The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-26
EXPECTS A SIEGE.
General BIanco Getting Ready to De-
fend Havana City.

fend Havana City.
NEW YORK, March 25.-The Journals
Havana correspondent says: Blanco has en-
tered upon his final preliminary to war The
military council decided at it's meeting at
the palace to begin at once the construction
of sand works to cover the exposed guns
in the shore batteries. Some two hundred
men are digging sand from the old bed of
the Almendarez river for the battery pro-
tections. The contractors are under heavy
penalty to build works sufficiently high to
cover the guns within the period of fifteen
days, and circulars are out offering immedi-
ate employment to 1.4O0 men.
The batteries fence the coast on either
side of the harbor's entrance, east seven
miles to Cojimar, where the English landed
away back in colonial days, and on the west
out to Punta Bravo. These batteries to-
gether aggregate sixty guns or more, eight
of which are twelve and thirteen-inch rifles
of the Ordonnez-Armstrong pattern. Over
beyond Cabanas, at just what point no one
who knows will tell, is the great Ordonnez-
Armstrong gun which Krupp constructed
for the Spanish government. The authori-
ties locate this buried treasure about three
quarters of mile from Moro Castle. 1t is
not hidden so closely or so deeply that it is
not available for immediate use.
Battery Velazco, situated upon the sea-
coast, in the rear of Moro Castle, half a
mile to the eastward of the entrance to Ha-
vana bay, has three Krupp guns of twenty
eight centimeters caliber, and two Spanish
cannon of the latest improved Ordonnez
system, of 301a centimeters each.
Moro Castle contains but old bronze
guns. Cabanas fortress contains also bronze
guns of the last century.
The battery of La Punta, commanding the
entrance to Havana harbor contains three
modern Krupp guns of Is centimeters each.
One Of these points seward, another is
trained directly across the port entrance
toward MORO Castle, with a declination
which would bring within its range and
place to certain extent at it's mercy any
craft which might attempt forcible en-
trance to the harbor.
The battery of La Reina situated near
the sea, to the westward of the entrance to
Havana bay, upon the outskirts OF Havana.
at the termination of the st. Calyada de
Samlazro, is manned by two Krupp cannon
of Is centimeters caliber and three NOR
tars. La Reina battery is 371a meters above
The battery of Santa Clara is situated
upon the coast, near the road to Vedado, a
western suburb of Havana and a popular
watering place. It's battery is composed OF
three new krupp cannon of 28 centimeters
and one great OrdonneZ gun of 301a cent?
meters.
Punta Bravo battery. on the seashore,
about three hundred meters beyond that of
Santa Clara, was built about a year ago.
1t contains one OrdonneZ gun of 3012 cent?
meters, two new Krupps of Is centimeters
EACH and two motors.
ChOrrera fort, near the mouth of the AL
menGarez river, contains nothing more than
a single Maxim gun. The castle of the Prin-
cipe contains few old bronze cannon, for
which there is no ammunition. and three
modern Maxim guns, useful principally If
trained upon the coast line in preventing
the landing of an unfriendly force.
In the port of Havana the Spanish gov
eminent has not a ton of coal. Its war
ships have heretofore been fueled from the
limited deposit of the Spanish transatlantic
kept more than five hundred tons in stock.
Besides this, there are two small private
deposits, which, together, do not exceed
$500 TONS These deposits are owned by
joaquin Coello, a local Spanish merchant,
and the heirs of M. De Gamiz. of French
nationality.