Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1898-06-16
GREAT NAVAL SPECTACLE.
Great Fleet Of Fifty Transport,
Ready to Sail from Key
West fer Cuba.
TIE S0tEaSssxT WILL rlxf 10 aIsrs,
s"asr7,ttsa ss the Engagement
essstsssns Bsy The Real osI-rt
OF the easrts-ssa'. vsysx- - ~-.ar.
ssesissx ~sstss.. m he P.~sa~ h, IN,
s~irsr- sf the Ls1rsae~

NAsHfSsroS. June IL-From the
maze of doubt aaI contradiction a< "a
the dispatch Of the first army % inva.
sion 10 Cuba one thing stands on,
etcari -uamelv. That the government.
FEELING strong IN IL. prvs~n, pu.itiou
ant plan. = moving cautiously and
rtth the d~lib~ration which II b..
lieSes Will secure Sa,7ccss unattsnde.t
with disaster With this main par-
p.D-s IN view. the army ami navy are
cooperating toward the dispatch OF
the truops. some s5.ooe in number. IN
der e-curt % a strong acet of naval
eonvoys, made up Of 10 war ships.
headed by the battleship Indiana
Unattended by this strong aeet. the
troop, might have LEFT la, FRIDAY.
when one strong naval convoy was
ready for this service. Since then.
however, reports have come As 10 the
presence Of spanish ships in the north
Atlantic.
Realizing that nothing was 10 bs
gained By haste. aEi that the war was
progressing steadily toward success. il
was determined not 10 take the one
small chance Of having our troop trans
ports meuaced By -,rrs scouting ship
OF the euensv.
Asa result the troop transports have
not prucs.cded 10 Cuba. either veSter.
day or the day before. a. has been re-
pcatesily asserted They are in readi-
ness TO 20. bat will not move until the
naval conveT - ready to accompany
them. assuring safe eondact from Flor
ida 10 the point of destination
Whether that will b. TODAY or to-rnor-
ROW the war department d~clin~s p.oSi-
lively % SAY, and shere = authority Cor
the statement that any reports Pgr-
Porting 10 give the day o. hour when
tins formidable fiotilla Of INVASION will
start y not only unNarrante.I bus
nlsests vita the most vi<or,las 0ai.ial
condemnation.
The administration fe~ls that the
time has com- when II = of th.. utmost
Importance thas the precise move
meat. - tins Invading He~t should not
bs published IN this coGn,ry. and thus
a<ralsied - the enemy
The completeness With which the
transport Of trp.ap> has been planned
II shown in the Official list OF trans
pers vessel. given out AZ the war de-
partnent yesterday Of this list ~
larxe steamships, varying from t.Ia
teas down 10 80 toas. are ready 10
carry our troops To the point Of inva-
sion There are sone l. other craft.
Including vessels suitable for convey
ing fresh water. stores. etc, and fov
lixhtsr.~g the troops aud stores
The entire transport heet of about
tfsy steamships. augmented by the
resst Of naval eouvoys, Is in number.
viii make an imposing marine process
sion. exceeding in magnitude the no.
ing the Worlds fair year.
The first official confirmation of the
engagement at Guantanamo last Tues
day came TO the navy department yes
trrtiay. and was made the subject OF
\ Bulletin The terms in which Adj
miral Sampson described the affair
tented strOngly 10 take away the large
Importance that had bern given il IN
the unofficial dispatches. There was
notable failure on the part % the
admiral 10 mention anything ike a
lansfiax. although a statement that the
MarbIehe2d now holds the lower bay.
5y Implication may carry with It the
idea that her marines are ashore
The statement coming FROM san
Francisco % the effect that the real OBJ
iect Of the Charlrstoa's voyage vas the
seizure Of the spanish Ladrou< Islands
has small basis OF truth in IL When
It was deeisis1 10 sen4 the mOaitors
Monterey AMI Nonainoci< clear aeross
the Pacific from Mare Island 10 Manila,
il was well known that this eoulG not
be done without sending along col
| Eers, because Of tie insufficient coal
supply Of the monitors IL was not
deemed practicable to tow the big irun-
eIads the 4 1slg miles OF the voyage that
would have 10 be traversed b. them
without coal. - II became necessary tc
ind places in the Pacific where they
| could repleuish their bunkers. A study
of the charts showed that there we're
several syroaps lying between Hawaii
and the Philippines which might AFFORD
. hsrb.sr in which the eolliers could
| Law alorx side the monitors and i'll uF
their euaI bunlxsrss
The officials do not deem il prudent
to name the particular islansts chosen
for the p-sPosss b-s - - vssslo' that
being barred By neutrality laws from
the possessions of natural countries.
the irst recourse of the navy depart
nent would be sOme Of the Spanish
islands. such as the Ladrou=s or the
/ Carolipss> Therefore IL i assumed
that IL the Charleston really g'lss 20
one Of the former islands. It viii be
with the purpose of securing 10 ad-
vance a suitable harb.0r for the uss ok
| the monitors