Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-17

Gen. Greely induced the State Denartpep.
to send instructions to United States Min
lister Powell at Porte au Prince to use his
good offices with the Haitien government
TO facilitate the departure of the ship. II
Is believed that this has now been acc1m-
piished and that the Mancel is either IN
guantanamo bay or very close TO that
place As soon as cable communication
is restored 1t will be operated by the
French Cable Company itself, the only re-
striction imposed by the United States
peing the establishment of a censorship at
camp McCalla similar to that so success
Iuiiy operated at Key West and tampa
mus the line will be open to commercial
nrsiness, although military and naval mes
ssges Will have the preference.
Frequent Express Service.
For the same reason that they declined
TO make public any information respect
ing the sending of the Santiago expedition
Until the transports had started, the War
department officials decline to say whether
Trey ara about to send reinforcements TO
zen. Shafter Immediately. But without
reference to the reinforcements the de-
partment will Immediately establish a line
OF communication almost daily by steamer
with Gen. Skaters force in order to keen
MS troops amply supplied with food, muni-
tloLs OF war, and whatever else NAV he
needful. 1t may also be necessary for the
government to undertake by means of this
express service to supply in large part
with food and ammunition the Cuban in
stfsents who are reported to have come
10 the support of Lieut. Col. Huntington.s
marines at Camp McCalla.
"A little computation will show that n
large amount of supplies will be needed
ana number of vessels must be emnIoved
IN thls service SO that if the government
should find it necessary to reinforce Gen.
smarter by few thousand additional sol,
dlers, they can be very conveniently and
at short notice transported on some of
these supply ships.
Not IA Flying Squadron.
1t is said by naval experts that the ,b.r
acter OF the vessels now at Norfolk and
vicinity being hastened to comnletiop for
service precludes the idea of their employ
neht as squadron to attack and capture
the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands
are well fortified, better even than San
Juan de Porto Rico, and they could be
successfully attacked only by armorcd
ships. There are no such ships among
likely to be consolidated into a new SQUAD
ron. Nor are the vessels fast enough as
Whole to rank as a flying squadron not
vessel among them being able to make
twenty knots. They would be useful as
scouts, as home defense force. or as aux
lilarles to an armored squadron, and so.
should 1t be determined to send an expedi
tlon to the Canaries, they would only be
dispatched to support ironclads. The idea
OF attacking the Canaries, as near as can
be gathered, is based upon the theory that
the war can be more speedily terminated by
carrying 1t very close to Spain, and this
IN turn cannot be done without the capture
Oh proper base from which to operate
feet such as would be afforded by the
Canaries
1t Is evident that the proposed expedi-
ucn cannot be dispatched until by the de-
struction or capture of Cervera's fleet in
Santiago harbor and the destruction of the
fertifcation at the entrance to the harbor
sampson is able to make up a powerful
ironclad squadron from among the best
vessels of his fleet In doing this he must
also have regard to the maintenance of the
blockade, for which more ships will be re-
qulred because after the fall of Santiago
1t will be considerably extended from its
present limits, possibly even SO far as 10
include the whole coast of Cuba.