Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-06-16
1t Is Now Lying Off Port
Tampa, Fla.
COMPRISES 16 BIG SH- -PS.
Is Fully Capable Of Protecting
the Transport Vessels.
INDIANA Is THE FLAGSHIP.
The Government is Fully Determined that
No Spanish Cruiser Shall be Given an
Opportunity to Capture Defenseless
Troop Ship.

Opportunity to Capture a Defenseless
Troop Ship.
Washington. June 11.-Another for
midable American fleet has assembled,
consisting 1G warships of various
classes, headed by the big battleship
Indiana, which for all round effective
ness stands at the head of the navy.
This fleet is assembled at Port Tampa
and is to serve as convoy for the
troop transports from that point. The
formation of this formidable convoy
fleet is due to the reports that Span
ish ships were lurking between Flor
ida and Cuba with view of inter-
cepting the troops transports. The
navy department has not given seri-
Gus credit to these reports, yet they
were more or less circumstantial. In
order to avoid the slightest possibility
of a dash by some Spanish ships
against the troop transports, this new
fleet of 16 warships was determined
upon.
Commodore Remey, naval COM
mander at Key West, has brought to-
gether this powerful feet of conveys.
1t is strong enough-both in num-
bers of ships, size of individual ships
anu NoI1t VIII ar
Spanish vessels that might be at large
in the West Indies, and it entirely eli
inmates any possible danger that
might attend the transporting of the
army of invasion to Cuba. Capt. Tay-
lor. who commands the Indiana, is
available as commander of this squad
ron, although it is not disclosed def
nitely who will be its chief
The Indiana rObD bIE will he tlaO-
ship of the convoy squadron. There
probably will be other battleships, but
it is not deemed advisable to give the
full list of the ships. The Indiana is
one of the most formidable ships
afloat.
The desirability of forming this
fleet was suggested by the fforma-
ton, coming through official chan
nels, that Spanish ships left Barce-
Iona some days ago, bound for Cuban
waters. This information came to the
state department. 1t was to the effect
that the ships included three Spanish
warships and one transport. The in
formation was regarded as trust
worthy. 1t was communicated to the
navy department and led to careful
consideration.
little later came the reports from
the ships off Florida that suspicious
looking vessels, with military tops,
had been seen in the otfing. These
last reports were received with some
credulity, but naval officers were dis
posed to dismiss them as myths. They
were treated lightly and some officials
spoke of the matter as another case
of the phantom ship Flying Dutch
man." But the better advised ones,
knowing of the reports as to the sail
ing of Spanish ships from Barcelona,
looked upon the matter as one which
should not be dismissed too lightly.
A single troop transport, carrying no
armor, might be at the mercy of some
stray Spanish ship, and there was no
purpose to hazard the lives of 1,500
men on any of our ships when reports
came from two widely separated
sources of the approach of Spanish
ships.
While it is ineXpedient to give the
exact makeup of the convoy fleet, yet
some general idea may be given of
the warships which might be drawn
upon for this service. There are a
number of ships which have been do
ing scout duty and others held in re-
serve while Commodore Watson's
blockading fleet in front of Havana
gives another source from which the
convoy fleet can be made up. The
fine auxiliary ships, like the Yale and
Harvard, with the torpedo boats,
could be used for scout duty, their
swiftness permitting them to go far
ahead as pickets for the approaching
fleet. The smaller cruisers, gunboats
and torpedo boats, are also available.
Some of the ships which could be used
with the Indiana are the Helena, Ban
croft, Marietta, Newport, Wilmington,
Castine, Cincinnati. Detroit, Mont
gomery, Annapolis, Nicksburg, Erics-
son. Dupont, Cushing and Foote.
Admiral Sampson will still have ten
or more ships, including the battle
ships Iowa. Texas, Massachusetts and
Oregon and the armored cruisers New
York and Brooklyn. The blockading
squadron will continue to have II or
more ships, including the four big
monitors, Puritan, Terror, Amphitrite
and Miantonomah. Besides the fleet
of 16 convoy vessels, there will be
from 30 to so transport ships, making
in all a remarkable tiotilia of trans
ports and naval conveys.
No Signs of Nov 'ment of Troops.
;,J-,