The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-19
Bancroft ........ 839.. 1,213.. 4....Bleecker
st. Paul (auxiliary cruiser). .Sigsbee
Torpedo


Torpedo
Torpedo Boats Tubes.
Ericsson ........ 12o.. 1.s0O.. 3....Usher
Dupont ......... 142.. 1000. 3....Wood
Foote ........... 142.. 200., 8. =. Rodgers
Gushing 105.. 1.720.. 8. 3....Gleaves
The commander of this fleet, Commo-
dore John c. Watson, until the OUT
break of the war, was the governor Of
the naval home at Philadelphia. His
former time of sea service expired in
1894. Commodore Watson entered the
navy In 1856 from Kentucky, and dur
ing the greater part Of the Civil war
served as lieutenant. He was made
a lieutenant commander in 1886, a
commander In 1874, a captain in 1887,
and attained to his present flag rank
in 1897
PRESENT STATUS.
Generalizing from the latest and best
information obtainable the status in
the West Indies is about this: The
Spanish fleet is in the Caribbean sea
anywhere between Curacao and the
YTcatan channel, but probably we'll to-
ward the more eastern Of the two
points; Sampson, reinforced by the Or
egon, the Marietta and the Buffalo, is
somewhere in the vicinity Of Hayti,
ready to engage Cervera or to follow
him into a Cuban port, as the case
may be; Watson with his fleet Is off
Havana, his force inferior to the
squadron of the Spanish admiral, but
ready to keep him interested if he at
tempts dash into the Cuban capital,
and possibly to hold him until the ar
rival Of one of the fighting squadrons
Schley is in the Florida straits at Key
West, ready to operate on either the
north or the south coast of Cuba and
to lend helping hand to Sampson in
any place that may be required. If
the object Of Cervera has been to gain
it does not appear that he has gained
any material advantage by his mys-
terious maneuvering.
CERVERA SLOW.
Qualification is felt over the fact that
the Cape Verde squadron is presuma-
bly, so far away from the Cuban coast
Naval officers contend that Spain has
thrown away the strategical advan-
tage held when her ships left Marti-
liQuc, -UelOIS ILLS government huSW
of their whereabouts. Admiral Samp-
son could not then have reached Cuba
before the enemy got there, and Com
modore Schley's flying squadron would
have been equally tardy. Now, how
ever Admiral Sampson will be able to
head off the enemy, and Commodore
Schley will have plenty Of time to join
the blockading force under Commodore
Watson, whose fleet, it is reported,
Is assembled off Havana, before the
Cape Verde squadron can appear on
the scene.
The slow progress Of the Spanish
fleet is enabling Sampson and Schley
to take up such positions as may have
been indicated for them. Just where
Sampson is today cannot be ascer-
tanned, but he Is believed to be Still
at the Windward Passage, or beyond
it to the westward. perhaps in the
Caribbean sea, or possibly to the north
Of Cuba. Naval officers venture the
opinion that he has passed down into
the Caribbean sea, and that, when
Commodore Schley's fleet reached Key
West, he was informed as precisely as
possible of the whereabouts of Samp-
son and of the expectations Of the de-
partment.
SPANISH SPEED.
There Is one fact that vexes the navy
department. That Is the superior speed
of the Spanish ships, and the possibil-
ity that Admiral Cervera, notified by
cable Of the danger to which he is ex-
posed, will head his fleet toward the
east again, and hurry off in another
direction. This again excites concern
about where he would go in such an
event, and new alarms about the coast
arise.
The superiority of the combined
American squadrons TO the half-dozen
ships in command of Cervera must be
fully apparent to the Spanish admiral,
and his only hope Of victory lies in
meeting small fleets. He might at
tempt to run along the blockaded coast
of western Cuba, destroying Commo-
dore Watson's unarmored ships before
giving battle to the fighting squadrons.
But before he could reach Cienfuegos,
by way of Kingston, Admiral samp-
sons squadron could sail through the
Windward passage and directly across
his track.
POSSIBLE ROUTE.
The Yucatan channel route Is possi-
BILE. From several points of view
Cervera's wisest course would be to get
the latest news he could Of American
naval movements at some port on the
Yucatan channel, and then sail for Ha-
vana.
Unless by chance one of our scout
boats should sight him, on the long
westward run through the Caribbean
sea, he could get within days sail of
the blockaded Cuban capital without
hetraying his plans.
Cervera's movements thus far have
concealed his ultimate intentions. He
had to put in somewhere for coal and
news, and he could have selected no
better ports in the West Indies than
ST. Pierre and Willemstad.
Cervera, If he now crosses the Car
ibbean sea, has no means Of learning Of
American naval movements until he
puts in at Santiago de Cuba, Cienfue-
gos, or some other port on the southern
coast Of Cuba. He may possibly drop
in at Kingston, on the British island
Of Jamaica one of the most important
cable stations in the West Indies, but
this would make a combined attack Oh
him by Sampson and Schley easy to
accomplish, since the United States
would be promptly informed Of his
whereabouts.
DENT VIGILANT.
The American consul at Kingston is
Louis Dent, formerly secretary to
James G. Blaine. Mr.. Dent has shown