The herald., 1898-06-28
of the medieval greatness of Spain, and
many of these detenses are tumbling ruins.
Points of Attack

of the medieval greatness of Spain, and
many of these defenses are tumbling ruins.
Points of Attack
The Spanish coast is divided into three
captain-generalcies. namely: Ferrol. on the
north, Cadz on the south and Carthagena
on the east. At Ferrol is the naval school
and the school of naval application. AT
Carthagena is the school of ordnance and
the torpedo school. Cadiz is the point where
most of the fortification guns are made.
Each of the three naval provinces has
certain number of ports and coast towns
under its care. The total artillery of these
ports under the normal condition prior to
the war was as follows:
The Armament
One hundred and nineteen Krupp guns, 55
Armstrong guns, 80 Ordonez guns and a
large number of Hontoria guns. The main
reliance is on the Ordonez guns, which are
especially for fortifcation purposes. They
| are of 21, "a and so centimetres. A separate
division of the coast is made for the purpose
Of placing torpedoes and submarine mines
This work is divided into four districts, with
| Ferrol, Cadiz, Carthagena and Mahon as
headquarters. Each town along the coast
| is allowed a certain number of torpedoes.
For instance, the allotment. for Barcelona
is 800 torpedoes.
Many of these ports are connected by ca
bles, which form an additional feature of
naval attack. A cable runs from Barcelona
to Marseilles. Cadiz has three cables, one
TO the Canaries, another to Gibraltar and
another to villa Real Vigo is the cable
station for two lines.
| Complete Information
The information. is in minute detail as tc
the defenses of each port. For instance
Ferrol is protected on the north by series
of three batteries. and two chateaus, the
chateaus occupying points which command
passes from the sea- The town is encircled
by bastions and redoubts of ancient pat
tern, but recently remodeled.
The defenses of Cadiz, consist, Of. circle
of powerful forts. The other harbors are
similarly defined with detail information as
to approaches, channels, depth of water
batteries, etc. With this full information
at hand the nature Of the assault upon thu
coast of Spain will be pretty well outlined
before the American squadron sails. A
the same time much will be left to thu
commander-in-chief of this squadron.
Some naval authorities believe that tn
canary ISlunQS Will De the liTsl punt VI dl
tack, and that the next move will be to es
tablish a naval base at Ceuta point oil
the African coast, owned by Spain and op
posite Gibraltar. With this base our ship
would be within easy striking distance o
the long stretch of Spanish coast.
One short telegram received by Genera
Greely from one of his signal corps officer
with army under Shafter was all that cam
to the war department today or last night
That related entirely to the management
of telegraph and contained no news as t
the movements Of the military. Therefore
it is assumed. at the. department that Gen
eral Shafter is simply carrying out his plan
Of bringing forward his troops from tn
coast and concentrating them at points O
vantage on the heights surrounding San
tago. His army is not to give battle unit
every precaution that prudence can sug
gest has been taken to assure the success o
the movement, for no one better than Gen
eral Shafter appreciates the tremendou
moral advantage thar would accrue t
Spain from even temporary check o
, American arms at this time.