The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-05-14
THE SPANARDS ACT|VE.
Gen. Blanco Keeping His Men Busy
Building Earth Fortifcations
Along the Cuban Coast.
ARE GOOD TARGETS FOR OUR GUHAERS.
Efforts to Telegraphic Comma
nication All the Coast Block
Houses and Batteries By Way Of Prep
aration to Meet the Invasion They
Know Is Not Very Far on.

On BOARD THE DISPATCH Boat KATE
SPENCER, OFF CARDENAs, May 9.-Via
Key West, May 1.-THE Spanish SOL
diers are displaying much activity
along the line of coast from Bahia
Honda, IS miles west of Havana, to
Cardenas, 65 miles to the eastward. As
the ships of the blockading feet have
instructions to prevent the erection of
new Notifications, and have at various
points shelled working parties, the
task of strengthening existing de-
lenses and throwing up earthworks is
carried on principally at night, ave in
the immediate vicinity of Havana.
The narrow escape of the Vicksburg
and Morrill,, on Saturday, when they
were decoyed within easy range of the
Santa Clara batteries, just west of
Moro castle, has taught some of the
unarmored ships a lesson, and it is not
likely that that class of boats will ven-
ture within close range of the modern
high-power guns again. Along the
coast fresh sand batteries are being
thrown up almost every night, but
these works are of a himsy character,
and would be reduced by the fire of
the big guns in a few minutes. The
officers of the blockading feet believe
Capt.-Gen. Blanco is wasting a good
deal of energy in the erection of insig-
niicant shore batteries. The strength
ening of the more formidable works
about Havana is a very different thing.
1t may be, however, by the erection of
these light batteries, which must be
abandoned as 500 as the serious work
of the fleet begins, Blanco puts heart
in his starving soldiers and imbues
them with the idea that a Yankee in
vasion can be repealed at any point.
The Hornet and the Winslow, now
blockading Matanzas, have had a live
ly time for several days Smelling Span
ish details at work on batteries and
telegraph lines outside of the entrance
of the harbor. There, as at other
points, most of the work is done at
night, and each morning sees fresh
earthworks thrown up, like fresh ant
hills, against the rusty green of the
coast line.
On Sunday morning the Hornet found
a party putting a telegraph line from
the lighthouse and signal station, a
mile east of Matanzas harbor, to the
battery west of Point Satanilla, on the
other side of the bay. The batteries
ashore are said to be of some mag.
nitude, mounting a few high-pow.
er guns. To stop this telegraphic
N Af-a4 Aha IIo.-nf G4anr-A1 1rsk1n
in and dropped a shell in the midst of
the workmen. They scattered like rab-
bits, and the line grounded then and
there. Several other telegraph par
ties nave been discovered in the same
way at other points. 1t Is evi.
IDENTIFY che intention of the Span.
ish to establish communication
by wire with all their coast block
houses and batteries, with a view, pos
sibly, of massing troops and guns to
oppose a landing whenever threatened.
However, they will probably carry
their wires behind the first range of
hills, where they will be less subject to
sudden interruption.
1t is not possible hat there are
enough guns at the command of the
Spanish to mount them in all the sand
batteries %springing up, but as there is
a railway from Havana to Matanzas,
quite close to the coast, the authori-
ties may be deluding themselves
with the idea that they "a transport
heavy guns to the batteries nearest the
threatened landing point whenever
their watches telegraph the appear
ance of the American troops off the