Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-21
American Fleets Gathered at Key West and Vicinity to Intercept
Engage and Destroy the Spanish Fleet.
1t is Evident the Americans Have Information That Cervera Has
Not al Santiago lie Cuba, but is Crawling Up the
Coast to for Havana.


Hurry orders" reached them about
The Bancrofts quartermaHter was
ashore looking after stores when word
was sent him to cancel provision con-
tract and come aboard.
The small fleet was ALREADY under
way when he reached here and the
Bancroft's zig was snadched ny to her
davlts while she was steaming out OF
the harbor.
Where the small fleet went is still
mystery, all being too slow to act as
scouts in the hunt for the Spanish heet'
and not strong enough to do more than
help at Havana, where there are al
ready more boats than actually needed
Tho most plausible theory advanced to
account for the quick departure was
that they We're to form a second line
of scouts to the southwest where the
Cincinnati and the Vesuvlus are sup
posed to be watching the narows of
the Yucatan channel.
These two vessels moved quickly out
Thursday morning and disappeared at
leisurely pace to the southwest.
1t may be csndldly admitted that all
discussion of the Spanish fleet here is
speculative. Key West is lamcntedly
isolated from the current news, save
such as ~ furnished by daily bulle-
tins
The understanding of the intention
here however. is that Sampson counted
confidently on finding the Spanish
squadron bottled up in San Juan as
did Dewey the Spaniards at Manila. 1t
was not until daylight on the morning
of the bombardment that he learned
the harbor was empty.
SPANISH FLEET NOT AT CUBA.
Meantime, according to the best in
formation here. the fleet of seven
| Spanish ships. probably including the
II NgalAF al
| Maria Teresa, aud three destroyers has
| been moving west along the southern
| shore of the Caribbean sea Later re-
purts from Mole. st. Nicolas, Cape Hal
| ten and other points, make 1t seem
probable that a second section of the
| squadron. probably including the car
| dinal Clsncros, the Pelayo, and the
| Christina Regena are following in the
| wake of the first. BY keeping to the
| south shore OF the carihht34f the Ei,aur
| iards avoided any chance encounter
with Sampson OFF Porto Rico.
| and If they were furnished
| news at cable points Of the state of the
! Cuban blockade. especially at Cienfu-
: egos IL showed a tempting chance 10
| make a dash across at the south Cuban
coast and wipe out the light vessels
| there This done, they could coal and
| proceed around the west end of the
island about 500 miles to Havana, II
that. as is generally supposed here, is
| the ultimate destination. From tho
! fact that no such attack has yet beer
reported, 1t is inferred that the fleet is
still holding its course west Old pilots
here say that a big squadron of war
ships might he easily worked west anC
north Just outside the fringe OF keys
on the Mosquito coast without danger
of discovery before they emerged from
the north end OF the Yucatan channel
From this point they would be al
most equi- distant from Key West ant
Havana, not 200 miles ~ther way. Il
their object was Ia break n Havana
blockade, they could do It easily If they