The Washington herald., 1916-11-23
Army and Navy News
Best Service coIunn In city.

Uncle Sam. through the schuylhill
Arsenal, has bought up all the surplus
stocks OF woolen underwear throughout
the country. amounting to nearly 8, 900 900.
to clothe the soldiers at the Mexican bor-
der and at the army posts throughout
the United States and the Panama Canal
Zone. -.
In addition to this, the l,soo employees
at the arsenal are rushing work on
hundreds Of winter suits and overcoats
for the soldiers. Every uniform that II
supplied the army passes through the
arsenal. Those made by contractors in
various parts Of the country are shipped
to the arsenal. where every piece n
carefully inspected by experts
Contracts recently were awarded for
furnishing 125,0o0 pairs Of woolen gloves
and twice that number of pairs of wooden
stockings.
Several hundred women are busy COM
pleting a rush order for shelter tents
that will be shipped to army posts as
far away as the Philippines.
Hardly day passes at the arsenal
without bids for army clothing and
equipment being opened Contracts for
more than s2,ooO. 900 in clothing and equip
ment have been awarded so far this
year.
Repairs are being made on the Coast
Guard cutters Mohawk and Seneca so
that they will be prepared on December
to take their stations In the blight
behind Sandy Hook, ready to dash to
sea at a moments notice on the receipt
of wireless call from a vessel in dis
tress, according to advices from New
York.
The Sandy Hook station will be main
tanned four months. or until April /.
The Mohawk and the Seneca will alter
nate on station duty. The Seneca
probably will take the month Of Decem-
Der.
The Seneca, it is announced. will be
withdrawn from station duty at New
York some time during the month OF
the Grand Banks, for the purpose OF
giving daily notice OF the southernmost
limits of the ice fields.
No leaves of absence will be granted
! to officers or men Of the Coast Guard
cutters except in emergency cases dur
ing the four months OF winter service
Conditions will be held approximate to
those obtaining when a vessel is absent
from port on a cruise of four months
duration.
On both the Seneca and the Mohawk
three wireless operators on each ship
will maintain a constant watch, and On
the first call for assistance the cutter
on duty will make for the open sea
without waiting for instructions from
any quarter. reporting to the division
commander at New York the exact time
of leaving and destination. As soon as
one cutter leaves, the relief cutter will
step into the post at Sandy Hook and be
prepared to answer any second summons
during the absence of the first cutter.
The scheme which will be followed al
New York, It is said, will be similarly
followed with relation to the cutters sta
toned at various other seaports along
the Atlantic coast. No difficulty, It is
expected will be encountered In picking
up the cutters directly within $50 miles
radius.
The Navy Yards at Philadelphia, Nor
folk and Bremerton have been selected
for the construction OF the war vessels
provided for in the naval program for
1917.
Congress has provided s6.oOo,ooo to be
used in eauipping navy yards for ship
construction. Whether the appropria-
ton is to be allotted in equal sums
among the three navy yards has not
definitely been made known. It is re-
ported. however, that the bulk Of the
| appropriation is to go to the League
Island Navy Yard at PhiIadelnhia