Abilene weekly reflector., 1898-07-07
AGGRESSIVE MOVES.
A New Impetus Given to the War
by Carrying 1t to Spain.
WA1SOy'S RAIDINC FLEET RUSHED.
Orders to Get the Expedition on Before the
End Of the Week-Dinicuity Of Sup
plying the Bl0ckaders with
Necessaries.

WASHINGTON, June SO.-The war and
navy departments by their marked in.
crease in activity, gave significant evi.
dence Of the aggressive efforts TO be
Immediately exerted against Spain,
growing out Of the decision reached
by the administration that a termins-
tion OF the war can only be secured by
bringing home the discomforts as well
as the horrors Of conflict to the
greatest number Of Spanish subjects
in the shortest time The wide ex-
tension Of the Cuban blockade; the
announced intention Of hurrying
$4,000 additional soldiers into Cuba;
the proclaimed closure Of San Juan de
Porto Rico, together with the decision
to dispatch Commodore Watson's
powerful feet to European waters,
gave new impetus to the energy dis.
played at military and naval head
quarters, resulting in rush and hustle
which had not been equaled since the
week In April that was made histor.
ical by the presidents ultimatum, the
proclamation OF the Cuban blockade,
the first call for volunteers and the
actual beginning Of hostilities.
The naval authorities are manifest
ing the liveliest anxiety to expedite
the departure OF Commodore Watson's
raiding squadron from Santiago, and
urgent dispatches were sent to Ad.
miral Sampson yesterday to have the
Iowa and the Oregon fully coaled and
equipped to report for their new duty
before the end Of the present week.
BY that time the Newark, the auxiliary
cruisers Yankee, Dixie and Yosemite,
and the three colliers Scandia, Alex.
ander and Abarenda will probably as
semble north Of Porto Rico, when a
straight course for the Canaries will
be pursued. The naval refrigerator
ship Supply, loaded with fresh meat
and vegetables, will Immediately set
out for the rendezvous, in order that
sailors Of the fleet may be we'll fed on
their long transatlantic voyage.
The department is also arranging to
send some fast colliers across the
ocean to meet the fleet in the vicinity
of Gibraltar about the middle Of July.
1t is considered conclusive that the
main objective of the squadron Is to
inHict punishment on the important
city Of Cadiz, beginning with the bonn
bardment of its chain Of forts at sun
rise some morning by the Iowa and
the Oregon and the destruction of
parts OF the city by shelling after
"a hours notice has been CIV
en-, the idea being, by the crea-
tion Of enormous material damage,
to show Spain the terrible earnestness
of the United States. The city Of Ca
diz is advantageously located from an
American point of view for operations
of this character its chief public
buildings and valuable naval estab-
lishment being easily within range Of
the guns OF the two United States bat
tleships and those Of the Newark.
The auxiliaries Yankee, Dixie and
Yosemite are relied on in this engage
ment to prevent torpedo boats from
approaching too near the battleships,
and in this work they may be assisted
by the rapid-fre guns already mounted
on the colliers
1t is the intention of the depart
ment to retain the heavy monitors in
position off Havana, Cienfuegos and,
perhaps, Trinidad, supporting a num-
ber of the smaller auxiliaries as scouts,
while the fast yachts and light draught
vessels watch the Isle of Pines, BAHAMA
DO and Manzanillo, where the water is
particularly shallow. Outside of this
inner blockade line powerful cruisers
will constantly patrol up and down
the coast, seldom out of signaling dis
tance of each other and the scouts in
shore, and it is inconceivable that any
assistance in the way of ammunition
or food supplies will be able to slip
through this double Gordon and be
safely landed.
The chief efforts of the navy depart
ment are just now concentrated in the
direction of providing an efficient sys.
TEN of supplying water, food, fuel and
ammunition to the blockaders, which
is problem of greater magnitude
than anything in this line heretofore
attempted. The difficulties are con-
siderably augmented so far as the
Porto Rican blockade is concerned, by
its excessive distance from the near
est, American base, and as the re.
sources Of Key West are apt to be se-
verely taxed in caring for the Cuban
blockading feet 1t is proposed to use
Hampton roads as a supply station for
the Porto Rican operations