Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-05-28


Holland Expected to Offer the Use of
His Submarine Boat.
WASHINGTON, May 28.-The military
situation as at present determined upon
by those III authority, is to make no
forward movement of troops, either
upon Porto Rico or Cuba, until full and
definite information is received as to
the location of the Spanish squadron
and It's possibilities as factor III the
aggressive movements of Spain. That
being the positive determination there
Is no present purpose to hurry forward
the troops now at the several points Of
concentration, but the interval prior to
an aggressive forward movement will
/ be employed i'll seasoning the men.
Steps have been taken to secure early
information as to whether Admiral
Cervera's squadron is inside Santiago
harbor and whether the American
squadron has such advantage of posi-
ton outside the harbor as to make the
escape of the Spaniards practically I'M
possible.
For the last few days army circles
have shared public belief that the
Spanish ships were trapped in Santiago
harbor and that has given impetus to
arrangements by which large bodies of
troops at Chickamauga and elsewhere
might be moved forward rapidly to
Tampa for EN- barkation. The presence
of 30 or more transports in Florida
waters added to the conviction that a
movement on large scale was about to
occur. All this has been going on with
the understanding that Admiral Ger
yera's career as a possible menace to our
troops had been cut off by his being Sc
curely held within Santiago harbor, but
in the absence of positive information
on this point, together with the GER
tainty that he can be held inside the
harbor, there is no purpose whatever on
the part of the war department to make
an aggressive forward movement on
Cuba or Porto Rico. This was stated
in the most positive manner and from
an authoritative source.
Unless the navy department succeeds
in securing some direct and official in
formation respecting the Spanish and
the American fleets within the next few
hours, through the aid of the West
Indian cables, it will resort to the use
of dispatch boats. 1t can be again
affirmed on tn highest authority, and
notwithstanding all rumors to the con-
trary, that the department had at the
close of business hours yesterday, moth
ing more than belief, founded on I'M
official advices, that the Spanish squad
ron was lying in Santiago harbor and
no news as to Commodore Schley's
whereabouts. However, the great ma
jority of the officials of the navy de-
partment entertain no doubt that Ger
vera is within Santiago harbor They
have succeeded in impressing this be-
lief upon the president and the members
of the cabinet
The reports from the newspaper dis
patch boats as to the movements of
Sampson S and Schley's squadrons dur
ing the past week are very mystifying
even to the naval officers here and one
of them called attention to a statement
coming from the West Indies to the
effect that IL war vessels were seen for
a short time off Cienfuegos Wednes-
day. This he thought was Schley's
squadron, and in that case, he could
scarcely have covered the distance be-
tween Cienfuegos and Santiago with
slow moving fleet of ironclads in less
than two days, in which case Schley
would not be due off Santiago until
some time yesterday. OF course all
this is speculative, but it shows that
there is still an element of doubt in the
! departments calculations as to the
! whereabouts of the fleets.
1t was announced yesterday, that
Holland, the inventor OF the submarine
boat of that name, was expected here
today to discuss with Captain O'Neii,
chief of ordnance, the advisiblity of
using that novel craft in an attack upon
the Spanish squadron at Santiago if
the vessels are still there. The officials
are disposed to receive in kindly spirit
any suggestion that might prove to be
valuable in this line, and they will talk
with Mr. Holland over the details of
his scheme, probably on the basis of
compensation to be paid to him for each
Spanish vessel destroyed.
An important phase to the military
progress is decision not to take up the
details of organizing the new force of
$4,000 volunteers for at least week or
ten days.
OFF C1ENFUEGos, May "a, via jack
sonville, Fla, May 28.-The United
States gunboat Hawk brought word to
Commodore Schley that the Spanish