The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-29
Particular Attention Will Be Paid to
the Isle of Pines, Where Mexicans
Have Been Landing Cattle.
PORT OF SAN JUAN INCLUDED
FOOD SUPPLIES OF PORTO RICANS
TO BE ALSO Topped OFF.
An Important Service Rendered by
Spanish TOrpedO-BOat Destroyer.


soon be impossible for even small quaint
ties of food or war supplies to reach the
Spaniards there. A proclamation was issued
to-day extending the blockade to the south
coast and to San Juan. On the south coast
the Isle of Pines will be cut off as a trans
fer depot for cattle and food supplies COM
ing from Jamaica and Central America BY
closing San Juan harbor the Spaniards will
lose the last chance of smuggling war sup
plies TO Cuba and the future operations of
the army and navy looking to the occupa-
ton of the Island of Porto Rico will be ma
terially advanced by the establishment of
successful blockade. The Presidents proc
lamation extending the blockade of Cuba to
the southern coast from Cape Frances to
Cape Cruz, inclusive, and also blockading
San Juan, Porto Rico follows:
Whereas, For the reasons set forth in
my proclamation of April %, 1898, a block
ade of points on the north coast of Cuba
from Cardehas to Bahai Honda. inclusive,
and of the port of Cienfuegos on the south
coast of Cuba was declared to have been
Whereas, 1t has become desirable to ex-
ten END the blockade to other southern ports;
presfGsn+ T III the william Mckinley
declare and proclaim that. in addition to the
blockade of the ports specified in my proc
lamation of April q, 1893. the United States
an effective blockade of all the ports on the
southern coast of Cuba from Cape Frances
TO cape Cruz, inclusive, and also of the
port of San Juan in the Island of Porto
Rico. Neutral vessels lying in any of the
ports to which the blockade is, by the pres
ent proclamation. extended will be allowed
thirty days to issue therefrom with cargo.
WILLIAM NJ KINLEY,
President of the United States
-. B. MOORE, Acting Secretary of
State
INCREASES WORK FOUR-FOLD.
This proclamation will compel the United
States navy to assume the formidable task
of blockading about five hundred miles of
Cuban coast line, in addition to the sections
already blockaded. This increases the. extent
of the blockade fully four-fold, it having
been confined, heretofore, to a stretch of
little more than one hundred miles on the
north and the single port of Cienfuegos on
the south coast of the island. The demands
on the navy in the way of ships to patrol
the coast, however, will not be nearly so
heavy in proportion to the territory to be
covered as in the case of the initial block
ade, for the reason that the new blockaded
coast line lies entirely within the great
blight on the south Cuban coast, in which
the water is very generally shallow and the
ports are few into which any vessel of small
draft could enter The principal of these
ports are Manzanillo, Trinidad and Tunas.
West of Trinidad is Cienfuegos, which is al
ready blockaded effectively From that point
westward, for nearly 40 miles. there is no
point to be blockaded until Batabano is
reached. This port is distant only about for
ty miles from Havana by rail and is be-
lieved to have been the principal source of
food supplies for the Spanish capital. For
mil Of ole
Frances, the western edge of the blockaded
territory, there are no >.Orts for deep YES
sells of any considerable draft, and even if
they were, the country in the interior,
Pinar del Rio, is in the hands of the in
surgents and supplies cannot be sent
through to Havana. The purpose of extend
ing the blockade westward to Cape Frances
was to command the channel between the
west side of the Isle of Pines and Cape
Frances, and thus render much easier the
task of blockading vessels.
The reports which have reached the Pres
ident as to the exact state of affairs in Ha-
vana are conflicting, in some cases the
town was declared to be on the verge of
starvation; in others, food supplies were
said to be still abundant. AS a matter of
fact the truth probably lies between these
extremes, and while supplies of a certain
character are very scarce in Havana there
is no lack of others. 1t is known, for in
stance, that while flour may be scarce,
large quantities of beef have reached Ha-
Vana. Most of this has come from Mexico,
and it has usually been brought over to the
Isle of Pines and then transhipped in light
draft boats to Batabano, whence 1t is car
ried by railroad into Havana. Only day
or two ago word reached here that 800 head
of cattle were rounded up at point on the
Mexican coast near Yucatan waiting trans
portation to Cuba. There has been no run
ming of the blockade by these cattle ships
Notwithstanding the Spanish stories to the
contrary; all the ships that reached Cuban
ports with supplies have done so at places
not within the blockade, such as Batabano
and ManZanilo.
BOSTON TO LOSE HER PATROL
The vessels for the additional blockade
service will be supplied almost entirely from
the patrol fleet which, under Commodore
Howell, has been guarding the North At
lantic coast, from Maine to South Carolina
This service has been abandoned. because
the only available Spanish war ships are
with Admiral CamaTa, thousands of miles
away from the nearest point on the Atlantic
coast. The vessels are already on their
way southwark, having been reinforced by
several of the new torpedo boats. which are
particularly adapted because of their light
draft for blockade duty In the shallow WA
ters lying behind the Isle of Pines and
Cuba.
The blockade of San Juan proclaimed to-
day is in reality already in effect. having
been initiated by Captain Sigsbee last week
when he turned back from that port a Brit
ish steamer laden with supplies. The diff
Guilty of maintaining the blockade at this
port, in the face of the Spanish forts and
three Spanish war vessels in the harbor
would be considerable had not Captain
Sigsbee. by disabling the only formidable
one Of these vessels. made the task easier
AS it is, the character of vessels required
TO maintain the blockade at San Juan nee
essarily must be of a type superior 10 the
ships required for the blockade on the
southern coast of Cuba. Probably some
such vessels as the Detroit or the Mont
gcmery will be assigned TO the task.
In defeating the Terror, Captain Sigsbee
has rendered a most important service TO
our navy. and, indeed, TO all navies. He
has not only deprived Sampsons fleet OF