Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-06-15
PORTO RICO EXPEDITION TO START
WITHOUT DELAY.
PREPARATIONS WELL ALONG.
FIFTEEN TRANSPORTS ALREADY
AVAILABLE FOR SERVICE.


'wASt1lNb1ONs June 44-I1aSluk StaIteu
the Santiago expedition, the war depart
ment has now concentrated all its energies
| on the preparation Of the force to be sent
to Porto Rico. Active movements In that
| line have been made ont scale 80 extern
sive as to lead to the supposition in some
quarters that the attack is to be directed
upon Havana, but II this is SO there is no
open indication Of it.
The volunteers collected at Chattanooga,
1900 in number. are reaching degree Of
excellence, under the magnificent manages
ment of General Brooke, that would WAR
rant the government in ordering them imS
mediately into active service, but, unfor.
tunately. there is still a considerable lacE
Of equipment that will not permit Of this; {
1t is expected that the seco1d inyadinl
force will leave from an At,Anticl cua.k
point within the next ten days. this timA
for Porto Rico. The details for this m0Yss
ment are approaching completion. There
are about fifteen transports already avail
able and the list viii be increased as rap
idly as possible. Some Of these may be
used for later expedition. but those on
hand and to be secured will readily &C.
reports from Porto Rico have indicattd
that the Spanish force there does not ex-
coed 1000 or 5000 men, also that 1t may be
deemed unnecessary to send q large army
OF occupation. Such as 1t Is, however, It
will have an important mission to perform,
and with this force pursuing an aggressive
campaign in Porto Rico. and General Shaf-
ter's 1900 men on Cuban soil, an abund-
ance Of stirring action IL assured from this
week forward.
The board appointed by Secretary Alger
to select suitable concentration point ON
the Atlantic-Gulf coast with view Of es-
tablishing point of embarkation for fu-
ture expeditions. returned to-day and Inn
mediately set about for q preparation Of
its report. The board visited Columbia,
Charleston and Summeryille in South Caro-
lima; Savannah, Brunswick and Augusta,
In Georgia, and Fernandina and Jackson
ville in Florida. 1t was . rush tour Of in
spection all through, and travelling by night
and inspecting by day, the board made its
rounds in eight days. The report will not
recommend specifically any one city. but
Will set forth the advantages and .disad-
vantages of each, In the matter Of sail-
road facilities. depth OF water for trans.
ports, camp grounds, water supply. sani-
tation, etc. =.
While no point will be recommended, 1t
is said that the report will make clear
the obvious advantage Of one or more Of
the cities, 30 that Secretary Alger can
readily make a selection. The depth of
the water in the harbors Is felt to be very
essential point for the transports, as well
as the conveys, would have. dimculty In
threading some Of the narrow, tortuous and
shallow harbors leading to the points Of
inspection. Jacksonville Is well thought
Of. but the depth Of water at the entrance
Of st. Johns river. which Is not much
more than fourteen feet between the jet
ties, is something Of drawback. AT Fer
nandina there is fifteen feet at the en-
trance, deepening to three and one-quarter
fathoms further up the channel. Savannah
has from eighteen to twenty feet and
Charleston about twenty-one feet at mean
low water. The members Of the board
will give no intimation as to the point they
regard most desirable.
When once the camp grounds are dese
ignated, there will be speedy action In get
ting the troops to the central point Tho
work thus far done In equipping the first
Cuban army has gone far to assist in the
preparation Of the forces still remaining In
Florida, SO that there will not be the delay
attending the first departure. Major Hop
kins said to-day that the board had an op-
portunity to see some Of the troops gath
cred at Jacksonville, and that they present.
ed q fine. soldierly appearance. There were
evidences that the work of equipping them
was proceeding rapidly and successfully.
There were eight regiments centered at
this point. Members Of the board saw Ma
jor General F1tzhugh Lee who Ii now at
Jacksonville with eight regiments, consti-
tuting the Seventh army corps"