The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-22
KEY WEST AND TORTUGAs.
Neither Could Be Protected from
Spanish War Ships--War Scare Over.

| Correspondence of the Associated Press.
KEY WEST, Fla, March 15.-Without
much apparent reason the war excitement
here seems to be gradually dying out. The
natives of the little island are growing ac
| customed to the sight of moving armed
and armor ships, and the cry of riot in Ha-
vana has been relegated to the wolf cate
CORY Crowds that a week ago were to be
| found at the ramshackle wharf where boats
| from Havana are moored now may be seen
at the Brisa looking lazily at the sea"
or sitting idly where welcome breezes stir
the palm trees. Even the Cubans, as they
| sip their aguadiente in the evenings, exhibit
an air of lassitude contrasting strangely
with their heated debating and excited ex-
ultation of few weeks ago. In short, the
| abnormal has become the normal The out
ward and visible signs of preparations for
| conflict are still presented, but the furore
which the novelty created has died away,
! although the embers are stirred every now
and again by some wild rumor.
| Situated as Key West is, on the very
| edge of the United States and cheek by
| jowl with Havana, is is small wonder that
there is much speculation as to what would
happen to the island should war with Spain
ensue. An officer who is permanently To-
Gated here, in summing up the uses of this
island in case of war, said LAS far as l
can see Key West would be almost utterly
useless to the United States in case of war.
1t guards no inlet and no outlet The re-
Gently received consignments of torpedoes
and the two new sand batteries will make
1T a fairly good place from a defensive
point of view, but unless it is protected by
the fleet there is little to prevent such a
ship as the Vizcaya Smelling it and re-
W. AC inc
station Key West is practically useless be-
cause the harbor is not deep enough to per-
NIT of the entrance of any of our big ships.
Old Fort Taylor, a big red brick relic of
the civil war, occupies projection of the
island, but it is of course practically dis
mantled. AT Dry Tortugas the same condi-
tons prevail. Therefore Fort jefferson,
which Is over mile in circumference, is
without garrison and out of date. 1t
would be impossible to maintain garrison
at that fort. AS a harbor Tortugas is all
right, but for strategic points 1 fail to see
its availability"
Rear Admiral Sicard has constantly said
to this correspondent that he regretted his
inability to get the big ships into Key
Mest narpor; ana besides coaling them at
then have them at his call within mo-
nents notice; The only two big ships here,
the flagship New York and the battle ship
Iowa, are obliged to lie six or seven miles
out from land. Dry Tortugas, where the In
diana. Texas and Massachusetts lie, is over
sixty miles from Key West. The state
ments naturally suggest the idea that the
concentration of such q large fleet around
Dry Tortugas and Key West is doubtful
policy. With natural caution Admiral
Sicard failed to state, which is the fact
that the government is making strenuous
enorts TO prepare Key West for emergen-
cies and is employing every resource to fit
| this island for the only strategic position
| 1t could rightly fill-that of coalfng sta
| ton. Extensive dredging operations are to
be undertaken without delay. x. Simmons
and M. F. Cahill, president and superin-
tendent respectively, of a New York city
aOTnNT tsfNyn1
| time ago to hasten the completion of con-
| tracts which their company has to furnish
| sand for Notifications here and to deepen
| the harbor. Their contract for the fortifica-
tons. now In the course of erection at Key
| West calls for $4,000 cubic yards of sand
| The capacity of their apparatus which will
shortly be put to work, is twelve hundred
| cubic. yards per day. They are required to
complete the work in three months. Mr.
| gun work some time ago had it not been for
| delay in shipment of important material
Our contract to dredge the harbor calls for
depth of thirty feet opposite the govern
ment dock. this depth to extend $50 feet
We expect to commence work within a few
days and should finish dredging within ten
days Our largest battle ships will then be
able to coal at the docks here" This is sig
nificant. Taken in conjunction with the
fact that the government is considering the
ACCESSIBILITY of erecting coal sheds on its
wharfS where the coal can be discharged
and laden through chutes, it satisfactorily
shows that although Key West may be of
little service at present no measure is be-
ing spared to bring it to a point when it
will become available as coal station and
invulnerable to hostile attack.
Pinkertens Not Spying for spaniards
CHICAGO, March 21.-William Pinkerton
of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency.
denounced to-day as grossly malicious and
tending to create an unjustifable prejudice"
the statement that the employees of the
agency were ferreting out the secret de-
lenses of our government and furnishing
the information to the Spanish. He said
the agency had never been employed for
any such purpose and under no considera-
ton would 1T accept employment from the
Spanish or any other government to furnish
information regarding any matter con-
nected with the United States government.
As 10 the hlbustering expeditions, the en-
ployment OF the agency he said. was for
the sole purpose of gathering information
for the United States government which
would enable IL to prevent the breaking Of
the neutrality laws for which our govern
ment might be liable as England was held
responsible in the Geneva arbitration. The
employment of the Pinkerton detectives
was unknown to the United States authors
ties In Washington and the cooperation of
the Pinkertons was sought for by United
States district attorneys and United States
marahala comma F4dprss Of war Vascnla ar,d