The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-26

possible to force an entrance until the
channel was cleared of nines-a work OF
some time after the forts were taken pos
session OF by the troops. To this General
Shafter replied:
1T IS impossible for me 10 say when
can take batteries at entrance OF ha--
Dor. II they are as difficult 10 take Es
those which we have been p.ttsd against
1 Il VIII be some time and a great loss OF
life I am al q loss 10 see why the navy
can not work under destructive IRE as
well as the army Ny loss yesterday was
over so men. BY al means keep up IRE
on'eyerythins in sight Of you until eemol-
ished- I expect. however. in time and
with sufficient men. 10 capture the forts
along the bay"
Admiral Sampson then says:
i wrote General Shafter the following
letter and began making preparations 10
countermine. and. with the object OF ar
ranging an attack upon the batteries az
the entrance q visit was arranged 10 Gen
erai Shafter, so that the matter m sht oe
thoroughly discussed. and combined ac-
ton take place. / had in view the en-
ployment OF the marines fer an assault
on either the Moro or Socapa battery.
while at the same time ASSUMING the de-
lenses al the entrance with the feet.
United States Flagship New York,
First Rate, on Santiago de Cuba. July Il
My Dear General: I have your note OF
this morning-iust received at lisa
An officer OF my stan has already re-
ported 20 you the firing which we did
this morning. but 1 must say in addi-
ton 10 what he told you that IRE forts.
which we silencsd, were not the forts
which would give you any Inconvenience
in capturing the city. as they can not
Gre except seaward. They can not even
prevent our entrance into the aarbOr OF
Santiago. Our trouble from the first has
been that the channel TO the haroor =
well strewed with observation mines.
which would certainly resul, in the sink
Ing OF one or more OF our ships II We
attempted to enter the harbor. and by
,the sinking OF ship the object OF the
attempt 70 enter the harhor would De de-
feated by the preventing OF further pro-
gress on our part
II was my hope that an attack on your
part OF these shore batteries from the rear
would leave US at liberty 10 drag the
channel for torpedoes.
II il is your earnest desire that We
should force our entrance. 1 Will al once
prepare 10 undertake IL ! think, how
ever. that our position and yours would
be made more difficult II. as Is possible.
We fail In our attempt
We have In our outfit at Guantanamo
forty counternining mines, which I Will
bring here with as little delay posi-
bic. and il we can succeed In freeing the
entrance OF mines by their use l VIII en-
ter the harbor.
This work. which IS unfamiliar 70 US.
VIII require considerable time. II IS not
so much the loss Of men as II Is the loss
OF ships which has until now deferred
me from making a direct attack upon the
!, p ~ ra7fx
W. T. SAMPSON.
Rear Admiral United States Navy.
Commander in Chief North Atlantic
Station.
Major General Shafter. L. S V.
July 3.-The sortie OF Admiral Cervers's
squadron and its destruction has been
made the subject Of n separate paper and
need not be repeated here.
This event closes the purely naval cam
paign, crowning with complete success
the anxious work OF almost exactly two
months"
II is apparent from the following dis
patch from Acting Secretary Allen to the
commanding officer OF the fleet. and
which appears in the correspondence. that
the department felt some apprehension
regarding the movements and designs OF
the Austrian gunbORt, Maria Teresa,
which appeared in the West Indies dur
ing the war.
Washington. D. c.. June 1s-Austrian
gunboat Maria Teresa. in West Indies. is
thought 10 intend 10 visit various block
AIDES to see IL effective. Upon the arrival
of our troops send without delay as many
as considered necessary OF the convoy 20
commodore No 10 of Cienfugos. Cuba.
and as there is some similarity between
Austrian and Spanish flags. caution your
ships against possible mistakes.
The apprehension by the department at /
one time OF the possibility Of the escape /
OF the Spaniards from Santiago via Man /
zaRillo. Cuba. IL shown in the following {
dispatch TO Sampson:
Washington.-When the Spanish give up
hope at Santiago they may attempt 10 /
escape via Manzanillo. Cuba AS under (
stood here they receive supplies now via /
Cuba LONG.