The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-29
The BLOCKADE
PRESIDENT M'KINLEY ISSUES A
PROCLAMATION
Almost the Entire Cuban Coast Now
Placed Under the Ban-Close
Watch Will Be Kept

tending the blockade of the Cuban south
ern coast from Cape Frances to Cape Cruz,
also blockading San Juan de Porto Rico.
The proclamation is as follows:
Whereas, For the reasons set forth in
my proclamation of April go, 1885, block
ade of ports on the northern coast of
Cuba from Cardenas to Bahia Honda, in
elusive, and of the port of Cienfuegos on
the south coast of Cuba, was declared to
have been instituted and,
Whereas, 1t has been considered desir-
able to extend the blockade to other south
ern ports, now,
Therefore, I, William Mckinley, Pres
| ident of the United States, do hereby de-
clare and proclaim that, in addition to the
| blockade of ports specified in my procla-
nation of April %, 1898, the United States
of America has instituted and will main
tain an effective blockade of all the ports
on the south coast of Cuba from Cape
Frances to Cape Cruz inclusive, and also OF
the port of San Juan In the island OF
Porto Rico.
Neutral vessels lying in any of the ports
to which the blockade is by the present
proclamation extended will be allowed thir.
ty days to issue therefrom with cargo.
| In witness whereof, etc.
WILLIAM M'KINLEY,
President of the United States of Amer
lea.
| BY the President, ]. b. MOORE,
Acting Secretary Of State.
June 2S, 1898.
Need More Ships
WASHINGTON, June 2S.-By proclama-
ton issued today the President gave notice
of the intention of the government to as
sumo the formidable task of blockading
about 500 miles of Cuban coast line in addi-
ton to the sections already bloclxaded. This
increases the extent of the blockade fully
four-fold, it having been confined hereto
fore to a stretch of little more than 100
miles on the north and the single port of
Cienfuegos on the south coast of the island.
The demands upon the navy will not be
NEARLY so heavy in proportion to the terri
tory to be covered as in the case Of the ini-
tial blockade for the reason that the new
blockaded coast line lies entirely within the
great blight on the South Cuban coast in
which the water is generally very shallow
and the ports are few into which a vessel
of any draft could enter. The most i'm
portant of these ports are Manzanillo,
Trinidad and Tunas.
West of Trinidad is Cienfuegos, which is
already bockaded effectively. From that
point westward for nearly 40 miles there
is no port to be blockaded until Batabano
is reached This port is only about forty
miles from Havana by rail and is believed
to have been the principal source of food
supplies for the Spanish capital. For $50
miles west of this, clear over to Cape
ba tayp aJu IF = he JaJ
territory, there are no ports for deep ves-
sells of any considerable draft, and even If
there were the country in the interior Pinar
del Rio, is in the hands of the insurgents and
supplies could not be sent through to Ha-
vana. The purpose of extending the
blockade westward to Cape Frances was to
command the channel between the west side
of the Isle of Pines and Cape Frances and
thus render much easier the task of block
aiding vessels.
The reports which have reached the Pres
ident as to the exact state of affairs in
Havana are conflicting; in some cases the
town was declared to be on the verge of
starvation in others food supplies were
said to be still abundant AS a matter of
fact the truth probably lies between these
extremes and while supplies of certain
character are very scarce in Havana, there
is no lack of others. 1t is known, for in
stance, that while flour may be scarce,
large quantities of beef have reached Ha-
vana. Most of this has come from Mexico
and 1t has usually been brought over to
the Isle of Pines and transhipped in light
draft boats to Batabano. whence 1t is car
ried by rail into Havana. Only day or
two ago, word reached here that 500 head
of cattle were rounded up at a point on
the Mexican coast near Yucatan waiting
transportation to Batabano.
There has been no running of the block
ade by these cattle ships notwithstanding
the Spanish stories to the contrary; all of
the ships that have entered Cuban ports
with supplies have done so at the places
not within the blockade, such as Batabano
and Manzanillo.
The vessels for the additional blockade
service will be supplied entirely from the
patrol fleet, which under Commodore
Howell has been guarding the north At
lantic coast from Maine to South Caro-
lima. This service has been abandoned as
the only available Spanish warships are
with Admiral Camara thousands of miles
away from the nearest point on the Attain
tic Coast. The vessels are already on their
way southwark, having been reinforced
by several Of the feet torpedo boats, which