Evening star., 1898-06-14
Last Transports Did Not Leave Unit,
This Morning.
SHOULD REACH SANTIAGO FRIDAY
Preparing for the Departure of the
Second Expedition.
CONDITION OF THE TROOPS

| The army of invasion under General
| Shefter was several hours out from Flor
| ida at noon today. As announced from au-
| thoritative sources, the start was made yes
| terday, and while the appointed time had
| been at daybreak, IL has since developed
| from official information that the last fleet
Of transports and conveys did not actually
| get away until late last night or early this
| morning. The time employed in the
| last hurried preparations for maneuvering
| the marine procession into its double COL
umn formation and getting II into motion as
| an entirety. The scenes enacted are likely TO
| be laid before the public I'm full detail
| within the next few hours, the authori-
! ties here have determined to withdraw the
| censorship thus far enforced from Florida
| points twenty-four hours after the actual
| time of departure.
The Second Invasion.
| With the first expedition actually out Of
| the country, the authorities here have
! quickly turned their att tention TO another 1
| expedition even more important than this /.
| initial one. 1t is expected that the plans 4
| for this second invading force will be ma /
| tured at once and that as a result another Z
| expedition will leave from an Atlantic /
| coast point within the next ten days, this 1
time for Porto Rico. That Porto Rico is
regarded as settled, ard the details for
this movement are fast approaching COM
pletion. There are about fifteen transports
already available. Three more were added
to the list yesterday, and the list will be |
increased rapidly as possible. Some of !
these may be Used for a later expedition
but those on hand and to be secured Will !
readily accommodate a force Of $1,000 men,
II the authorities consi Ter K necessary 10
send an army of invasion of that size to
Porto Rico. Recent reports from that point
have indicated that the Spanish force did
not exceed 1900 or 5000 men, so that itl
may be deemed unnecessary to send a
| large army of occupation. Such as II is,
however, it will have an important mission
| to perform, an1 with this force pursuing
| an aggressive campaign in Porto Rico. and
General Skaters 1900 men on Cuban soil,
an abundance of stirring action is assured
| from this time forward.
Suitable Point Of Embn rkatfon.
The board appointed by Secretary Alger
to select suitable concentration point on
the Atlantic gulf coast, with a view of
establishing point Of embarkation for fu-
tGre expeditions, returned today. and i'm
mediately set about the preparation of its .
report. Major Hopkins. confidential aid
and it is probable that the report will be
ready tomorrow The board consists OF
Col. Greenleaf, Major Hodson Major Hop-
kins and Lieut.. Jadwin. They visited CO.
lumbia, Charleston and Somervile in South
Carolina, Savannah, Brunswick and Au-
gusta in Georgia, and Fernandina and
Jacksonville in Florida.
1t was rush tour throughout Travelling
by night and inspecting by day, the board
made its rounds in eight days. The report
VIII not recommend specifically any one
city, but will set forth the advantages and
disadvantages of each in the matter of
railroad facilities. depth of water for
transports, camp grounds, water supply,
sanitation. etc. While no point will be rec
commended, il is said that the report will
make clear the obvious advantage of one or
more of the cities. so that Secretary AIger
readily can make a selection. The depth
of water in the harbors is felt to be a very
essential point, for the transports as well
as the conveys will have difficulty in
threading some OF the narrow, tortuous
and shallow harbors leading to the points
of inspection.
Jacksonville is well thought Of but tho
depth of water at the entrance of St.
Johns river, which is not much more than
fifteen feet between the jetties is some
thing of a drawback. AT Fernandina there
is fifteen feet at the entrance, deepening to
three and one-quarter fathoms further I'D
the channel. Savannah has from eighteen
to twenty feet and Charleston about
twenty-one feet at mean low water. The
members of the board will give no intima-
tion to the point they regard most de-
srable.
Condition Of the Troops.
When Unce the camp grounds are desig-
mated there will be speedy action in get!
ting the troops to that central point. The
work thus far done in equippng the first
Cuban army has gone far to assist in the
preparation of the forces still remaining
in Florida, so that there will not be the
delay attending the first departure. Major
Hopkins said today that the board had an
opportunity to see some of the troops gath
cred at Jacksonville. and said they pre-
sented fine. soldierly appearance. There
were evidences that the work of equpping
was proceeding rapidly and successfully.
There were eight regiments centered at
this point. Members of the board saw
Major General Fftzhugh Lee, who is at
Jacksonville, with eight regiments, consti-
tuting the 7th Army Corps.
Feeding the Army I'm Cuba.
The subsistence Of the army in Cuba is a
ment will devote much of its energies from
this time forward The initiative step in
this direction was taken more than a week
since, when Gen. Eagan invited bids for
supplying the troops at the various sea
coast points in Cuba which may be occu-
pied by them with refrigerated beef and
also beef on the block. The question Of
meat subsistence probably will give the
&C mmissary department more difficulty
than any other, because OF the fact that.
unlike other supplies, 1t is impracticable to
keep killed beef and cattle for any length
of time in tropical climates like Cuba and
Porto Rico. Consequently, in the adver-
t!sement issued by Gen. Eagan, II wal
specified that in the case of refrigerated,
chilled or frozen beef, II should be perfect
ly good and fit for use seventy-two hourY
after delivery-this provision being inserted
30 that the beef would last until new
supply arrives. Contractors had the privk
lege Of constructing any refrigerating a
chilling apparatus at points In Cuba occu