Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-06-02
CAN'T COME OUT.
Cerveras Ships Appear to be in
a Trap.
Schleys Squadron is Said to be Cruising
OF Santiago de Cuba. Where the Span
ish Fleet is Reported to Have
Sought Refuge-The iowa
Guards the Southwest
ern Coast.

On Board the Dispatch Boat Dandy,
Montego Bay, Jamaica. May 25.-The
waters south of Cuba have suddenly
become the scene of great naval activ-
ity. Commodore Schley. who left Key
West last Thursday with the battle
ships Massachusetts and Texas, the
armored cruiser Brooklyn and the arm
ored yacht Scorpion, is believed to be
cruising off Cienfuegos and Santiago.
The battleship Iowa followed Com
modore Schley on Friday, but was
overtaken off Cape San Antonio on Sat
urday by the torpedo boat Dupont with
secret instructions. The battleship
Immediately increased her speed to the
limit and when last seen was guarding
the entrance to the passage between
the Isle of Pines and Cuba. The Du-
pont rushed on toward Cienfuegos.
Five British warships are now in the
vicinity of Jamaica. The Spanish 200
tons passenger steamer Purisima Con-
ception is here. She is afraid to ven
ture out.
Washington, May 26.--At the navy
department yesterday there was an
apparent strengthening of the conf
dence of the officials in their belief
that Cervera's squadron is lying in
Santiago harbor. In this belief the
officials found great comfort, knowing
the abilities of the American naval
commanders in Cuban waters to keep
the Spanish admiral bottled up in this
narrow-necked harbor until he shall
surrender or be starved out. If Ger
vera is actually at bay the officials feel
not the slightest apprehension of any
relief coming to him from the outside
in the shape of another Spanish squad
ron from Cadiz. The reason for this
belief is their unquestioned ability to
hold Cervera in check with only few
vessels thus leaving the remainder of
the fleet to take care of any reinforce
ments that might attempt to come
from Spain to Cervera's aid.
The department officials are of opin-
ion that Cervera is likely to remain at
Santiago for a long time-weells and
months perhaps. A study of the de-
fenses of the harbor and topograph-
ical features has convinced the experts
that to undertake to carry the place
by storm from the sea and to attack
the fleet while under the protection
of the forts would involve so great
loss of life on our part as to be entire
ly unwarranted under existing condi-
tions. The harbor is mined and these
mines are SO well protected by shore
batteries that the usual methods of
countermining could be practiced only
with the utmost peril to the sailors of
our fleet.
Moro Castle, one of the principal de-
fenses of the harbor, is perched upon
very high elevation. It's guns, if served
with anything like fair gunnery, could
rain most destructive fire down upon
our ships, and not even the battleships
and monitors are designed to resist
plunging fire of this kind. On the 9TH
er hand, it is extremely difficult for
guns mounted on shipboard to be suf-
ficiently elevated to throw projectiles
with any effect against "a modern forti-
fication on an elevated bluff or hill.
That is the lesson learned at San Juan
de Porto Rico and the fleet there had
the advantage of being able to lie off
at long range, which it will not possess
in the attack on Santiago. OF course
the place could be taken by assault,
but the officials do not believe the pres
ent conditions warrant such an eXpen-
sivc undertaking. The effort therefore
probably will be made to keep Cervera
inside Santiago harbor until starvation
causes the surrender of the Spanish
squadron and the forts of Santiago.