The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-13
WAR SCARE A FAKH|
Maine Not Ordered to Havana
and General Lee Has Not
Asked for Help.

WASHINGTON, Jan 1S, 1SsS.-U. s.
Consul General Lee has reported to the
State Department from Havana under
date of yesterday the facts connected
with the rioting there yesterday. While
the State Department officials do not
divulge the text of the despatch, it is
said that it corroborates generally the
newspaper reports on the subject. Ac-
cording to General Lees report the dis
turbance had been quelled for the time
being, but he was apprehensive of another
outbreak at any moment.
Nothing has been heard from the Con-
sui General today, so it is assumed at the
State Department that the situation re-
mains unchanged in Havana. General
Lee did not ask to have a warship sent
to Havana and in the opinion of the
State Department officials that is sufti-
cient reason for the assumption that there
is no occasion for sending one. The Off
cials are evidently not apprehensive OF
any trouble in the immediate future that
will require the forcible intervention of
our Government. The disquieting feature
of the situation is the horrible condition
of the poor in Cuba.
According to General Lees advice no
less than 100000 people on the island are
in the last stages of destitution and are
wholly dependent upon charity. To feed
these people ten cent rate per day would
cost $4,000 daily, which sum is double the
amount so far received in contributions
during the past ten days by the State De-
partment
In the opinion of General Lee no less
than 20 per cent. of these poor people are
surely doomed to death from starvation
and disease. In such a state of affairs
the existence Of any form Of organized
government is threatened and the autono-
my plans of the Spanish government COM
mand little attention
The naval authorities here maintain
their serenity notwithstanding many ru-
mors of radical action, such as the dis
patch of war ships to Havana and like
stories.
Secretary Long was asked whether any
of the American, ships had been ordered
to be ready to sail for Havana. He re
piled that while he could not discuss the
matter he would say that he had not
made any change in the orders to the
battleship Maine, now lying at Key
West
Inquiry developed the fact that the
Names last orders were to go out for tar
get practice and upon falling in with the
North Atlantic squadron to attach her
self Although there is no expectation at
the Navy Department of any trouble just
now, still in case 1t should occur the navy
and West Indian waters than it has been
in the past ten years. AT Key West there
is the second class battleship Maine and
the cruiser Marblehead, at Jacksonville
the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius, at st.
kits is the Annapolis, and at Guada-
loupe the Wilmington. The Detroit is on
the way from Cape Haytien to Key West,
where she is now du. The Marblehead is
at Port Tampa, Fla.
She suffered the injury of four men
yesterday at target practice. She has
been wired to remain at Key West instead
of sailing for Havana, according to orig
inal orders.
This naval force is made up, with one
exception the Maine, of unarmored but
1t will be powerfully reinforced, how
ever, in a few days by the North At
lantic Squadron, under Admiral Sicard
composed of heavily arTnored vessels the
most powerful fleet that the United States
has had together in many years. The
vessels of the squadron are now distrib-
uted as folloWs:-
The flagship New York and battleships
Iowa and Indiana, in Hampton Roads
the battleships Massachusetts and Texas
at New York. The former are to sail or
two are to leave New York Saturday and
Sunday, respectively, falling in with an6
joining the squadron on the southern drill
grounds off the Chesapeake Capes.
1t is authoritatively stated at the Navy
Department that this southern move
ment of the squadron is in no degree at
tributable to troubles in Havana, but
that the movement is a part of the pro-
gramme for winter manoeuvres of the
squadron prepared by tile Navy Depart
ment months ago after consultation with
Admiral Sicard and Captain Taylor anC
duly announced through the daily press
at the time. In support of this statement
is issued the following itinerary of the
squadrons movements, prepared long age
and not changed since in any respect
The programme of exercises of the
North Atlantic squadron during the win
ter of 1898 is as follows:
Leave Hampton Roads Jan. Is; passage
to Tortugas, four and one-half days, Jan
20 small arms target practice, Jan. %
three days; to drill grounds Jan. "a, one
day; moving sub-calibre practice Jan. q
two days. moving target practice Jan
80, six days. squadron evolutions Feb. s
six days, excluding Sunday; return te
Turtugas Feb. 10. one day; coaling ter
working days and two Sundays, Feb. %
exercise boat flotilla Feb 81, four days
squadron evolutions March 6, nine days
one Sunday intervening; return to Tortu-
gas March 10; coaling six working days
and one Sunday; squadron evolutions L
drill grounds to- Hampton Roads, foui
days arriving there April 4.
Senator Cannon of Utah presented the
following resolution in the Senate today
and il was adopted
.Resolved, That the President is re-
ouested, if in his opinion it is not incom-
patible with the public interest, to trans
NIT to the Senate at his earliest conven-
ience a statement showing what measures
island of Cuba and in waters contiguous
thereto, to protect the lives, liberty and
property of American citizens now dwell
ing in Cuba. ~