The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-31
STARTED FOR KEY WEST
BOTH SAN JUAN AND SANTIAGO
Are to Be Reduced to Submission
Before the End of the Present
Week

Special to The Herald.
. WASHINGTON, May SO.-San Juan .
de Porto Rico and Santiago are to be .
attacked at once. The war depart .
ment had thirty-two tranzPorts filled .
with soldiers riding at anchor at Tampa .
bay last night. Some of them .
have already been started down the D
. Florida coast toward Key West where .
they will join Admiral SIMPSONS D
fleet. Each transport contains about .
1000 men and their equipment. Samp- .
. sons vessels, 1t is understood, will con- .
voy the entire fleet of transports as far .
as the Windward passage, where ten .
or twelve will be sent west to Santiago .
. to join Schley's squadron. The re- .
naming transports will be taken by .
. Sampson within twenty miles of the .
. Porto Rican coast, where they will .
. wait while the war vessels proceed to .
. San Juan. reduce the Notifications and ,
. make the place ready for occupancy .
by the American troops. The Stars .
. and Stripes will wave over Porto ,
Ricos Moro before the end of the .
. week, unless all calculations fall D
. Sampson, 1t is estimated, will draw up .
in battle array before San Juan on FRI .
- udys ~ 10 d5SuIilCu tHdt uO IIlUTe lIldu "
. fifty-six hours will be required to .
. reach Porto Rico with the necessary .
. delay Of questionable duration to per- .
NIT the vessels destined for Schley to .
. reach Santiago, one day, 1t is thought .
. will be sufficient to dismantle the San .
. Juan Notifications. When that is .
. done, the landing of troops will be .
quickly effected, and Porto Rico will .
. be ours. The 10000 or 1900 troops .
. destined for Santiago will dislodge the .
. Spanish in the neighborhood of San .
. tiago, gain the hilltops about the har- .
. Dor, and command the situation with .
. siege guns and other artillery force. .
. These tactics should have the effect of .
. placing the city of Santiago at the .
. mercy Of the American army. This is .
. General Miles proposition, and 1t finds .
. favor with the president. The general .
. proposes to use for this purpose sea- .
. soned regulars entirely. The object .
. in using the regulars Is to secure train .
ed soldiers under experienced officers .
. as Al necessary condition, in view of the .
arduous task presented to the military .
force in engaging the Spaniards around .
. Santiago. The insurgents are to be Z
. utilized as guides and, In, an: auxiliary Z
capacity. .
The war board met at 3 o'clock to- .
. day, and after short consultation .
. proceeded to the White House, where .
they had a long and earnest confer Q
. ence with Mckinley. The president Q
approved the proposition to take San .
. tiago and Porto Rico; the former be- .
cause Cervera is lodged in the harbor .
and a base of supplies on the south Q
. eastern coast of Cuba is desirable; the .
. latter because the United States in .
tends to retain permanent possession .
. Of Porto Rico and desires to deprive .
the Cadiz fleet of a possible haven of .
. refuge in West Indian waters. Aside .
from the assistance the military force .
. may be in helping to drive out Cervera .
. and establishing base of supplies for .
the American army at Santiago. the .
present plan contemplates the utilizing .
. Of this town as the capital of the Cuban .
republic. Here the Cuban legislature .
. will meet and the Cuban president and .
his cabinet will live. Q