The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-07

ONE ALTERNATIVE IS LEFT
He Can Blow Up His Ships to Prevent
Their Capture by the
Americans
Associated Press Special Wire


1t is conceded by members of the War
Board. will Admiral Cervera's vessels In
the harbor of Santiago be able to reach
the open sea, even with the wreckage Of
the Merrimac removed, a task that is not
at all feasible. in view of the heavy fire
that any operator would be subjected to
who might attempt to place sufficient dy-
Mantle in the wreck to remove it. says the
Washington correspondent of the Trib-
une. The entire Spanish squadron is now
conceded to have been caught and closed to
all possibilities of escape and unless Ger
vera purposely destroys his ships they are
bound ultimately to fall into the hands of
the United States.
! Cerveras position is regarded as one OF
almost pitiful humiliation and his situation
is such that he will be forced to surrender
without possibly having chance to fire
on a single war vessel That he. his officers
and entire force will be made prisoners of
the United States in time seems certain.
With Santiago in the possession of the
United States, the crews of the Spanish
ships will become prisoners of war. and X
they attempted to escape from Santiago
they would fall into the hands of the in
surgents.
Opinions differ as to the chance Of the
four powerful armored cruisers and tor
pedo boat destroyers becoming the prop
assert with great positiveness that Ger
vera will never allow his vessels to be
taken and that when he finds no alternat-
i've open to avoid destruction or capture,
he will sink them, as Hobson did the Mer-
rimac. With the channel closed the last
hope of naval men for fight between ships
of modern construction and fought under
improved conditions disappears and by all
It is generally conceded that with the war
ended the historians will have but one i'm
portant naval fight to record.
In sinking the Merrimac. the program
of Admiral Sampson is for the first time
disclosed, and 1t proves beyond doubt that
Investigation made by him showed the ut
ter impossibility Of his taking the large
force of heavy battleships and cruisers be-
tween the forts and over the submarine
mines, in an attempt to reach and bring in
to action the Spanish vessels. Naval Of
ficers have no theories to advance as to the
reasons impelling the course followed BY
Sampson, other than he concluded, after
careful examination Of the charts and I'M
favorable conditions. that it was inadvis-
able to take battleships through a channel
whore there was NOT one chance In fen
thet thev could mas. safely Tho d,fRcr,+,e,
that such an undertaking would ,nvolva
ara shown nv the charts which indicate
but "a feet NJ water IN ono noint ~ ~,
,horra, ~ about +u,o Ia. Ice. +h.r .,o,,,.,
\. recassarv for tho Iov. and M..s.chu.
..tt.
rv.rv.r.,s v....,. a-, ,s -, .,.
%hrsA feet than The h.ov,ast ~ ". Ar,.r,-
,.r sh,r. h,,, eyar h;s ,,assa,. $40. 49,.
Ia rt,,. vo,., ha,.o.h .hs,r hot,o -
NOSE a. thew nae.ad ~ w;,h oil ,h.roa.
~ .sc.na oso,nst hir, .;.har ~. roo,.,,,,
~. x,reck and successf,Ilv soc,,r;ra oh.r
nj 70 The coo . gsnsra, fe.,,r . sxists
..,,a, or,oar. 10, CO... 49, 80 .,,.o..
equally daring exhibit as that of construc.
tor Hobson will be attempted bv the Adj
miral. rather than to submit to tho resort
Of blowing I'm his own vessels without hav-
ing had opportunitv Of firing a single nro.
tectile at an American vessel.
While admitting that the destruction ~
the collier in tn. harbor Of Santiago nlaces
an ent,re,v new nhase unon the nava, s,,uo-
tion IN Cuban waters off,cia,s Of tho N.yr
Denartmopt are not nrenared n ;ssue ,r-
.truct,ons n Admiral Samnson for tho dc.
tachment of main section ~ HE eeet nm
III he has heen heard from, In detai, Nou
that the snan;sh Adm,ra, ia no 1oreer n no
reearded as a dangerous factor In ,he +rors-
nortat,on of large bod,es of troons h,, co. ~
por,o pico opd SANTIAGO The We 1anor,
mani is nrenarinp IN take immediate stans
yor forward;ng several transnor,s - hott
c1ooas ord safe escort &c ~ he .roraaa
.har, hv tho sbins now mort 80 ,ha h,o.,,
ad,rs eaets Of Havana u,,,h o,har ,.osa.Ia
that are 70 he relieved from further d,,t,
~ SANTIAGO The army is relieved - 49,
noss,hi,,tv ~ now w.it,rg frr,har -. 49,
r.yv n rrovde n necess.ry vessels 81 90.
WOW the merchant sb,ns and a large r,ova-
want ,s now exnected "a hep;n
cs..o.o uohs.s o.,o
a.. ~. .hora., 80 ~. ross,S,,,.. wv
80 49, Saan;sh at ,s ~, .seape
~ 1910 h,,;,ios 80 rost oo,.as,.,. ~.
,raa - anoth.r 80, 49, 60. ~
49, Aor;oo - So.
ry..,, To-. ,rh,,rsa,,, ~. -,
80 Co~,r,oaors eot,a, ,. p
- ha,,a haan ~ ,ne on,r;or 49,. ~. ,'oou
hot.Iash,rs ava .rrorad o,,,,.au
.-,,so 40 oa,,,;o,, .ra ,,ndor 49,
.ti,,od niIote farili.r WITH ~
could he taken between N. sor.,eos.,o.,
.ua IN into Tho barhor h,,, 49, go .'ons
AZ renresantations r,ade 1.tar 49,
,Iesh,n could nossiblv got arornd .ha 80,
AZ The narrowest no;nt - 49, 80,
where there was barely wa+er eromah e.
The tighter vessels of the sn.r,sh a..
pe,uctantIv therefore the, ahas,
.be,r oripina, nroprau and !, ,,as 49,. ..,,