The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-08
x ! R A !!
WARS Off DAY.
No New Reports Of Fighting
at Any Point in
Cuba.
WASHINGTON VERY RETlCENT
Efforts to Conceal the Plans
of the Army So That the
Enemy. May Not Be
Prepared.
TRANSPORTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES
Navy Department Charters
a Whole Flotilla of
Steamships.
HAVANA ADMITS HEAVY LOSSES
But Spain Thinks She Came
Well Out of the Bombard-
ment at Santiago
HAVANA ADMITS HEAVY LOSSES
But Spain Thinks She Cam
Well Out of the lombard
ment at Santiago

WASHINGTON, July 8, ioSc--7<As9i7ee
Secretary Meiklejohn has chartered the
steamships Indiana, Morgan City ana
City of Para for transport OF troops 10
he Philippines; has closed CONTRACT LOT
The Victoria Olympia and Arizona OF the
Northern Pacific Steamship Line and Sc
cured the privilege of acquiring the Ia
roma ahd the Columbia If needed-al hve
On condition they are given an American
register. He has also ordered impressed
into service the Senator Queen and City
pf Puebla, sof the Pacific Coast Steamship
Company, if found satisfactory.
Secretary Alger this morning positively
aeclined to say whether or not the Unit
ed States troops had sailed yet from
Tampa for Cuba. He holds that, not
withstanding the bottling up of the Span
lsh squadron in Santiago, there are still
good and sufficient reasons why every
precaution should be adopted to prevent
the Spaniards from obtaining information
as to the departure of our troops, the
place selected for their debarkation and
the strength of the expedition
He was a good deal annoyed at the at
tempt of some of the newspapers to indi-
rate the very point selected for landing
The troops and siege guns in the neighbor-
hood of Santiago. If it is true that the
department had selected place where
there is a strong wharf upon which the
vessels may discharge the heavy siege
train directly. the publication of that
fact, if authenticated might very natur-
ally lead the Spaniards to destroy that
particular wharf and thus seriously ham
per the operations of the troops.
Careful inquiry at other places in the
War Department. where information as
10 the movement of troops might natur-
Ally be expected. developed the fact that
no word had yet come of the departure
Df the military expedition from Tampa.
AS the troops are under orders to go to
sea just as soon as they can be made
ready without further direction from the
Department, it is deemed probable that
they will get off some time during the day
and that notice to that effect will be the
next news received at the Department.
No further word from Admiral Samp-
son was received at the Navy Depart
ment. The bulletin made public by the
department last night In confirmation of
the press reports of the attack upon San
tiago last Monday is believed to be mere
ly a skeleton statement of Admiral Samp-
contained a good deal more information
than it was deemed prudent to oSmake
public.
OF course to protect the naval cipher the
matter published was paraphrase, and it
was said at the Department this morning
that the term used in the bulletin ISL
fenced works quickly without injury at
any time.'' was based upon statement
in the original despatch broad enough 10
indicate that the ships had sustained no
injuries and that there had been no cas-
ualties among the personnel Of the
American fleet.
Naval officers to-day expressed the belief
yfq1at about all of the force landed Monday
from Sampsons feet were marines, and
that their purpose was not SO much to take
military possession of the landing as per-
haps. to spike some guns and destroy some
batteries that might have been re-occu-
pied by the Spansards to advantage af-
ter the retirement of the American fleet
from the action One object of Admiral
sampson's attack which had escaped gen
eraI observation, though exceedingly i'm
portant, was pointed out at the Navy De-
partmenh. This was to prevent the Span
iaras from making a successful attempt
TO remove the obstruction Of the channel
caused by the wreck of the Merrdmac
Having silenced the forts at the en-
trance Of the harbor, which, while effec.
tive. obliged the American fefiet to liz
many, miles out; at sea to keep out OF
range Of their guns, Sampson will now
be able to place one or more Of his ships
close to the mouth of the bottle, where II
will lie in comparative safety and vel
be able to command easily with its guns
the wreck Of the Merrinac.
Neither the State Department nor any
of the foreign establishments here have
any information bearing out the state
ment of the Paris correspondent Of the
London STANDARD that France and
Russia are exchanging notes with 9
view to having questions arising from this
occupation Of the United States OF isl.
ands in Asiatic waters submitted to ar
fnternational congress. The State De
partment naturally would not be advised
Z any such negotiations were on foot bu'
NE foreign diplomats who would be like.
y to know of any such negotiations trea|
the matter as entirely fancif11l.
DIPLOMATIC officials here say tnat AZ
E,uYoDe Is dtiiescent ais to intervention
mediation, peace and al other question: