The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-13

should be carried out to the letter, in
view of the fact that troops win be
/ sent to the Philippines, with perhaps
the Bennington as their only convoy.
1t is appreciated by the authorities
that Rear Admiral Dewey has de-
stroyed every Spanish vessel of any i'm
portance in the far west, but it is ad-
mitted to be possible that Spain still
has among the islands some small gun
boats, mounting one or two guns,
which it would be advisable to sink or
capture. There are also some anti
quated Notifications at lilo and one or
two other points, which one cruiser
could destroy without much difficulty.
Probably one or two of the vessels of
his fleet are now cruising among the
Philippine Islands, engaged in reduc-
ing the fortifications and in destroying
or capturing the enemy's ships.
In accordance with orders telegraphed
to the Mare Island navy yard. the Pen
sacola will be Immediately placed in
commission, and she viii probably go
to Honolulu in company with the troop
ships and remain at that point with
the Mohican for the protection of
American interests. There is some talk
of having the Bennington, the gunboat
now in Hawaiian waters, convoy the
troop ships from that point TO a certain
point several hundred miles from Ma
Mia, where the men-of-war of Admiral
Dewey's squadron will meet them and
give them safe conduct to their destina-
ton.
By this plan the safety of the troops
would be assured, and the Asiatic
squadron would be reinforced by an
other vessel without reducing the force
in Hawaiian and Pacific coast waters.
OF two-fold Importance is the hold
ing of the Philippines and the station
ing of a sufficiently large force to de-
fend them. The first is the wrestling
from Spain of base which could be
used for operations against American
commerce and the Pacific coast, and the
second, the moral effect of retaining
them at least during the tendency of
the war.
1t is appreciated that it is out of the
question to consider that Spain viii
send a force down the Atlantic,
around the Horn and up the Pacific to
strike the coast cities. Her best move
would be to retake the Philippines, if
possible, and from this point making
an offensive movement against the
Hawaiian Islands, which, of course,
would suffer as a result of their exist
ing relations with this government, and
employing these islands as a base
against the Pacific coast.
Desiring to strengthen the defense
fleet of the Pacific coast as much as
possible, the department recently or
dered Rear Admiral Miller to return
from Honolulu, and the department has
been notified of his safe arrival at San
Francisco. His flag is now probably
flying from the coast defense vessel
Manterey, which is stationed in San
Francisco harbor as the guardian of
that city. There is no flagship on the
Pacific coast fer Rear Admiral Miller
nor will there be any before July l.
when the Philadelphia will be placed in
commission.
Besides the Monterey, Rear Admiral
Miller has under his command the
monitor Monadnock, protecting the cit
les lying on Puget sound; the gunboat
Wheeling, which has been ordered
south from Alaskan waters; the bark
Alert, which is on her way to Mare Is
land from Acapulco, and five revenue
cutters and three tugs which have been
converted into men-of-war.
The authorities do not fear Spain will
send her feet against the Pacific coast,
but they desire to reinforce the Ash
attic squadron as much as possible,
hence the orders to the Charleston to
sail with the utmost dispatch, and the
consideration of the proposition to send
the Bennington to Manila.