Evening star., 1898-07-06
PAUSE IN THE FIGHT
PAUSE IN THE FIGHT lCOLON CAPTURED
Awaiting the Conference Between Commodore Schey Effect
Sampson and Shafter. i've Pursuit of Her.
ARMY TOO WEAK TO ASSAULT SURRENDERED TO THE BROOKLYN
Navy Unwilling to Risk Fire of the Wrecks Along the Beach Resem
Batteries. Bile That of the Maine.
TROOPS THE sTEA1THY SORT1E
Awaiting the Conference Between
Sampson and Shafter.
ARMY TOO WEAK 10 ASSAULT
Navy Unwilling to Risk Fire of the
Batteries.
FORW WARDING MORE TROOPS

What the next move at Santiago is to be
depends at this moment entirely upon the
conference which has been ordered between
Admiral Sampson and General Shafter.
This conference had not taken place yes
terday, else it would have been mentioned
by General Shafter in the short dispatches
he sent this morning to the War Depart
ent. Besides, according to his own state
ment, the general is still unable to travel,
SO that of necessity Admiral Sampson must
go to Siboney to visit the general at his
headquarters. 1t will be remembered that
the admiral was on his way to Siboney
when the Spanish squadron made it's break
out Of the harbor and obliged him to turn
back. The result of the meeting between
the two high officers is waited with great
anxiety here, and if they fail to come to
an agreement as to the line of attack to
be adopted, 1t will be necessary for the
President himself, with the advice of his
cabinet as their superior officer, to forward
the necessary orders to the two COM
manders.
Waiting for the Other
The reason for the order to confer was
simple. Matters had reached that pass
when each side, army and navy, was wait
ing for the other to take up the attack on
the Spaniards, and neither side moved The
army felt that Sampson should come into
the harbor with his fleet and attack the
Spaniards in the rear. The navy thought
that the army should attack Moro Castle
from the rear, as well as Socapa and the
other powerful batteries, which would open
the gate and allow the feet to get in. The
most powerful of our battle shtps are as v,I-
nerable as an unarmored cruiser when at
tackled by fire from on high directed against
their decks. The naval officers saw that is
exactly the kind of fire to which the bat
tie ships would be exposed from MORO Cas-
tie, perched $50 feet up in the air. The ele
Vatlon also seems to make the place all
most secure from destruction by the guns
Oh our heet, which can be elevated only
sumcien1y to strike the old castle when
the shlps are several miles out at sea
30 the state of affairs Is. that the navy
ooes hot 1eei warranted in ordering the
almost certain sacrifice of one or more of
our pest ships, while the army feels that
II lacks strength singIe-h handed to attack
the Spahtards in their last stronghold In
santiago. There Is one middle course
which may be adopted, and probably will,
II Sampson and Shafter have not of them
selves agreed upon some other line of ac-
tlon. Ihat is, to maintain statu quo at
santiago until sufficient reinforcements can
reach Shafter to settle beyond question his
ability to take the town.
Forwarding Rcinforcement..
There was a rush to the Navy Depart
ment this morning to learn what ships were
available for these reinforcements. The St
PAU and the Columbia are ready to sail
at moments notice; the st. Louis left
Santiago yesterday bound northward and
the Harvard will follow her tomorrow
Ihese ships will convey 1900 or 5000 men
alone and there are other transports COM
ing. The ordnance department is hurried
ly engaged in getting together the artil-
iery needed for ithe additional troops and
the proportion of this artillery to the
troops Will be very much larger than was
the case with the first detachments.
No Attack fer several Days.
Opinion in well-posted official circles is
that Gen. Shafter will not make an attack
upon Santiago for several days He will
wait for whatever reinforcements he thinks
necessary. Some of the reinforcements, the
ma1cr part of them, will not get to Santiago
for four or five days.
The administration does not think there
is any reason to rush the attack, and has
probably given Gen. Shafter an intimation
Of this kind He will be more certain of
success with a greater force, and time will
ada to the chances that thu Spanish COM
mander may conclude to surrender.
This runs through official minds. Gem
eral Linares will undoubtedly bee come
aware OF the arrivals of bodies of rein
forcements and ought to see the hopeless.
ness of maintaining the struggle. Should
ne surrender, no more lives would be i'm
periled and affairs on the eastern end of
the island would be more quickly wound up
If Admiral Sampson succeeds in pushing
his fleet into the harbor, General Shafter
will not wait for reinforcements, but will
join the navy in what will be short fight.
disastrous to the Spaniards. This was de-
term1ned on yesterday.
Stories have been in circulation that
there would be no further fighting until
General Miles goes to Santiago to relieve
General Shafter, who is i'll, but these
stories are denied, and the best information
today Is that General Ehafter will finish
the campaign he began.