The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-28
The REAL CRISIS IS NEAR
The Present Week Should Be One If
Developments.
SANTIAGO IS SURE TO FALL SOON
City Has Been Well Fortified and n
stubborn Resistance May he
ENpected-Reinf

| Especial Dispatch to the New York Hera,o
London Times and The Houston Post
| copyrighted. 1898, by james Gordon Rem
| nett)
Washington. June 26.-All official Wash
'hg'on considers the real crisis of the war
is now near at hand and that the present
| week will be one OF the most important
| III 'he history of the pending strife San
| 'lago is sure TO fall at an early date and
with 1t must come the destruction or can
| ture of Admiral Cerveras fleet. The ex
act date when all of this will hannen c,,
not OF course, be safely predicted, but the
Joint work of Admiral SIMPSONS feet and
nenerai Skaters army during the present
week will, not indirectly complete. show
important strides toward a finish rho re.
sui'' whether 1t comes this week or next
the officials generally agree, will have an
important bearing upon the future of the
war, both as TO duration and plans of
operations. II may work revolution in
Spain resulting in foreign intervention for
peace, or Spain may voluntarily sue for
peace. On the other hand the scope Of
the general situation may be enlarged.
With Admiral Cerveras fleet disposed of
our fast formidable battleships and cruisers
VIII be available for formation into a fly
ing squadron for an attack upon Spain S
home ports This in turn may result in
Spain recalling Admiral Camaras fleet
now headed for the Philippines, for the
protection of her own coast, so any way
you look at it many important contingent
cies are at hand in the Developments at
Santiago within the next few days.
Army and navy officers who are familiar
with the topography of the country over
which General Shafter and his forces must
travel before they reach Santiago heights
are extremely cautious in making predic-
tons as to the date of the fall of Santiago.
The Spaniards have had ample time to sta
ton their detenses OF the city on the
heights and information on file at the
war department shows that they have forti
fed the hills surrounding the city so that
stubborn resistance may be expected San
tiago is not a walled city like Havana. but
nature have provided it with a range of
mountainous hills on which have been
erected earthworks fully equipped for de-
Tense of the city.
1t is believed that the Spaniards are pre-
pared to resist the onward march of GEN
eral Skaters forces from Sevilla and it
may be some days yet before the American
troops scale Santiago heights and get a
chance to take peep down into the har-
Dor and view for the first time the fleet
Of Admiral Cervera, providing Sampson
| does not destroy It in the meantime
While the forces OF Shafter are pressing
forward toward Santiago the 1000 Span
sh regulars and the recruits taken by the
| Spanish army recently, will doubtless en-
deavor to check the Americans and hold
| them at bay until the Spanish reinforce
ments at Holguin on the north and Man
zanillo on the west can be brought to the
rescue of the city. While there is not the
slightest reason to doubt the ability OF
General Shafter to take Santiago 1t can
hardly be accomplished without setbacSs,
and without loss OF some American lives.
II General Shafter has not force suffi-
cient to overcome the Spaniards. which
NAV soon be combined in the vicinity OF
Santiago, the president stands ready to
send him twenty and, II necessary, fifty
thousand additional men.