Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-04
SPAIN APPEARS HELPLESS
With 200, GOO We'll Armed Men She Accom-
 pIishes Nothing.
THE RAILROADS ARE NOW ALL TIED UP
Maceo Is Returning to the Havana Border After Triumphal Campaign-Thou- sands of Insurgent Volunteers
 Are Turned Away.

Havana, Feb. 1, via Tampa, Fla, Feb. 3-Gomez has crossed the strategic line, or trocha, between Havana and Bata- bano twice within a week. He had no serious difficulty either time, althoug the wall of men is the strongest one -r thrown across the island by s ain. Troops have been drawn from all parts of the island to make it invulnerable and several thousand volunteers have been added to the force of regulars along the line. Over 150O cavalry have recently been formed by mounting infantrymen and several batteries of artillery are sta toned on the line. With all these prep arations and the building of block houses of wood and stone, the throwing up of earth works and transforming of rail- road stations, churches and dwellings into forts, the daring rough riders of Co., meg pushed through the line, leaving few dead and wounded Spaniards to mark their passage
 Each time the line is crossed the au thorities at the palace, who sift all news that is published here or cabed direct, carefully eliminate all reference to the crossing and state in official reports that Gomez was driven away. After the rebel chief had gone west over the line an off ficial report of an encounter with him near Guanajay revealed his whereabouts. He was officially reported to be in Pinar del Rio Thursday, but was giving Cen era1 Canella a serious time on the line south of Bejucal It is two days since that fight and no official report of the en- counter has been given out, It is pretty well understood that General Canella and 800 men would have been wiped out by Gomez and his 4000 men had not rein forcements under Colonel Galvis arrived. There n hp dalo ff make Spanish victory against a despcr- ate encounter Official reports of the Spanish government should be read be- twen the lines. In the war which has been going on nearly year now not one Cuban victory is recorded in those re- ports. Not one fight has occurred in which the losses have been correctly stated. Not one report of an engagement has been made which did not close with the statement that the Spaniards occu- pied their enemy's position, dispersed them and were still pursuing them. Hardly day passes without a Spanish report of battle in which forty or fifty Spaniards defeat four or five times their number of insurgents, occupied their po- s.tions, captured their horses, camp uten- sils old hats, alarm clocks or pair of suSpenders. The whole world knows that the Cubans, starting their rebellion with handful of men in the mountains in the extreme east, have extended it over the eHtlIt lSldnQ, ana W1In lZU,UOU regulars sent over from Spain and SU,000 volun- teers recruited on the island the govern ment has been powerless to check the spread of the revolution.
 The hospitals are full of wounded sol- diers. thousands have died on the field and yet the Spanish losses in the official reports amount to nothing. Twice each day the government issues official sre- ports to the local papers and to the for eign correspondents. The press censor hands them out. All news published here or cabled abroad must conform to these reports. Similar reports are cabled to the Spanish ministers at Washington, London and Paris.
 Martinez Campos said that these re- ports were ludicrous; every press censor who has held the post has said they are absurd; no intelligent American has any faith in them, but forsooth the corre- spendents are compelled to send these misleading reports or give up the use of the cables.
 General Marin is now at Quivican, eighteen miles south of Havana. He missed his great opportunity of pennng both Gomez and Maceo in Pinar del Rio province by starting one day late. Now he has Gomez on one side of the line and Maceo on the other and will try to pre- vent their meeting.
 While practically all the Spanish forces which can be spared from guarding the cities are concentrated about the straget- ic line in an effort to maintain its inn pregnability, the various bands of in- surgents roam at will in all the provinces of Cuba. Tn Santiago there are frequent encounters, and all grinding of cane has been stopped; the same is true of Santa Clara and Puerto Principe. At Matanzas the whole interior of the province is alive with rebels. Lacret has united a dozen small bands and has nearly 2000 men un- der him. They have had daily encounters with Spanish troops and continue gain ing i'll strength.
 In Pinar del Rio Maceo is returning to the Havana border, after trumphal campaign, and has turned away thou sands who wished to join his army. The ,tewsSpanish troops in the province have succeeded in holding the capital city of Coloma, its port, but every other town has been entered and occupied by Maceo.
 In Havana province Spain has 50,O0o troops and holds one railroad line--the one now converted into the ''trocha," due south from this city. Every town on it is occupied by strong force and every train has several car loads of troops. The Western railroad is practi cally abandoned beyond Salud, which Is fifteen miles from here; the Guanajay road is abandoned beyond San Antonio, about seventeen miles from here, and the Matanzas road operates only about eigh- feen miles to the eastward. The road from San Felipe east to Guines and Un- ion has been in the hands of the enemy for days The last attempt to run a train resulted in the capture of the engineer and fireman of the exploring engine and turning loose of the latter at full speed backward toward the train which was following it. The two men are still ill the hands of the enemy. Of the four lines of railroads which converge at Ma tanzas not one Is running.
 General Marin has sent five engineers from this city by rail to Batabano, where they are to take steamer to Cienf1goes and cross overland on horseback. escort ed by{troops. to Jovellanos, in the center of Mata nzas province There they are, to man five trains of cars. which have beeh fled up for weeks. These cars are