Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-06-11
TRANSPORTS READY
But Troops Have Not Yet
Sailed for Cuba.
THEY MAY LEAVE TODAY
o'nc"t Confirmntion OF tn. Enr.pa,,.,.
"an'ana'n" Received at the Navy
department. Statements ns to
The Chm riestuh'H Destinntio,
(By Telegrapi,.)

(By Telegraph.)
AsiilNG'fON. June l0-out OF the
ne, na@e or doubt and contradiction as to
the dispatch OF the first army Of IN
Vasion to Cuba one thing stands ont
cieafly, namely. that the government
teeiins strong in its plan, is moving
cautiously and with the dcliberatIon
Whlch II beiieves will secure success
unattended with disasters. With this
main purpose in view, the army and
1...y are cooperating toward the dis
patch OF troops, some $4,000 in number
under escort of q strong fleet OF naval
Iol,"ys. made up OF sixteen warships
headed by the battlcship Indiana lin
attended With this strong tleet the
troops might have left last Friday
when one strong naval convoy was
ready Tor this service. Since then. how
ever, reports have come as to the nres
ehce OF Spanish ships in the north At
iantic Renlizing that nothing was to
De gained by haste and that the war
was progressing steadily toward sue
| cess. 1t was determined not to take one
small chance of having our troop trans
ports menaced by some scouting ship
OF the enemy. AS a result the troop
transports have not proceeded to Cuba
! either yesterday or the day before, as
| has repeatedly been asserted. They
are in readiness to go. but will not
| move until the naval convoy is ready to
| accompany Them assuring safe con-
duct from Florida to the point of des-
tination. Whether that will be today
| or tomorrow the War Department pos
| itively declines to say.
The administration feels that the
time has come when it is Of utmost
! Importance that the precise movements
of this invading fleet should not be
| published In this country. and thus
| heralded to the enemy.
| The completeness with which the
transport OF troops has been planned
is shown In the official list of transport
vessels given out at the War Depart
ment today OF this list. thirty-four
| tons to GOO tons. are at Florida ports
! ready to carry our troops to the point
| Of invasion. There are some fifteen
other craft, including vessels suitable
for carrying fresh water, stores. etc,
and for Tightening the troops and stores
from the ships to the beach when the
debarkaton begins. The entire trans
port fleet OF about fifty steamships,
augmented by the fleet OF naval con-
voys, sixteen in number. will make a
ing in magnitude the notable spectacle
of the naval review during the worlds
fair year
The first official confirmation Of the
engagement at Guantanamo last Tues
day came to the Navy Department to-
day and was made the subject of q.
bulletin. The terms in which Admiral
Sampson described the affair tended
strongly to take away the character
that had been given In the unofficial
| dispatches There was a notable fail
ure on the part of the admiral to mem
ton anything like {; landing, although
| the statement that the Marblehead now
holds the lower bay by implication
may carry with it the idea that her
marines are ashore. Elderly naval Of
ficers who have been in Guantanamo
Bay describe 1t as admirably suited for
the reception of transports, with plen-
ty OF water for the biggest of the trans
ports and enough for the smaller class
that might be used to convoy them.
The locality is one that would make a
good base for operations against San
tlaso itself. should it he decided to at
tack the latter town by troops from the
rear instead Of by the warships.
| The statement coming from San
| Francisco to the effect that the real
object of the Charleston's voyage. was
| the seizure of the Spanish Ladrone
Islands has small basis Of truth in it.
When 1t was decided to send the mon
itors Monterey and Monadnock clear
. across the Pacific from Mare Island to
Manila. it was known that this could
| not be done without sending along col
liers because of the iEsutficiency Of
coal supply on the monitors. 1t was
not deemed practice bic to tow the big
ironclads the four thousand miles Of
; the voyage that would have to be ira
vcrSed by them without coal, SO it was
necessary to find places in the Pacific
where they could replenish their bunk
els. a study of the charts showed that
} there was several groups Of islands ly-
ing between Hawaii and the Philip
: pines which might afford a harbor in
! which the golfers could lay alongside
the monitors and fill UP their coal bum
kers. The officials do not deem it pru-
dent to name the particular islands
I chosen for the purpose but it is obvious
! that being barred by neutrality laws
| from the possessions of neutral coun-
| ir:Cs the first recourse of the Navy
I department would he to some of the
Spanish islands, such as the Ladrones
| n the Carolnes. Therefore. it is as
sumed that if the Charleston really
goes to one of the former islands 1t
| will be for the purpose Of securing in
? | advance a suitable harbor for the ust
| " the monitors.
A very substantial evidence OF sell
,acrifce for the sake Of their countr,
6 lis afforded by the taking up of mill
: .ary nurses duties by the daughter o
Secretary Long. Miss Margaret Long
e | With some of her chums at the Johns
E Hopkins medical school. The yount
I ladies' who go with Miss Long are Mis-
Dorothy Reid. Mabel Austin. daughter
VI Ex-Governor Austin. of Minnesota
md Belle Sims. They have already re
: | ,orted at the naval hospital at BROOK
S'yn to nurse the wounded and slcf
I ,ailors who We're sent up from Sarnp
I | sons fleet on the Soiace. ts
r.