Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-07-09
SAMPSON And SHAFTER
May Unite in the Impending Cap
ture Of Santiago.
LAND BoMBARDMENT DEFERRED

Destruction or Cervera's Fleet Re-
suits tn Complete Transformation
I'm Military and Naval Conditions. !
Commanders Are Advised TO Confer. |
Washington. July 6.-As a result of /;
the cabinet meeting yesterday instruc- |
tions were sent by the president TO /
Admiral Sampson and General Shafter |
TO confer together concerning a joint |
plan of attack upon the city. Upon the
outcome OF this conference depends the
line of action of the immediate future.
For the present the land bombardment
by General Skaters forces has been
deferred. as the situation has so COM
pletely changed by the anfihilation OF
the Spanish fleet that It is manifestly
the part OF wisdom for this land bonn
bardment to await the cooperation
and support of a bombardment from
Admiral Sampson's feet. General
Skaters demand for the sUrrenSr Of
Santiago on the pain OF bombardment
was made at $3.50 o'clock Sunday morn
ing. An hour later Admiral Cervera
made his suicidal dash from the har-
Dor, resulting in a complete trans
formation Of the naval and military
conditions.
Instead OF a menacing Spanish feet
within the harbor the way has been
cleared. save for the shore batteries.
for the entrance of the American fleet
up to the very wharves OF the city.
With this material change wrought II
was obvious TO the aIkhorities here
that the blow first inteir4ed 20 be de-
hvercd by General Shafter at once
would be doubiy effective and decisive
IL the two forces could be brought TO-
gether and strike simultaneously from
land and sea- 1t is for this reason that
the conference is held between the
American general and the American
admiral. UP TO the close OF office hours
yesterday no word had come either TO
the war OF navy departments. SO far
as was disclosed. as to what determina-
ton had been reached at the confer
ence.
At the same time it is the clear ex-
pectation OF the authorities here that
| the conference will result In a de-
termination by the admiral 20 take his
| fleet through the narrow neck OF the
| harbor, make his way past the shore
batteries and fortihcations, and take
1 position before the city for a bonn
/ bardment. There is reason to believe
that the instructions sent TO Admiral
Sampson at least conveyed the desire,
1 If not the instructions. that he enter
the harbor. But IL Is said that the
admiral and the general continue to be
the supreme officials in authority. and
that their judgment will be taken as
final in the course TO be adopted
There is said to be no obstacle. sc
far as navigation is concerned, to the
entrance of the harbor by the Ameri-
can fleet The Cristobal Colon. which
cleared the Merrimac and got out OF
the harbor Sunday. drew 2S feet
inches, which is within seven inches OF
the draft of the battleships Iowa, Indi.
ana, Massachusetts, and Oregon. and 4:
greater than the draft OF the battleshiI
Texas. Moreover. the navy depart
ment has known for the last ten day:
that the neck of the channel was open
despite the sinking OF the Merrimac
| and that there was a clear sea way o.
seven fathoms through which any shiI
in our navy could san. This removes
all difficulty. except for submarine
mines, or from the shore batteries
The action of the foreign represent
atives at Santiago has been an addi
tional reason for deferrinR the bonn
hardment II was made known lat
yesterday that one Of General Shafter'
dispatches stated that these representa-
tives had Joined in request to him (
: put or the sh@ling OF the city for an
ether brief period. until their respectiv
colonies could be removed. Thi
accounts for the departure OF the for
] etgn warships from Santiago harbor. a
= they are bearing away the foreign res
idents In the period before tbs bonn
v barduent DegiRS
The definite official report reachin
{ here that the Spanish feet had eneere
the Susz canal made no change IN th
n plans OF the navy department as {
o | sending Commodore Watson's squad
. ron TO Spain Secretary Long said
would start at the earliest pesslbl
> moment. but he did not care to CIV
the day of departure.