Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-07-01
PUSHING FORW ARD.

Skaters Army Continues Its Ad-
vanSe on Santiago.
WITHIN THREE I rs, or TUE CHI.
Aooetion of TING kvd pu. nris a dss--
I Attack May Not Made for
Several Days Panish
Losses I.A
2 Washington, June 2p.-a Shafter
reports that at nine c'clocs Monday
flight the army was'West of IN Juan
river. within three miles of Vantage,
and In plain sight Of II e city. Hs, pos
4ition had just beer bandoned 3by the
ksiamy, and all is pspgressing weHs&
The Ameridsn Advance. %Assss
| Az the Front, olithe Rio Gua1ua, Per
Preis Dispatch Boat Wanda, Via Port
Antonio, Jamaica, June 2s-The AmerSs
loan front has been advanced beyond
The first crossing of theA Rio Guiana
1bout mile, and a tug lies three and a
half miles from the Spanish intrench-
Hnents. Gen. Lawton's brigade rests on
the road to Santiago de Cuba. The
Third brigade under Gen. Chaffee, the
Seventeenth, Twelfth and Seventh reg
lnents, holds the trench, with his COM
fnand lying across the road and river.
The First brigade, the Eighth, Twenty
second and Second Massachusetts, I'M
DER Gen. Evan Clarke, lies on the left
Hank, slightly in the rear, and the Sec
lond brigade, the First. Fourth and
Twenty-ffth, occupies the opposite POI
Alton on the right flank. Gen. Wheeler,
Myth the cavalry, is in the rear, between
'sevilla hills and the Rio Guiana, A
strong line of outposts is maintained
ahead.
Cubans Engaged.
Gen. Chaffee's brigade, with 5000 Gu.
bans, under Gen. Aguirra, and several
hundred, under Gen. Gonzales, was Skin
mishing towards the city Tuesday
morning. The Cubans had several
slight skirmishes with the Spaniards
stationed on the hills on the American
pied the blockhouses in that vicinity.
which were evacuated before daybreak
by the Spaniards. The latter retreated
towards Santiago de Cuba. No fatali-
ties are reported.
Have viewed the Land.
Gen. Lawton, Gen. Chaffee and Gen.
Wheeler have thoroughly reconnoitred
the Spanish position and, with the aid
Of information furnished by the Gu.
bans, have very gonasniaps of the roads
and Sasi@nses 81 the city. Much infor.
5d3tion has also been obtained from
Spanish pacificos, who have slipped out
of the city and given themselves up in
hope of getting food. They report great
starvation and distress in Santiago.
They say the Spanish troops are on
short rations, and that all the supplies
are being held for their use.
Spanish Losses.
The sick in the hospitals, the pacif1cos
say, are suffering from lack of food,
and they also report that n Spaniards
were killed and that 80 were wounded
as the result of the engagement on FRI
day last with Col Woods and Young's
mation obtained from the pacifcos is
that since the advance began almost
10000 Spanish soldiers have arrived at
Santiago de Cuba. This statement liz
made on the authority of Gen. Lawton,
and he is also of the opinion that Gen.
Pando may be able to effect june tion
with Gen. I.inares at Santiago de Cuba.
Spanish Defenses.
There are two forts Of considerable
importance within the Spanish lines,
Punta Blanco, at the southern end OF
the bay, and Santa Ursula, at the south
east corner. On the road to Caney, on
the north, is another fort. There are
about $50 men in each of these fortified.
tions, and stretching around the whole
oity are nine barbed wire fences sc
yards apart, while just inside there are
lines Of rifepits Outside, to the east.
ward, about two miles beyond the
American outposts, is line of in.
trenchments extending from the north.
ern extremity of the city to Moro cas-
tie. A little west Of south, at a dis.
tance of about seven miles from Gen,
Lawton's headquarters, lies Moro cas-
tie. The road to within few hun.
dred yards Of the batteries at the rear
OF Moro was reconnoitered on Tues.
day by Gen. Lawton and several mem
bers Of his staff.
Must Soon Fall.
The Cubans believe that If the water
supply of the city can be cut off. San
tiago will have to yield at once. They
say that Admiral Cervera's entire fee,
except the torpedo boat destroyer Ter
ror, is in the harbor General Lawto1
is inclined to discredit the report.
that guns have been taken from tn,
ships to strengthen the defenses OF
land. He says it would be impossible
for Admiral Cervera to reach the DO
sition of the American army with hi
big guns from where the Spanish ship
lie.
Noaggressirem move by the American
10 anticipated for several days TIL
road to the base of supplies must b
greatly improved before the onwar,
movement can be safely made.
spaniards Fail to Fight.
There were no alarms last night
Many OF our officers are amazed, a
they have looked for resistance to GU
advance. The ground over which the
have Travelled could have easily bee,
dsfended, but the Spanish have stead
w retired, not even attempting to har
rass our TANKS, as the columns move,
on through natural amhusnadin