Evening star., 1898-06-22

war OF Navy departments from zen.
Shafter or Admiral Sampson.
A regiment and a battalion Of
troops from Camp Alger left this
morning to reinforce Gen. Shafter
snd more will follow at once.
The third military expedition to
the Philippines will sail next Mon
day. Gen. Merritt will probably ac-
company it.
Secretary Alger went over to the Navy
Department about noon today and had a
long talk with Secretary Long, after which
the TWO war secretaries went to the White
House. This led to report that definite
word had come from Admiral Sampson or
General Shafter concerning the landing of
troops at Santiago de Cuba. officials would
not verify the report, however and on the
contrary 1T was positively stated that
neither the War nor the Navy Department
had received any dispatches from the COM
manders-in-chief up to that time
Cessation of Cable Communications
Some surprise was expressed at the Navy
and War Departments today at the delay
in the receipt of reports from the newly
established cable station on the shores of
Guantanamo bay since the first communi-
cation of last evening announcing that it
mad been opened up for business The
cable now being in the hands of the French
Gable Company, the War Department Off
Gals, although in a measure controlling its
business through the censor, would not be
ADVISED as quickly as the company's agents
OF the exact state of affairs there. 1t is
known that cables hastily prepared under
such conditions govern the re-establish-
ment of communication at Guantanamo are
subject to considerable derangement
through the slightest causes and it has
been suspected that some interruption has
occurred of a temporary character. Never
theless the officials say that they have no
reason to expect any detailed reports at
the present from either Sampson or Shaf-
ter Those officers know that the govern
ment has been advised of the arrival of the
transports off Santiago, and will naturally
wait before communicating further with
Washington until they have ACCOMPLISHED
something in the way of landing The i'm
preston is growing here that the operation
OF landing is going to be much more diff
cult ana tlme-consuming than was at first
supposed 1t is realized that the soldiers
Could be quickly disembarked but if the
conditions are such as to require artillery
support for the camps established, as is
suspected TO be the case, a considerable
delay must intervene before the guns can
be gotten ashore.
Medical Corps is Anxious
The medical authorities here are anxious
that soldiers should be landed at the
earliest possible moment and believe that
to effect this the commanders would be
justified in exposing the men to some con-
siderable degree of risk from attack rather
than to continue their confinement on
board the transports. The fact that the
animals taken along have suffered heavy
mortality is an Indication that the lot of
the troops cannot be very comfortable The
appearance of typhoid fever among the SOL
dters, as reported from Santiago is said
at medical headquarters to be due not to
conditions on the transports but to bad
water or food taken in Florida before the
transports embarked. 1t is manifesty i'm
possible from a medical point of view for
typhoid fever to develop within the short
space of time that the transports have
been at sea unless the germs were alb
sorbed some time before the vessels left
Tampa
Cervera's Rumored Dash.
In relation to the report that comes from
the squadron to the effect that Ceryera's
squadron is giving signs of an Indication
of making a desperate dash out of the en-
trance OF Santiago harbor, the naval Off
Gals here say that Sampson has undoubt-
edly done everything that prudence can
suggest 10 prevent the success of such a
movement. The fact that he did not allow
transports to join his squadron, but kept
them twenty miles off at sea- is proof
positive that he did not propose to subject
them TO possibilities of destruction at the
hands Of the Spanish torpedo boats should
one or more Of them manage to escape
from the harbor over the wreck of the
Merrimac- AS for the larger vessels the
Vizcaya. Oquendo. Colon and Maria
Teresa. the officials are confident that not
withstanding the reports from Spanish
sources that the Merrimac does not sue
cessfully block the channel, these vessels
cannot emerge without blowing up the
wreck. However, Sampson Is taking no
chances that can be avoided and now that
his squadron is so largely reinforced by
the seventeen warships that made up the
convoy which escorted the transports, it is
scarcely possible that even in the event
that the spanish should force the passage
they could escape destruction at the hands
of the American feet.
Gen. III. V. Boynton, who has Just re-
oeiyed his commission a brigadier gem
eral of volunteers. was at the War De-
partment this morning in conference with
the officials He will leave here Monday
for the campNat Chickamauga, where he
VIII report to Gen. Brooke. His duty will
bs under Maj. Gen. Wilson In connection
with the organization of the raw recruits
into perfectly drilled and equipped SOL
dicrs.
The Detention of Hobson.
Inasnuch Az the story is reiterated that
tho government has served notice on the
Spanish authorities that Cervera will be
haii personally responsible for the safety
Of lIobson and his men. 1t may be stated
positively that no sucn notice has been