The record-union., 1898-05-19
WHERE is
ADMIRAL
CERVERA?
No Meeting Yet Between
the Hostile Fleets.
No knowledge of Whereabouts
OF the Spanlards.
Reports That They Have Arrived at
San Juan DiSCredited.
Detailed Story of the Recent Bomhardment
of San Juan de Porto Rico
FOrtifications by Samp-
sons Fleet.

WASHINGTON, May 1S.-There has
been no meeting yet between the hos
tile fleets in the neighborhood of Gu
ba. That was all that could be learned
to-day at the Navy Department. If
the Department is aware of the Ioca-
ton of the Spanish squadron it is care
fully concealing the fact BY this time.
supposing Schley to have gone south
ward, he should be somewhere off the
coast of Cuba, and it may be that he
has joined forces with Sampson. Naval
officers are hoping that the Spanish
squadron has really passed through
Mexico, for in that case there is
reasonable expectation that by COM
bined action on the part of Sampson
and Schley, one starting at the Wind
ward Passage and the Florida Straits,
and the other around the south of Gu
ba and coming to the Yucatan Straits
the Spaniards will be effectualIy
shared,
The officers of the department are
unable to account for the reports com
ing from several ports in the gulf and
the waters in the vicinity of Hayti
that there was heavy cannonading
Sunday in that vicinity, for there is
no report yet of an action. and no
ships are known to have been in the
localities named.
The safety of the Oregon is now
we'll nigh assured, and there is reason
to believe that the department was in
formed to-day that she had Joined
SIMPSONS fleet, though no official ad-
mission on this point has been made.
1t is believed that the big battIeship
left Bahia on the night of the 10th or
the morning of the 18th. The same av-
erage speed made on the way around
Cape Horn would place her in the
Windward Passage to-day If this be-
lief is well founded the department
will be relieved of a great load of ap-
prehension, and it will be able to pro-
coed at once to the prosecution of a
plan of campaign that was very de-
sirable but impossible of execution so
long as the safety Of the Oregon was
at stake.
NO NEWS OF SPANISH FLEET.
PORT AU PRINCE (HaytD, May 10
copyrighted, 1898, by the Associated
Press .-Nothing is known here of the
report from Plata, San Domingo, to the
effect that the Spanish Cape Verde
fleet, commanded by Admiral Cervera,
had arrived at Porto Rico. The latest
news which reached Port au Prince
concerning the Spanish warships sim
ply confirmed the report that they left
Curacao, Dutch West Indies, on Sun
day afternoon last for an unknown
destination after having taken on
board coal and provisions.
CAPE HAYTIEN (HaytD. Nav 49,
There is no news here of the Spanish
fleet, and nothing can be ascertained
in any way confirming the report from
Porto Plata, Santiago, that the Cape
Verde squadron had arrived at San
Juan de Porto Rico.
REPORT OF AN ENGAGEMENT.
LONDON, May 1S.-According to a
special dispatch from Havana pub
lished here to-day, there has been an
engagement off the port of Caibrien.
Santa Clara, and it is believed an
American landing party has been re-
pulsed.
SCHLEY'S SQUADRON.
CHICAGO, May 1S.-A special from
Key West says: Commodore Schley,
with his flying squadron, arrived here
to-day Dispatches from the Commo-
dore were sent ashore, and replies from
Washington were promptly delivered.