The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-18
G)VEDDUS EYES CAST
BY Naval Officers Upon Guam
tanamo Bay.
IN ALL THE WEST INDIES
There Is No Place Its EQUAL
For a Naval Station.

On Board the United States Cruiser
Brooklyn, Guantanamo Bay. August H.
Correspondence OF the Associated Press.
Tho dreAry length OF time that Uncle
| Sans "Quaker-colored' war feet has
| spent in this bay, awaiting the outcome
OF the peace negotiations. has given
everybody. and especially officers. who
chafe under the inacton. time to reflect
upon more peaceful things than shooting
the enemy's vessels into steel fragments.
The officers Of the North Atlantic squad
| ron are becoming enthusiastic over the
| desirabiity of the United States holding
] this bay as a permanent naval base. II
Is generally agreed thaton our own south
| ern coast and in all the West Indies there
| is not an anchorage that can compare
| with this one. Here is a bay with a soft
| bottom in which an anchor finds a good
| hold. thus preventing chains fouling
| There is a splendid entrance, fully a mile
| broad, between the hills that protect it.
| and with the dangerous West Indian reef
| minimized as TO its destructive tendencies
| by being located only on one side, to the
| west. The hills at the entrance are high
| enough for all purposes, such as the plac-
of light houses, and the erection of earth
| works and tortifcations. With lights at
the entrance there would be no danger in
entering the harbor at night, and indeed
without such guide. the big trans-At-
lantic liners came in safely. The entrance
could easily be mined for protection, and
at short notice.
Once inside the harbor. its splendid
facilities are Immediately visible. II IS
a broad expanse of water of great depth
and extending north into the island for
six miles. OF course the depth of forty
feet does not prevail over the entire ex-
pans of the harbor, but at this writing
there are at least twenty large vessels
anchored in the deep and well-shelterd
portion of the bay, and as many more
could find good anchorage.
The survey made by Captain Sumner, of
the cruiser Columbia, which was stopped
in 1895 by the Spanish government shows
that there is about two and half square
miles OF anchorage of depth of As feet
or whereabouts, and far enough inside TO
be protected from any wind that may
blow. Then there is about two square
miles of anchorage for vessels drawing
"a feet or less. In other words. the great
battlesAips Iowa, Texas, Indiana, Ore
gon and Massachusetts, and the cruisers
New York and Brooklyn could be an
chored in the first place, while the entire
remainder of the American navy could
rest further up the bay. Torpedo boats
and small gunboats and converted yachts
could move in any portion of the immense
bay.
There are good land points on small |
bays where dry docks could be construct /
ed and where coaling facilities could be
established. Fresh water is obtainable |
at two places, the mouth Of the Guantan-
amo river, a mile from the entrance, and |
the mouth OF the Cayamans river, six |
miles up the bay.
The remarkably healthy character OF
the place. considering the general condi- |
tons about the unhealthiness of the whole |
island, is demonstrated in the entire alb
sence of sickness among the marines sta |
toned there. With proper sanitary pre-
cautions there need be no fear of sickness I
and it is evident that sickness among the /
resident population in the cities near here /
is due to the lack of sanitary precautions |
and the ilthiness of the inhabitants.
HOW THE PEACE CASE STANDS
Washington, Aug. T.-Senator Cush- |
man X Davis, chairman of the senate
committee on foreign relations, has &C
cepted the tender of an appointment as |
a member OF the Spanish-American
peace commission.
General Joseph Wheeler had a three
quarters of an hour conference with the /
president today. The president wanted |
to talk over the conditions in Cuba with
General Wheeler and ,fis was the object /
Of a tclegrephic summons tina: brought
the general here.
The president put numerous questions
othe hero of the Santiago campaign
and received not only an account Of his |
general experiences in that campaign.
but also his views on various issues in
cident to the adjustment Of affairs on
the island. One point that was uppermost
was the possibility Of a rupture with
the Cuban insurgents. General Wheel
er's statements were veryreassuring.
"AHthefricotoetaoni eta ct ct eta IN
"Au the friction he said. between
the Americans and Cubsns viii soon pass
away. and there VIII be harmony and
the best Of feeling between them"
He said there was a class of men IN
Cuba who had never been friendly TO
the Cubans, but on the contrary had been
favorable to Spain. who likely would do
all they could TO keep up this misunder-
standing. though he did not spprshend
any dangerous results General Wheeler
suggested the charges against the tn-
surgents and especially in view OF the
starving condition Of many OF them
General Wheeler believed that The Gu
bans IN time. when freed from oppres-
sion and given stable and humane
government would become law abiding
and useful citizens.
General E7lizhugh Lee had \ brief IN
terview with the secretary % var today
before his return - Jacksonville
General WADE. president % the Cuban
military commission. has been iH consul
tanon with Secretary Aigsr and Aagaiaat
General Cor5ln regarding bis new assign
ment L viii BE some tine befo-s ID
structious vii D prepared FOR the cuban
and Porto Rican coEp11ssi5aS. bat they
are subjects OF Consideration BY Ire s1-
mlulstratlon. The Instructions vi. eove-
al the main points. hat May q sas
details vi De left f7- the comm szi9nA
There = considerable anxiety among ire
star ofEceEs and aides q tAs officers
the conEass9soz as 20 waetaer
o. not they w.A o. sent along Il =