Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-24
SETTLING DETAILS OF
THE PACIFIC CRUISE
Navy Officials Summoned TO Con-
fer with the President on The
Batt|eshIp Transfer.
DEALERS ADVANCE COAL PRICES
Choice of the Route to be Made.
Advantages of the Voyage Via
sucz Canal Over Magellan Strait
Department May in the End Purch
ase Foreign Canal.

ase Foreign Canal.
WASHINGTON, ID. c.. Aug. %
president Roosevelt VIII hold an i'm
! porlant conference in Oyster Bay to.
uay un The subject of the cruise OF
me Atlantic battlcship fleet to the
Pacific He summoned Assistant Soc
rotary of the Navy Ncwburry. Rear
Admiral Roblcy -. Evans commander
IN ch.ei OF he Atlantic fleet. and Rear
Admiral Willard II. lirownson. chief
of the bureau of navigation.
The President has been supplied
with memoranda regarding details OF
the cruise including an Itinerary
showing how tile fleet of sixteen or
moro bnttlcshps can make cruise
entirely around the globe.
On the exc of his departure from
Washington for Ills own around the
world journey Secretary of War Taft
said ii hal not yet been decided
whether the fleet would be sent TO the
Pacific Via Suez or Magellan. Tho
decision will rest with President
| Roosevelt.
| Advantages of Suez Route.
The great advantages NJ sending
the ileet to the Philippines via Suez
rather than to tile Pacific coast via
the Strait of Magellan have boon re-
poaied shown Tho distance to the
philippines Via Sucz Is 1866 miles.
lagainst 10000 miles via Magellan,
while the coal consumption via Sucz
would be 60,000 tons. costing $780,
600. against 10000 tons. costing $780,
900. via the Strait OF Magellan.
Expected at Philippines.
Tho general feeling prevails dcs-
pite the official statement that the
battlcship fleet is going to the Pacific
on practice cruise ana is to re-
turn III an early date. tina, before tho
end of 1905 the United States will be
well represented by battle ships and
cruisers in The Philippines 1t Is re-
marked that. although many of the
cruisers are being withdrawn from
the Far East. the first torpedo flo
tilln still remains in the Philippines.
When asked to explain THE policy
of modifying the cruisers of the Pa
lcific fleet on the Pacific coast, Rear
Admiral Hrownson said:
The plan Of mobilization of the
cruisers upon the Pacific coast OF
the United States was determined
upon months ago. irrespective OF the
movement of the Atlantic battleship
fleet, The cruisers Cincinnati and ka-
leigh, now on their way to TIE Pa
cific coast from Honolulu, were re-
lplaccd in the Far East by the cruis-
crs Denver and Cleveland The gen
eral object of the mobilization Is Ia
place the cruisers Acar our own navy
yards oil the Pacific coast for repairs.
after their rendezvous on the Pa
rifis uhiph usfft lao al,
uary l. 1908, these vessels will have
drills and manocuvers in California
waters. In the event the battlcship
| fleet arrives early in the year there
VIII probably be combined manocu
vers In all probability after these
mnnoeuycrs one of the armorcd cruis-
er squadrons will be sent back 10 the
Philippines
Special Service Squadron.
Rear Admiral Uricl Sebrcc Is wind
ing up his duty rs chairman of the
lighthouse board in order To be ready
1 by October | To assume command OF
tho special service squadron, consist
ing the Tennessee and the Washing
ton, which is to be sent to the Pacific
coast. When asked about his plans
for the cruise he said:
"My orders have not been issued
idS YET. hul tHc NcCiCldry Ol lnt NAVY
informed me | was to command the
Especial service squadron. consisting of
the Tennessee ana tire Washington
the only remaining armorcd cruisers
on this coast. which upon arrival at
San Francisco will be joined with tho
California and 20 South Dakota.
making a second division of armored
cruisers in Pacific waters.
81 am informed that the repairs
required by the Tennessee and the
Washington are to be completed in
September. after which they will rem
devious at Now York. or, more prob
ably. at Hampton Roads. and leave
according to orders from the Navy
Department soon thereafter What
form the orders will take as to the
speed with which we shall proceed to
the Pacific do not know.
IL have been to the department to
get some Information about coaling
My own idea would be to try to make
the cruise from Hampton Roads tC
san Francisco with only Three stops
for coal. Under such plan would
coal somewhere in the West Indies
say at Guantanamo, although that Is
"a little out of the way or st. Lucia
Rio is very hot at the time of the