Evening star., 1898-07-21
MUST FURNISH A CONVOY
Positive Instructions Sent to Admiral
Sampson.
Gen. Miles Expected to Leave Cuba
Today for Porto Rico With a
Battle Ship and Cruiser.

| President Mckinley is thoroughly aroused
| over the delay which has occurred in the
| starting of General Miles and the expedi-
| tion under his command for Porto Rico
For several days General Miles and his
| troops have been aboard their transports at
| Playa del Este awaiting the naval convoy
! which Is to be furnished by Admiral Sanp-
| son. The troops nave been sweltering in
| the crowded ships under the broiling heat
| of tropical sun, while General Miles has
| been chatting under what he believes to be
| inexcusable delay and is bombarding the
War Department with dispatches, urging
| in the strongest terms that the navy be
| hurried in its preparations for the expedi-
| ton Instructions of the most positive ma
ture have been cabled to Admiral Sampson
| to supply the necessary conveys for Gem
eral Miles transports, but notwithstanding
| these instructions Admiral Sampson has
proceeded with his preparations for the ex-
| pedition with deliberatien that is exas-
perating the officials here.
The President, who has been giving the
Porto Rican expedition his personal atten-
! tomas he has given, indeed, all phases of
| the war-finally became concerned lest the
part of the Porto Riean expedition that
| has already sailed from this country should
| arrive at the point of rendezvous in ad-
| vance of General Miles and the navy. 1t
| is feared that if General Wilson's COM
mand, which sailed yesterday from
| Charleston, should arrive in advance of
General Miles and the naval conveys seri-
| Gus danger and possibly disaster might re-
suit, as General Wilson'S ships are abso-
| lutely without protection. The distance
| from Charleston to Porto Rico is a trife
over 300 miles, while from Playa del Este
| to Porto Rico it Is about 100 miles The
| comparative distances which General Will
son and General Miles have to travel to
reach the point of rendezvous are rendered
the more nearly equal, however, by reason
| of the fact that the former has more than
full days start.
Fully appreciating these facts and real
| izing the necessity for prompt action in
getting Gen. Miles and his Cuban expedi-
ton started. President Mckinley this
morning issued personal orders through
the Secretary of the Navy to Admiral
| Sampson that he should proceed immedi-
| ately to Porto Rico with Gen. Miles. The
Presidents orders are susceptible of no
| misconstruction. They are imperative to
a degree seldom employed except in cases
| of extreme emergency. They are of the
| sort that will brook no delay in their ex-
ecution. Admiral Sampson must start at
once or the President himself will know
the reason why. No excuses of an ordi-
| nary nature will be accepted by the Presi-
| dent for further delay.
The Convoy.
| Admiral Sampson having been instructed
| at very early hour this morning to fur
| nish convoy for Gen. Miles expedition
| to Porto Rico. it is again assumed by the
War Department officials that start will
be made from Cuba some time today.
| Sampson was told to send a battle ship
and a cruiser as a convoy, but it was left
to him to select these from among the
vessels Of his fleet. The navy was dispos-
| ed to regard it unnecessary to send a
| special convoy, on the ground that the
Columbia and the Yale were both armed
| sufficiently to serve protection for the
fleet of transports, while, according to the
| information in possession of the Navy De-
! partment, there are no Spanish warships
| anywhere in the neighborhood of the West
Indies that might be expected to molest
| the expedition.
However, acting on the Presidents de-
| termination to run no unnecessary risk of
| disaster to the expedition the decision was
| reached last night to send the convoy re-
| quested by the War Department. 1t is said
| at the war Department that some of the
| soldiers, including Garretson's brigade,
| have been eighteen days aboard ship since
| they embarked at Newport News most of
the time lying off Santiago in sight of
| shore, but unable to land. They arrived
| just before the surrender of Santiago, and,
| 1t having been decided to use them in the
| Porto Rican expedition, the troops We're
kept aboard ship to prevent exposure to
| yellow fever.
IL General Miles gets away today he may
| still reach the base selected for operations
| i'll Porto Rico before the other sections of
| his expedition. News came to the depart
| ment mis- morning from Charleston that
! General Wilson'S brigade was successfully
! embarked there yesterday and sailed last
evening. That is, all but one of the trans
| ports, and as told in the official report this
| was detained over night and until the next
| high tide owing to the obstinacy of the
| army mules necessary to be embarked on
| her. This was transport No. u. Unless
| other unforeseen obstacles occur it is,
| therefore, regarded by the War Depart
| ment officials as probable that by the early
| part of next week landing will have been
| made on Porto Rican soil and the invasion
| OF that island begun. 1t is not contemplate
| ed that the navy shall initiate the attack
| on the island further than may be neces-
| sary TO protect the landing OF the United
States troops, but its part will begin when
| the American forces draw near the town of
| San Juan from the rear,