Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-05-28
SAMPSON IS NOT AT KEY WEST
Tic Has Been Almost within Strik-
ing Distance of the Sp.E.
tsIl Fleet.

ish Fleet.
Washington, May 23.-Secrctary
Long wa not able to reach the white
house for The meeting of the cabinet
until the session was yearly over.
He was detained at the navy depart
ment receiving news Of the fleets and
giving orders to the board Of strategy.
The news of a battle is hourly cN'
pccted.
Information as 10 ships is carefully
guarded.
Senator Shoup of Idaho. who spent
some time with the president, el
pressed the belief that the reported ar
rival Of the Spanish fleet at Santiago
was true and that it might have the eff
feet Of bringing about an earlier close
Of the war than had been expected. lie
thought, however, the indications were
the war might last a year.
4 dispatch TO the New York journal,
sent out of Key West by carrier pigeon
10 avoid the censor. says:
Both big American squadrons are
here. Commodore Schley, with his fly
ing squadron, arrived Wednesday
Thursday in came Admiral Sampson
and his ships.
"a report came from Washington
hat Admiral Cervera aud his fleet hac
put in at Santiago de Cuba. There is
great hustle in the fleet. and evidently
arrangements are being made 10 sail
at once.
The rumor is that Schley viii take
The monitors and some of the smaller
cruisers to keep the Spaniards out OF
llavaua, while sampson takes the bat.
tleships aud larger cruisers TO chase
oervcra around the island.
Sampson brought the Indiana, Iowa,
Sew York. Terror. Amplitude, Detroit,
Nampatuck and Porter.
With Schley came the Massachusetts,,
Texas, Brooklyn and Scorpion.
Rear Admiral Samson has been given
authority to employ divers 10 clean the
bottoms of the men of war which were
With him before San Juan. If it proves
rue that the Spanish fleet is al Santa.
90 de Cuba he will defer this action.
If the report is true that Ceryera is
II Santiago de Cuba an immediate
noyement of the fighting squadron to
hat port will take place.
As a matter of fact Rear Admiral
;ampson's squadron is almost within
Sighting distance of the Spanish ships,
tiintings of this great fact have been
permitted to p%ercolatc through bar
riers that have been thrown around
,he navy department. 1t is admitted
by Il high officer of that branch of the
administration that golfers have been
sent TO the Windward passage with,
,oal for Sampson. 1t is thought thd
Oregon with her conSorts. having,
picked up the Harvard at st. Pierrei
Martinique, and having joined thd
Montgomery. 81. Paul and 81. Louis,
which were scouting i'm the Caribbean
sea, have joined forces with Sampson,
An effort 10 reconcile the report thai
Sampson is at Key West with the ne
acssity that he should be in the neigh.
Dor hood of the Windward passage fof
the purpose of cncountering the Caps
Verde fleet should il attempt TO sail
through Mona or Virgin passages tC
attack our %seacoast or to enter Santi-
ago or Cicnfuegos, meets with failure
The official presumption is that we
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ty-four hours.
Secretary Long confessed after leav-
ing the white house that he wa in.
clined 10 believe the newspaper reports
that the Spaniards are at Santiago.
Previously he had allowed the inn.
preston to go out that he placed nc
reliance in the dispatches.
When asked if he expected n meet
ing of the American and Spanish ships
Immediately, he shiftily observed that
1--WE ought TO have Encouragement in
two or three or four days. and then
%puckcrcd his lips significantly and hur.
ried away.