The age-herald., 1898-06-11
Are Waiting at Florida Ports to Carry
 the Soldiers.
CHARLESTON WILL SEIZE nARBoRs
Among Spains Island Possessions in Order That the Monitors May Have Safe Places in Which to Coal
 From Golfers.

Washington, June 1O-Out of the maze of doubt and contradiction as to the depart ure of the first army of invasion to Cuba, the one thing stands out clearly, namely, the government is strong in it's present position and plan, Is moving cautiously and with deliberation which it believes will assure success unattended with disasters.
 With this purpose in view, the army and navy are cooperating toward the despatch of troops, some 25 900 in number under es- cort of strong fleet of naval conveys made up of sixteen warships, headed by the battleship Indiana. Unattended by the strong fleet, the troops might have left last Friday, when one strong naval convoy was ready for this service. Since then, however, reports have come as to the pres- ence of Spanish ships in the North Atlantic. Realizing that nothing was to be gained by haste and that the war was progressing steadily forward, 1t was determined not to take one small chance of having our trans ports menaced by some scouting ship of the enemy. As a result, the troop trans ports have not proceeded to Cuba, either yesterday or today as has been repeatedly asserted. They are in readiness to go, but will not move until the naval convoy is ready to accompany them, assuring safe conduct from Florida to the point of des- tination. Whether that will be today or tomorrow the war department positively declines to say.
 The administration feels that the time has come when it is of the utmost import ance that the precise movements of this in- vading fleet should not be published in this country and thus heralded to the enemy.
 Transport Vessels
 The completeness with which the trans ports of troops has been planned is shown in the official list of transport vessels given out at the war department today. Of this list thirty-four large steamships, varying from 4,1O0 tons down to 600 tons, are at Florida ports ready to carry our troops to the point of invasion. There are some fifteen other crafts, including vessels suita- ble for carrying fresh water, stores, etc, and for lightering the troops and troops supplies from the ships to the beach when the deharkation begins. The entire trans portation fleet of about fifty steamships, augmented by the fleet of naval conveys, sixteen in number, will make a formidable marine procession, exceeding in magnitude the notable spectacle of the naval review during the Worlds fair.
 The first confirma tion of the engagement at Guantanamo last Tuesday came to the navy department today, and was made the subject of bulletin. The terms in which Admiral Sampson described the affair tends strongly to take away the importance that had been given in unofficial dispatches.
 There was notable failure on the part of the admiral to mention anything like a landing, though the statement that the Marblehaed now holds the lower bay by implication may carry the idea that her marines are ashore. Elderly naval officers who have been in Guantanamo bay de- scribe 1t as admirably situated for recep- tion- of transports, with plenty of water for the biggest of the transports and enough for the smaller class of warships, that might be used to convoy them. The locality is one that would make good base for operations against Santiago itself, hp decided fO attack the latter town by troops from the rear instead of by warships.
 Little Truth Tn It
 The statement coming from San Francisco to the effect that the real object of the Charleston's voyage was the seizure or the Spanish Ladrone islands has small basis of truth in it. When it was decided to send the monitors Monterey and Manadnoek clear across the Pacific from Mare Island to Manila it was known that this could not be done without sending along colliers be- cause of the insufficient coal supply of the monitors It was not deemed practicable to tow the big iron clads the four thousand miles of the voyage that would have to be traversed by them without coal so 1t be- came necessary to find places in the Pacific where they could replenish their bunkers. A study of the charts showed that there were several groups of islands lying be- tween Hawaii and the Philippines which might afford a narDOf m WHICH the cOlNcrS could lay alongside the monitors and fill up their coal bunkers. The officials do not deem It prudent to name the particular is- lands chosen for the purpose, but 1t is ob- vfous that being barred by neutrality laws from the possessions of the neutral coun- tries the first recourse of the navy would be to some Spanish islands such as the Ladrones or the Caroines. Therefore 1t Is assumed that if the Charleston really goes 10 one of the former islands it will be with tine purpose of securing in advance a suita- ble harbor for the use of the monitors
 A very substantial evidence of se!f-sacri- flee for the sake of their country Is afford ed by the taking up of a military nurses duty by the daughter of Secretary Long, Miss Margaret Long with some of her chums at the Johns Hopkins medical school of Baltimore. The ladies who go with Miss Long are Dorothy Reid. Mabel Austin, daughter of ex-Goyernor Aus(:n. of Minnesota, and Mabel Simon. They have already reported to the naval hospital at Brooklyn to nurse the wounded and sick sailors who were sent up from Sampsons fleet on the Solace.
 THAN COAT. TeiAnhona