The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-15
TORAL' s SURRENDER
Spanish General Was on the
Verge Of Annihilation--
Fleet Waiting for
News.

Santiago de Cuba was surrendered to-
day Menaced by American forces on
land and sea, disheartened by past de-
feats and without hope of victory, Gen
eral Toral yielded hts city to save his peo-
pie.
With the final stroke of the Spanish
Generals pensthe only stronghold in the
Province of Santiago has fallen, and the
power of Spain in Eastern Cuba Is
crushed.
What the terms of the surrender were
| is not yet known. They may be made
public when General Miles returns from
the front tonight, and they may be sup
pressed for days.
| On board the flagship New York 1t IS
believed that the surrendered Spanish
| officers will be permitted to retain their
| side arms, and that the Spanish army
will be given safe convoy to Spain. Ad-
| rniral Sampson has not yet however,
| been informed of the details of capitula-
ton, and he does not expect the terms to
| be made public for several days.
| The end came swiftly and unexpectedly. J
| The Santiago campaign, with its deeds OF
! splendid daring and dark with the record
| of slaughter, had been believed by many
men high in rank TO have only just oe-
| gun. The refusal of the Spanish to sur
render has been so emphatic and so recent
! that both army and navy had forsaken
the idea of victory without further blood
| she'd and noon today had been set Tor
the final and desperatesassault upon the
! stubborn defences of the city. That Its
| fortifications were strong and that its
forces were brave all know, and today
had been looked forward to as likely to
n; rf ha n
paign; and when soon after two o'clock
| this afternoon Admiral Sampson received
| by signal the fact that General Toral had
surrendered, Admiral Sampson and his
/ officers scarcely credited the story
| Whether MORO Castle and the batteries
above the harbor will also surrender is
! at O'clock this afternoon a matter Of
conjecture. At that hour the Spanish flag
still hoated above Morro Castle. and the
Spanish forces still clustered about the
| earthweri1s and batteries.
With the American Army controlling
Santiago. however. further resistenee by
the harbor batteries would be absurd, and
their surrender undoubtedly viii quickly
follow General Skaters occupation of
the town. if indeed the seafront fortifica-
/ tions and all others are not included in
the citys capitulation.
When General Toral on Monday last,
/ refused absolutely to consider the terms
Of unconditional surrender. and when
/ General shafter announced negotia-
tions at am end it was believed
/ that the taking of the city with
out further lighting was an impossi-
| bility. The artillery of the Federal forces
| were ordered to be rushed to the front,
lJ.,l +r,4 41ao,1,
in the town completely, and every prepar-
4 alton was made for the final assault.
Acting under instructions from Wash
| ington however. General Shafter again
proposed surrender yesterday, and at
conference in which General Miles and
General Teral were present it was pro-
posed to allow the Spanish officers to re-
tain their sidearms, and the American
Commander offered to send the defeated
army to Spain. under convoy and on
parole.
The story of the conference has already
been told General ToraPs announce
/ ment that the matter would have TO pc
/ referred to his Government convinced the
1 majority of the officers at headquarters
/ that nothing further would come OF the
| negotiations and an order was issued TO
| prepare for a general attack at noon TO-
day, at which hour the armistice expired.
| The men at the front made every prep
! aration for battle, the fleet gathered
! around the little Bay of Aguadores, ready
| TO hurl shells over the hill and into the
city, and the combined American forces
| quietly and grimly awaited the word OF
| General Miles.
But while all these preparations were
Cen
| eral Miles were still hard at work in an
attempt to avoid the slaughter which
must follow an attack.
The telephone and telegraph wires from
the front to Juragua were burdened all
the forenoon with messages to and from
washington, and General Toral was
busv in communication with either Cap
4 tain General Blanco or with the Govern
ment at Madrid.
At about eleven o'clock General Miles
sent an Aide-de-Camp from Juragua to
Rear Admiral Sampson, telling him the
chances for a surrender were good and
that no shots must be fired from the
feet without definite orders from the
shore.
AS the hour Of noon approached the
New York ran close to shore at Aqua
dores and took up position in. readiness
for the expected bombardment Of the-to
the tleet-hidden city. The Brooklyn;
ranged close in the rear of the New YORK
and the other vessels took up the po-
sitions previously assigned to them. The
swift little Hist steamed down to Jurag-
ma to await word from General Miles
Noon came and although the expected
| can to quarters were not issued the men
fingered, anxiously, close to their places,
eager to begin the work of bombardment.
From the bridges of the warships the
officers trained their glasses alternately
on the signal station ashore and on the
fleet of transports off Juragua, behind
which the Hist had disappeared.
AS one and two o'clock passed without
an order to begin the bombardment, the
: excitement among the officers who knew
the significance of the delay, became in
tense.
/ It was few minutes after two o'clock
when the Hist pushed her way from be-
hind the anchored transports and started
lon q short run from Juragua to Aqua
{ dores. Rolling and pitching in the rough
sea. the gallant little yacht dashed for
the flagship, signalling as she pressed on
i | ward.