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Show RUSH THE WARSHIPS. United States Will Soon Have Big Naval Fleet at Manila. New York, Oct. 6. A special to ths Herald from Washington says: The vessels which have thus far received orders for Manila are: The armored cruiser Brooklyn, en route to Hampton Roads, proceeds to New York for repairs re-pairs and fitting out and changes in personnel; protected cruiser New Orleans, Or-leans, en route to Hampton Roads, proceeds pro-ceeds to New York for repairs and changes in personnel; gunboat Nashville, Nash-ville, now at Santo Domingo, proceeds to Manila without delay, via Suez canal, and stopping at San Juan for coal and needed repairs: auxiliary cruiser Badger, now at Mare Island, prepares for orders to proceed to Manila, The ether vessels which will be sent to Manila are the protected cruiser Albany and the gunboats Marietta, Machias and Bancroft. Of these the Albany is now being completed in England. Eng-land. Her officers and crew will be sent to her about Jan. 1, and she will proceed pro-ceed at once to Manila- The Marietta is now at Washington under orders to proceed to the mouth of the Orinoco. She will probably carry out the orders. returning when relieved to prepare to join Admiral Watson. The Bancroft is at Boston, and practically prac-tically ready for service. The Machias is now at Washington, and after needed repairs she can leave with little delay. With the exception of the Albany and Marietta, all these vessels can leave for Manila within a month. The admiral has impressed upon the authorities the need of haste and they are proceeding accordingly. The department depart-ment may later decide to send additional addi-tional vessels of the auxiliary gunboat class. The admiral has pointed out the desirability of large vessels, saying there is danger of the small gunboats being- captured. There is no change in the administration's adminis-tration's purpose not to issue a formal blockade proclamation, although it is appreciated that the maintenance of a municipal blockade may involve the government in controversies with foreign for-eign nations whose ships may be held up outside the three-mile limit, and that such nations may go so far as to press claims for damages. Admiral Watson will, however, issue orders which, if obeyed, will avoid all cause for trouble. When the eight vessels named reach Admiral Watson he will have undeir his command one battleship, two monitors, moni-tors, one armored cruiser, seven protected pro-tected and auxiliary cruisers and twenty-seven gunboats, including the vessels ves-sels bought from Spain by General Otis. The United States will then be superior in naval strength in the Pacific to Russia, Rus-sia, which stands next to Great Britain. |