The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-06
HOURLY EXPECTED.
DAY OF NERVOUSNESS AND An
XIETY AT HAVANA.
Authorities No Longer Make the
Slightest COnceaIment of the Sc
rious View They Take of the
Situation.

HAVANA. Jan. 5.-Havana has spent a
day of nervousness and anxiety, and has
been in hourly apprehension of an at
tack by the insurgent army or a part
OF it. Yesterday the bands commanded
by Nunez and Bermudez were seen at
Managua, village not more than twelve
miles from Havana. 1t must not be sup
posed that the city is open to the advance
OF the insurgents or that there are none
within its borders to offer resistance.
Ihere has been no overt act OF defiance
OF the authorities within the city and
there have been numerous voluntary Of
ters to bear arms in defense of the CITY
thousands of them, the authorities saw
But there has been a comfortable CON
Yiction in the minds of the residents of
havana from the beginning of the ins11r-
recuon that they We're in no real danger
OF moleStation from the insurgents. MANY
| hundreds of non-combatant inha bitants of
the island have come to Havana to await
the passing of the storm Still more have
sent their wives and families here as q.
SAFE refuge. IhlS class of the population
is IN state of CONSERVATION and dismav
ana spreads an infectious spirit of manic
through all other circles
IN; me ca authorities no longer make the
slightest concedlment of the serious view
they take of the situation, and there
are some who do not hesitate to rail at
the, Spanish generals and the troops and
make bitter criticisms of them. There
mas been great fear that the light and
water supply of the city would be cuf
off by the sudden raid of the inslIrgen
forces. The idea of the city being left
IN total darkness for the unseen working
OF plots and seditiOnS itself is enough
to work panic in the nervous condition
OF the public mind. Special preparations
/ Tor the defense of the works that supply
4 q Il
been placed to command them against an
| probable sources of attack. All possible
1 recruits have been enlisted for the de-
! Tense of the city and the available ground
about the city has been filled with batter
les of artillery which are manned day and
night.
The Spanish authorities have main
| tanned a Gordon of military forces run
ming from Havana to the town of Bata-
! bano. on the south coast. since the in
vasion of Matanzas province by the in
surgents, beyond which they hoped to
prevent the advance of the DESTROYING
! columns of their enemies. This Gordon
! has proved no more effective than did
| the line of La Trocha, which was laid
| to keep the insurgents out of Santa
Clara province. This line was broken
yesterday by the forces under Gomez.
and the main body of the Insurgents
today passed into the province of Pinar
del R1o and are now, overrunning that
province with fire and sword The pa1-
sage was effected near Batabano at Pc
20 Redondo. and Gomez burned the vii
LACE of Gabriel, on the way. and par
| italy destroyed the town of Guira Me-
lena and of Alquizar. The work of de-
struction in Havana province has been
! as complete as was that in Matanzas
and the sugar lands of Pinar del Rio.
Inc work OF destruction in Havana
| province has been as complete as that in
Matanzas, and the sugar lands of Pinar
| del Rio are fast being put into the same
desolate condition.
] The DrOcla ti0r IF C.oro-o7
! to the effect that all horses on the island
are to be held subject to reuufsition nv
the Spanish authorities has little effect
! beyond its force as a confession that ara
! Spanish forces are badly handicaDDed Inv
the lack of mounted troops and are prac-
tlcally helpless against the cavalry force
of the insurgents
In effect, the whole island outside, tbe
city of Havana is now in the hands OF
the insurgents. They have not annihiIaf +.
ed the Spanish forces, nor have they ro11t.
ed the whole army in any single pitched
battle. Yet, the situation is completely
! in their hands, and so completely have
they out-generaled the Spanish that t.
all appearances, Martinez de Campos
army might as well be in Spain for any
check it puts upon the movement OF
] Gomez's army. The latters progress
has been accompanied with continual &C
cessions to his forces by volunteers anC
he has captured enough horses, rifles anc
artillery to add immensely to the effective
strength of his men He has practically
carried his base OF operat ons with nm anC
has usually countermarched over a wholly
different route than that of his adj
vance, APPARENTLY counting with conf
dence upon living upon the country
as he went
There is little doubt really felt here
that he will get as much or more
sympathy in Pinar del Rio than he
did in Santa Clara and Matanzas
and the general fear here is now that
after sweeping over Pinar del Rio. hi
will come upon Havana from the West
cooperate in attack with the force o.
the insurgents which have been cas-
of Havana for several days past. Thu
advance of Gomez beyond Batabans
has cut the telegraph and cable com
munication with the eastern part o
the island upon which Campos princl
pally relied for directing his forces IL
Santiago de Cuba, Puerto Principe ant
Santa Clara.