The Red Cloud chief., 1898-07-01
WATSONGOESTOSPALN
ORDERED TO TAKE AN AR
MORED FLEET.
The Newark as the Flagship, with the
Battieships Iowa and Oregon and Three
Auxiliary Cruiscrs-Navy Makes This
announcement In an Omciai Bulletin.

WASHINGTON, June es.-The navy de-
partment at 1l:l5 o'clock posted the
following bulletin:
Commodore Watson sails to-day in
the Newark to join Sampson, when he
will take under his command an ar
mored squadron with cruisers and pro.
coed ut once off the Spanish coast
Later the Navy department issued q
second bulletin, showing the ships to
be placed under Commodore Watson's
command. The ships named are us
follows:
Flagship Newark. battlcships Iowa
and Oregon, cruisers Yosemite. Yankee
and Dixie and the Golfers Scandal,
Abarcnda and Alexander. The adj.
vance will be made at once from San
tiago.
Admiral Camara's fleet, now reported
at Port Said, is closely watched. The
reports which have come to this
government about Camara's force show
that he has sixteen vessels under his
command, armorclads, u%uarmorcd
cruisers, troop ships and auxiliary
cruisers. When the vessels left Cadiz
they scattered in two divisions, eleven
ships proceeding through the Straits
Of Gibraltar to C%artagena and the
others to some unknown destination.
supposed to be the Canarics. Three of
the five vessels of the second division
had troops on board. Later informa.
ton shows hat these five, or as many
more which were waiting at Carta-
gcna, are now with the main force,
and hat several of the vessels are
carrying soldiers.
BY some it is thought that the Navy
departments bulletin may be for the
purpose of influencing the movement
Of Camara. With an American flect
bound Spainward, it is deemed i'm
probable that Camara would continue
on his way East, granting that he eve
intended to go to the Philippines, Ha-
wall or San Francisco, as has been
variously conjectured.
BY sending Commodore Watson To-
harass the Spanish coast the navy
starts upon a most aggressive cam
paign. The nouncement that the
Spanish coast is to be attacked caused
a thrill of excitement to sweep through
the Navy department. II is said hat
the blockade at Havana and Santiago
will not suffer by the withdrawal of n
flying squadron.
The sailing Of the Cadiz fleet to Ma
Mia relieves the New England coast of
further fright, and the vessels doing
patrol duty along the northern coast
l,,,, L,an .,,lnral tDr,;nin thn ll,~ly-
aiding fleet at Havana. 1t is believed
that as soon as Spain hears their coast
is to be attacked orders will be sent t.
stop the Cadiz feet and recall Admiral
Camara to Cadiz.
The official announcement of the i'm
~tention of the United States to attack
Spain is the most daring incident of
the war, and shows that all talk of
peace is idle speculation. The squad
ron will sail at once.
Commodore John Crittendcn Watson
is well fitted to perform the duties of
his new assignment. He was Farra.
CUTS flag lieutenant at 10 and was in
all Farragut's fights from the capture
of New Orleans to Mobile bay. In the
last named fight young Watson AS
sisted in lashing the admiral to the
rigging of the Hartford.
Since the close of the wal Commo-
dore Watson has served on board of or
commanded ships of our navy in all
parts of the world. In 1893, when Adj
miral Benham with the United States
fleet defed the entire Brazilian navy
in the harbor of Rio and opened the
commerce of that port to the world,
Commodore Watson was in command
of Bcnham's flagship and was also the
chief of staff of the fleet. In the same
year he was the commander of the
: warships sent to Bluefields on account
of the trouble with Nicaragua. More
recently the commodore has been gov
crnor of the naval home.
Commodore Watson is Kentucky
born and "a years old. He is a grand
son Of John j. C~rittenden and a nephew
of Thomas l.. Crittcnden, the staff of
fcer who, on the field of Buena Vista
made the famous response TO Santa
Ana, "'General Taylor never surren
ders." Commodore Watson has trans
ferred his flag from the Cincinnati t.
the dispatch boat Dolphin and is nov
issuing his orders from that craft.