The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-04


 President and They Hope to Rush Troops to Shafter SO That He VIII Have From 32 ,OOO to 35 1000 Men Under His Control Within the Next Ten Days Information That Santiago Has Been Literally Torn to Pieces General Li- mares Seriously Wounded-It is Ap- parent That Both Sides Have Suffered Terribly.
 Washington,J July The dispatch from General Shafter speaks for itself and as Adjutant General Corbin said, tells what a desperate fight our gallant | troops have been in. It was received at noon to-day after Hull of nearly thirty-six hours in the official informa- tion from the field. At first when it became known that the American com mander had reported the defenses so | strong that it would be impossible to carry them by storm with his present force, there was momentarily wave of l deep apprehension. But it was not shared by the military authorities here All their energies, all their attention was | turned to meeting the situation as pre- sented by General Shafter. There was neither time nor disposition to take ac- count of what had gone before, when the fact was plain that the American army had fought it's way inch by inch under blazing sun through a dense tropical vegetation, steadily advancing and beating back the foe, taking posi- tion after position until, as General Shafter reported the town was invested on the north and east by long drawn out line of American troops.
 Time for Action.
 It was a time for action, for rein forcements and toward the execution of this end every effort of the admin istration was at once turned. The American army was not alone feeling the effect of these three days fighting. Information is at hand that Santiago has been literally torn to pieces and that in the wreck and ruin of demolish- ed buildings the Spanish casualties number fully 1000. This was a fitting offset to any qualms raised by the re- ports from the American lines This information came from one of the for eign consuls stationed at Santiago, who reported to the representative of his country in Washington the fearful havoc within the city wrought by the American army and the feet
 The Distress of Santiago.
 The distress of the city, even before the battle, was clearly shown by the action of this consul of serving out ra- tions of one-half pound daily to his fel- low countrymen, a few hundred in number, for the last month. Evidently there was no food to buy; the Spanish military forces had taken every avail able pound; only by his official dis tribution of rations to the foreign col only could they be kept from starva- tion. Then came the brief but graphic 1. recital of the terrible effect of the American attack from land and sea- The bursting shells had done the great est damage inside of the city. Build ings were riddled with rife shot and mown down with the huge shells and solid projectiles from tie ships.
 General Linares Wounded.
 Most serious of all, the Spanish com- mander, General Linares, occupying a , place similar to that of General Shafter in the American army, was seriously 1 wounded. This last fact had been grudgingly admitted from Madrid, but the report reaching here left no room for doubt as to the seriousness of this feature. With it was the further fact that the Spanish casualties, even be- hind entrenchments, ran up to a thou sand, and was equal to that of the fear less men who fought in the open.
 Each Side Suffers Terribly.
 With all the light furnished on the situation. official and unofficial, direct and indirect, 1t Is apparent that each side had suffered terribly, with now a period of lull for those in responsibility to measure their conditions, bury their dead, care for their wonded and pre- pare for the grave copf1ict yet to come.
 santtago's Wrecked Condition. | With Santiago partially wrecked the condition there is desperate, even criti- cal. There is little likelihood of any Spanish sorties in force under such condition, but the possibility opens that the Spanish garrison may seek relief by evacuating the city and re- tiring to the mountain paths to the north. But the American plan Is for offensive, vigorous action. Gen. Miles says 50,000 troops, if needs be, will move on Santiago, if more is needed, then it will be 75,000. The lesson of Santiago has served only to enkindle a greater earnestness throughout every avenue of official life at the national capital and there is deep set determination to meet heroic conditions with heroic measures.
 Following the receipt of General Shafter's telegram there was a hurried , war conference at the White house | Secretary Alger accompanied by Gen. , eral Corbin reached there a few min- utes before 1 o'clock and were imme- diately closeted with the president Secretary Alger brought the ShafteI ] dispatch with him and also a map and 1 other data necessary for the meeting which was to take place. General Cor bin was with the president and secre- | tary for few minutes and then hur- ] ried back to the war department, where he made public such portions of Gen. | hoe .'- foh