The San Francisco call., 1898-07-06

joined in a request to him to put off the shelling of the city for another brief period, until their respective colonies could be removed This accounts for the departure of the foreign warships from Santiago harbor, as they are bear ing away the foreign residents in the period before the bombardment begins. The activity of the Consuls at Santiago has led to no diplomatic complication which has reached the State Depart ment thus far and the authorities here believe that nothing will develop.
 The State Department to-day took occasion to dispel some of the Spanish illusions over the escape of Admiral Cervera's fleet. It seems that Madrid is not alone in the belief that the fleet made a handsome sortie from Santiago and left the American ships far in the rear.
 To-day a cabIegram came from United States Minister Lunis, at Cara cas, saying the Spanish residents there were glorifying the naval victory. The Minister was informed briefly that Ger vera's fleet had been destroyed, the admiral made a prisoner, and that Gen eral Shafter had demanded the surren- der of the city.
 The definite official report which reached here to-day that the Spanish fleet had entered the Suez canal made no change in the plans of the Navy De- partment as to sending Commodore .Watson's squadron to the coast of Spain. Secretary Long said 1t would start at the earliest possible moment. but he did not care to give the day of departure.
 The annihilation of the Spanish fleet continues to be an absorbing topic among naval officials, and they are gIv- ing most generous praise to Commodore Schley for the flashing manner in which he destroyed the fleet, when the immediate command fell to his lot. The commodOres friends have long pre- dicted that if he got an opportunity he would render good account of the fighting ability of the American navy, and they are glad the opportunity was finally reached.
 It is perhaps the greatest achieve ment in a long line with which Commo- dore Schley's name has been associated. others including the relief of the Gree
 
 mand of the Baltimore at Valparaiso as a result of a mob attack on the American bluejackets.
 The Navy Department has no addi- tional details of the annihilation of the Spanish fleet, and 1t was said that the dispatches from Sampson and Watson giving the essential facts were not like ly to be followed by more minute de- tails except through the mail. Admiral Sampson was not present when the en- gagement began, and Commodore Wat sons dispatch of last night indicates that he had reached Santiago after the fight.
 In the absence of both Sampson and Watson, the direction of the fight would have fallen to Commodore Schley, and, being in the heat of the en- gagement on the flagship Brooklyn. it seems probable that he gave the sig nals by which the American ships maneuvered and selected their various points of attack The department off, cials feel the same sentiments of grati- tude for all the officers participating in the great battle, as it is felt that each of them contributed to the utmost ac- cording to the circumstances of his po- sition.
 The disposition of Admiral Cervera and the 1900 prisoners is receiving the attention of naval officers to-day, but no exact determination has yet been reached. Admiral Cervera will be treated with the consideration due his rank, and the department officials ex- press a sense of qualification that Lieu tenant Commander Wainwright show ed the gallantry characteristic of the American navy when he received the defeated admiral on board the cruiser Gloucester and rendered him the use of his cabin.