The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-06-25
some IMPORTANT NEWS.
The Transport Fleet with Gen.
Skaters Army on Board Ar
rived Safely Off Santiago.
DIRECT CABLE SERVICE NOW Open.
Guantanamo Bay Through Key West
Gen. Blanco Is Thus Cut on from Com.
munication with Madrid Except
Through American Censorship.

WASHINGTON, June 22.-There was
important news at the war department
when Secretary Alger reached his
office. The transports, with Is, 600
troops, he was informed, had arrived
safely off Santiago, and that direct
cable communication had been eStab-
lished between the United States and
Guantanamo, where the United States
marines now hold possession of Cuban
soil. Thus not only is Capt.-Gen. Blaneo
cut off from any communication with
the outside world save through the
Key West cables, within our control,
but the authorities in Washington have
been placed IN close connection with
our forces, army and navy. which are
conducting the invasion of Cuba.
To Gen. Greeley and his signal corps
belongs the honor of achieving this
last feat.
He was intrusted, some weeks ago,
with the task of re-establishing cable
and Geographic communication with
Cuba. Under his supervision Lieut.
Col. James III. Allen, of Gen. Miles
staff, with officers and men of the sig
nal corps, have been busily engaged in
the execution of that work. The French
Cable Co., whose cable runs from San
tiago to Guantanamo bay, and thence
to Cape Haytien, where a direct con-
n~ection is obtained with New York,
was accorded the privilege of restoring
this communication with Guam
tanamo and Santiago, with permission
to send commercial and domestic dis
patches under a strict military ce1sor-
ship, necessitated by war conditions.
The cable steame Mancel vas em
ployed for the work, and operating on
these lines communication was re-
stored between Cape Haytien and
Guantanamo about three o'clock Mon
day afternoon.
The first message over this restored
cable was one from Lieut.-Col. Allen
TO Gen. Greeley, announcing the re-
opening of communication.
Gen. Greedy Immediately directed
the officer to obtain and forward the
earliest possible advices as to the ar.
rival of the United States troop trans
ports. Lieut.-Col. Allen applied to
Capt. McCalia, in command of the
United States forces in Guantanamo
bay.
The captain in turn sem out a boat
to Admiral Simpsons squadron, which
returned with the news that the trans
ports had arrived safely and were lying
off Santiago, and that at the moment
of the report Gen. Shafter, command
ing the military expedition, was on
board the flagship New York counsel
ing with Admiral Sampson respecting
the landing of the troops. The news
was particularly grateful to Secretary
Alger, who, besides his official interest
in the safe arrival of the expedition,
has a natural oDcern for the welfare
of his son, an inspector on Gen. Shat
ser'S staff.
The vessels that have arrived off Sam
tiago, with the troops on board of each,
according to the data supplied to the
war department by Gen. Shafter, num-
bered, with the convoy, 40 vessels, and
is the most numerous fleet that ever left
the waters of the United States for a
foreign country. 1t is expected here that
the transports will remain off Sam
tiago, or perhaps nearer the exact
landing point of the troops, until San
tiago has been captured, when they
will take aboard the greater part of
the invading army, if they can be
spared from that locality, and convey
the troops to Porto Rico, to effect the
capture of tina island.