Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-05-14
|IHE SPANARDS ACTIVE.
Gen. Blanco Keeping His Men Busy
Building Earth Fortiications
Along the Cuban Coast.
ARE GOOD TARGETS FOR OUR GUNKERS.
Efforts to Establish Telegraphic Commu-
nicatIon Between All the Coast Block
Houses and Batteries by Way OF Prep
arntlon to Meet the Invasion They
Know Is Not Very Far on.

ON BOARD TIE DISPATCH BOAT KATE
SPENCER, OFF CARDENAs, May 9.-Nia
Key West, May 1O.-The Spanish sol
diers are displaying much activity
along the line of coast from Bahia
Honda, As miles west of Havana, to
Cardenas, 65 miles to the eastward. AS
the ships of the blockading fleet have
instructions to prevent the erection of
new fortitications, and have at various
points shelled working parties, the
task of engthcning existing de-
lenses and throwing up earthworlts is
carried on principally at night, save in
the immediate vicinity of.llavana.
The narrow escape of the Niclisburg
and Morrill,, on Saturday, when they
were decoyed within easy range of the
Santa Clara batteries, just west of
Moro castle, has taught some of the
unarmorcd ships lesson, and ii is not
likely that that class of boats will ven
ture within close range of the modern
high-power guns again, Along the
coast fresh sand batteries are being
thrown up almost every night, but
these works are of a tlimsy character,
and would be reduced by the fire of
the big guns in few minutes. The
officers of the blockading fleet believe
Capt. Zen. Blanco is wasting Il good
deal of energy in the erection of insig-
uiiicant shore batteries. The strength
cning of the more formidable works
about Havana is very different thing.
1t may be. however, by the erection OF
these light batteries, which must be
abandoned as soon as the serious work
of the fleet begins, Blanco puts heart
in his starving soldiers and imbues
them with the idea that Yankee in
vasion can be repelled at any point.
The Hornet and the Winslow, now
bloclSading Matanzas, have had live
ly time for several days shelling Span
ish details at work on batteries ant
telegraph lines outside of the cntranc,
OF the harbor. There as at othcl
points, most of the work is done n
night, and each morning sees fresl
earthworlls thrown up, like fresh ant
hills, against the rusty green of tn,
coast line.
On Sunday morning the Hornet foun
a party putting "A telegraph line fror
the lighthouse and signal station
mile east of Matanzls Is harbor, to th
battery west of Point SaLanilla, on TN
other side of the bay. The batterie
ashore are said to be of some mag
nitude, mounting n few high-poN
CT guns. TO stop this telegraph
activity. the Hornet steamed quietl
in and dropped Shell in the midst O
the worlimen. They scattered like raj
bits, and the line grounded then an
there. Several other telegraph pal
ties have been discovered in the san
. way at other points 1t Is CIV
IDENTIFY the intention of the span
ish to establish communicate
by wire with all their coast blocl
: houses and batteries, with view, po
. sibly, of massing troops and guns
g oppose landing whenever threatened
: However, they will probably carr
> their wires behind the first range {
t hills, where they will be less subject
sudden interruption.
= 1t is not possible that there al
o enough guns at the command of tt
n Spanish to mount them in all the saI
y batteries springing up, but as there
G railway from Havana to Matanha
l. quite close to the coast, the author
o ties may be deluding themselv
with the idea that they can transpo
= heavy guns to the batteries nearest t!
Q threatened landing point whcnev
a their watches telegraph the appea
e ance of the American troops off IL
II coast.