The Springfield herald., 1898-07-14
EVERYTHING READY.
Capture of Santiago Seems Certain-Con.
dltions in the city.

dItions in the city.
New York. July 1O.-A dispatch to
the Herald says: The armlstice which
ended to-day at noon. has been pro-
| lOnged on account of General LinareS'
proposition to evacuate Santiago and
withdraw with his troops to Holquin.
This proposal has been communicated
to Washington for the administrations
opinion concerning 1t. 1t is the de-
cided desire of n majority of the Amer.
leans to take the city on any honorable
conditions and turn it over TO mixed
garrison of American and Cuban sol
| diers, and then to move at once on
Porto Rico. Others are so sure that
the enemy cannot hold their rifle pits
under the fire our lines could pour Ill
to them that they wish to take the city
by assault. On the other hand, II 1t
is taken and the garrison surrenders,
the care of 10000 prisoners would be n
serious problem. To guard and proper
ly sustain these prisoners would re-
quire the services of men who are
| needed elsewhere.
Our lines are In the shape of horse
shoe, five miles In length. 1t is lmpos-
| sible to believe that any force could
live under the fire that could come
from the American lines. Since the
first day of July the appearance of
the hills about Santiago have been so
| altered that II native would not recog-
nize them. When first climbed them
there was nothing in the high waving
grass but dead Spaniards and painting
American soldiers lying on their
backs, too hot and tired to pursue the
enemy further. Now this side of the
hills is succession of bomb-proof
rifle pits trenches and redOubts, that
En hn nf
They threaten every foot of the ground
between us and Santiago. and no army
could live under the American fire
three hours.
General Shaftcr has visited the rife
pits and has been studying the situa
tiOn from the front.
When Admiral SIMPSONS fleet
steams into Santiago liarbor the Amer
leans will find several good prizes
among the vessels now lying in the in
ner harbor.
1t has been decided to remove the
American hospital from the const into
the mountains. An isolated point has
been selected and the hospital corps
! there will be able to make all the sick
and wounded much more comfortable.
There are now 1000 men in the hos
pital. nearly half of the patients suf-
fering from mountain fever. An un-
easy feeling pervades the medical de-
partmcnt. as there Is need of supplies
| of all kinds.
From n French refugee ! learn that
the Snaniards have already begun to
loot the city. He said that the Spanish
| officers had permitted the soldiers to
break into houses vacated by the refu-
gees on the pretense of searching for
food, but in reality to smash everything
not of use to them and to take what
ever of value was found. The refu-
gees complain that they We're allowed
TO take very little with them when they
We're forced to leave the city and seek
| refuge in the American lines The road
from Santiago to the coast is still lined
with unfortunate women carrying their
children and big bundles of goods.
Tugging mt their dresses are hundreds
of tots overloaded with little treasures
and childish trinkcts. 1 saw several
youngsters carrying live pigs and one
boy was trying to make the best of
the situation by holding tenaciously to
bleating kid he had in his arms.
Many of the children among the refu-
gees are sickly. 1t is n common sight
to see refined women sitting by the
roadside weeping and begging for
food. wearing all their finery and max
ing desperate attempts TO maintain
their dignity in distressing circum-
stances