Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-11
DESPERATE STRAITS
Condition of spaniards in Santiago
DeplOrable Beyond Description.
CAN HOLD OUT BUTFA LITTLE LONGER
Will Surrender Internationally When Their
Honor is INDICATED,
STARVATION SHARES ARMY IN THE FACE
STARVATION STAREs ARMY IN THE FACE
Water Supply is Nearly Exhausted and Dons
Pray for Rain.
EXCELLENT WORK OF THE RED CROSS
Clara barton and Her Assistants Are
Ministering Angel Among the
Wounded American Soldiers
and the Refugees.

Copyright. 1898, by Press Publishing Coz
MAJOR GENERAL SKATERS HEAD
QUARTERS BEFORE SANTIAGO DE
CUBA. July 9.-(Via Port Antonio, Jamaica,
July 10.)-(New York World Cablegram-
Special Telegram -General Toral will soon
surrender Internationally. Deserters and
prisoners report that this is inevitable and
that the surrender will be made as soon
as General Toral thinks he can take the
action with honor. General Toral offered
today to capitulate IL he were permitted to
take his artillery and march his force in
safety to Holquin, 100 miles to the west of
Santiago. In answer General Shafter
briefly repeated his ultimatum: "Uncon-
ditional surrender"
Today General Toral informed General
Shafter he was willing to leave his artillery
in the city il his men could retain their
rifles and march to Holquin.
General Shafter and his aides expect that
tomorrow General Toral will ask only that
his officers be allowed to retain their side
arms and that his men, disarmed, be per-
mitted to march to Holauin. 1t is ascer-
tained that when tomorrow will come
General Shafter will again, repeat 'uncon-
ditional surrender
Every day that passes greatly strengthens
the Americans position without helping
the Spaniards. No further measure OF de-
Tense is left to Toral; he has exhausted
all his resources. He may construct more
mines In the closest approaches-to the city
and IN the very streets, but his mines can
easily be avoided or countermined by artil-
lery. Prisoners and deserters report that
Ioral has thrown UP harricades in the
streets and is turning the houses on the
street corners into temporary forts as
strong as be can make them. But the
bhsilsh cable operators who were admitted
to the city so that Toral might consult with
Madrid by cable declare the Spaniards
cannot possibly hold out foc a week longer.
Spaninrds Pray f1r Rain. :
Inc Spaniards, they say. re praying for
rain; the wells and ~cisterns which supplied
water since the water pipes running into
the city were cut are exhausted. So close
were the Spaniards to starvation that bis
cults were selling for S. a pound. Deserters
say the ,SDaniards have never recovered
from the fierceness of the attack on July /.
Unwilling to call the American soldiers
brutes they call them fools.
The pigs charged up the hill like fools, -
say the Spaniards. They're madmen i'm
peciies. They don't know what LANCER is"
outside the city six Of our batteries are
IN such position as to necessi;ate Toral's
uhcohd,tiona surrender. The hills which
hahk sahuago are occupied by artillery
placed behind sandbags and bomb proofs.
The United States field mortars are ex-
tremely well placed and must do great ex-
eout'oh' Inc American lines have been
pushed forward on the tanks so that the
central Spanish trenches will be nearly in a
crosshre. Said General SKATERS principal
aiue To-Day: Whatever damage they do us
when we open fire on them we can kill every
one or Them Admiral Sampson is sending
ashore his raEid-fre guns to add to the
ueadliness of the land bombardment.
On July I these deaths occurred in the
field hospital:
SILAS A. ENGART, private. Troon T.
nIst United States cavalry (Roosevelts
Rough Riders).
PATRICK o'CoNNoR, private. Companv
d, Seventh United States infantry.
On July s.:
B. SCHWARTZ, private. First
United States cavalry.
On July 8:
NOAH PRINCE, private. Troop s. Ninth
United States cavalry.
only fifty -four sick and wounded men re-
main in the hospital. They are oonvalesclng
Shd unless there are unexpected complica-
lions all should recover.
General Linares' wound Is healing. There
IS no yellow fever among the United States
troops.
Slnrh Bnrton's Good Work,
cara Barton's Red Cross physicians and
nurses are doing noble work. The army
surgeons say they would scarcely be able
10 properly attend the wounded without the
aid OF the Red Cross, Miss Barton is of in
valuable service, too. in attending to the
feeding of the refugees from Santiago, for
General shafter is kept busy furnishing sup
plies to his W men and the Cuban soldiers.
The spirit of the men in the trenches is
improving daily. 1t never was low, except
In the case of the Seventy first volunteers,
whose soldiers bitterly accuse several Off
GERS of cowardlce under fire. A thorough in
Vestigation of the conduct OF these officers