallons, and it is
stronger and more portable than the ordi-
nary galvanized can. 1t can be used on
la bareback horse and would be valuable
| in carrying water to the firing line or on
any occasion where time is a considera-
ton.
Polo Playing In Cuba.
| In order to lessen the monotony of the
military duties Of the officers of the
| United States Army stationed in Cuba,
Gen. Barry. commanding the army in
| that island, has authorized the purchase
Of small horses for polo playing. By his
direction, commanding officers of cavalry
regiments and batteries of the field artil-
| Iery will submit acquisitions in due form
for the number of small horses, suitable
| for playing polo, required for their COM
| mands, not to exceed. however, five horses
| fer each troop or battery.
War Base for Panama Canal.
| The naval station at Key West is the
most favored of several points suggested
as war base and dockyard to cover the
waters connected with the Panama canal