Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-06

of the necessity now of waiting fur
ther on the navy to provide 1t neces-
sary vessels to convoy the merchant
ships and large movement is now eX-
pected to begin.
Constructor Hobson's action In OBJ
structlng the channel so that possible
ity of escape by the Spanish fleet IL
now remote, removed all probabilities.
the most conservative officers agree, OF
another great sea fight between the
American and Spanish forces. Until
last Thursday both .dmiral Sampson
and Commodore Schley are under
stood to have been of the opinion that
the heavy battleshlps and armOred
cruisers, by exercise of caution ana
under the guidance OF skilled pilots ia
miliar with the waters, could be taken
between the Qualifications and up into
the harbor, but were convinced on
representations made later that no bat
tleship could possibly get around the
turn at the narrowest point of the
channel. where there was barely water
enough for the lighter vessels of the
Spanish fleet.
Reluctantly. therefore. they aban-
doned their original program and 1t
was not under Admiral SIMPSONS mes
sage was received that the department
knew that steps had been taken to
hold tight the Spanish ship'
Admiral SIMPSONS program having
cedure executed by him is yet to be
presented. Notwithstanding the fact
that the Merrimac's wreck prevents
the passage Of ships In or out of San
tiago,the policy OF the navy department
will not be to withdraw all the heavy
fighting vessels now blockading and
leave loop through which Cervera
might escape and make his way to
Martinique, where possibly he could
secure sufficient coal to enable him to
reach some home port Several of the
heavily armored vessels including two
of the battleships and the New York
are expected to be withdrawn for SER
vice in completing the destruction OF
what remains of the defenses at Porto
Rico or to the landing OF American
troops for the seizure and occupation
OF that port a suitable squadron will
he left in front of Santiago. where it
will remain unquestionably until the
United States is in actual possession
Of the city
The most substantial evidence has
been given to naval officials since the
arrival of Admiral Cervera in the
West Indies of the value of such fleet
OF heavily armored cruisers, and the
urgent necessity that the American
navy be increased by several additions
of this formidable type of ship. Secre-
tary Long Is understood to have recog-
nized that had the navy half a dozen
u
type Cerveras squadron could have
been caught and defeated and that 1t
would never have reached Santiago
with fleet of these ships moving
around south of Cuba looking for It,
Every one Of Admiral Cerveras YES
sells is of the highest type of armored
cruisers and more formidable than
either of the American vessels on ac-
count OF the heavy protection afforded
its sides. The New York and the Brook
lyn have the speed of Cervera's ships
but no other vessel OF the American
fleet Is so fast and at the same time so
well armored. Because Of the protection
of the Spanish vessels II became neces-
sary TO send battleships or monitors in
whatever fleet was ordered to look for
them; but with six ships of the armored
cruiser type the experts agree that the
enemy should have been hunted down
much sooner and destroyed or captured
without the assistance of battleships. |
The next ar1nored cruisers built for the |
navy. the constructors say, should be |
heavily urmored and have double the |
thickness OF plates Of those around the |
sides OF the New York and the Brook
Ign. Constructor Hichborn Is one of the |
strong advocates of this type of war
ship and believes that the next pro- |
gram should include several of them.