The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-18
Efforts to Secure the Release of
Correspondents.
MILITARY OPERATIONS
SPANIARDS RIDICULE OUR EFF
FORTS TO REMOVE THEM.
Many Enemies of Spain Conscripted
BY Blanco-Consul iona Visited
Gomez and Made His Escape From
the Island-Fggs Ten Cents
Piece at Havana

Havana, May 17.-(Copyrighted, 1898.
by the Associated Press.)-Inquiries
made at the palace here show that
Captain General Blanco was unwilling
to receive Lieutenant Brainard, U. S.
N, the special agent of the government
Of the United States. in the matter Of
the proposal to exchange Spanish pris-
oners for the two newspaper men,
Messrs. Thrall and Jones, because the
general considered the lieutenant was
net. empowered with sufficient author
Hy. Therefore, he simply accepted the
documents presented by the lieutenant
ard consulted with the Spanish gov
eminent On the subject. The answer
from Madrid has not yet been received.
On Sunday morning, the day the rep
resentative of the United States gov
eminent arrived off this harbOr on
small steamer bearing a flag CT truce
there were five American vessels il
sight of Havana, and four of them
were in sight the same afternoon. II
addition. q vessel, supposed to be
Norwegian frigate, was in the oflins.
Yesterday morning there were five
American vessels in sight of this har
Dor.
All sorts Of war ru-nors are in cir
culatioE here from Spanish sources.
Among them, it is said, that number
of Americans in a boat recently trieG
to remove some Of the tOrpedCes at ths
entrance of Carderas bay whereupcn
one of the torpedOes exploded. Tbs
beat and its crew are alleged to have
been blown up. The report, however, is
not officially confirmed.
Another report has il that docu-
ments taken from the American CORE
in, he 1 20 fO
tress are in the possession OF Captain
General BlancO. Their money IS said
to have been deposited at the British
consulate.
Still another report says the women
and children killed during the bonn
bardment OF Cardenas by American
vessels were the wife and daughter of
one of the pilots of one of the American
ships.
The Spaniards say an American force
attempted TO make landing on May 13
at Tabla Aqua beach, and that after
two hours firing the Americans retired.
Three American warships are report
ed off MaTiel on Sunday, three were
sighted OFF Cardenas and there are some
American ships off Cienfuegos.
1t is announced at the palace that
Spanish force on Saturday last was en-
gagged at Chimbourazo. province of Ha-
vana, with combined force OF insur-
gents under the leadership of Maya,
Acea Cclezo and JacintO Hernandez.
The whole insurgent force is said to
have numbered 500 and it is alleged
that the enemy lost II men killed. The
Spanish loss is officially reported as
being two lieutenants and three sol
diers wounded.
The Norwegian steamer BTatsburg
arrived on Sunday at Sagua Ia Grande,
and will leave there on May is with
passengers for New York.
There are seven American warshipS in
sight off Havana this afternoon. and
rumOr has it that the Spanish fleet is
making fer an important port of the
United States.
The captain general of Porto Rico
has cabled to Captain General Blanco
saying that although the BON bardment
of San Juan de Porto Rico took place
at rifie-shot distance, not a gun of the
forts were siienced. and, he adds, the
Spanish losses were only is men
wounded among the troops composing
the garrison and = few persons wound
ed among the civil population OF the
place.
terday said: The American govern [
ment gave the Spanish government As
hours TO remove its troops from this
island and il now finds that after %
days of blockade that it cannot land
American troops. Apparently the is
land contains more soldiers than they
thought. Such a number could not be
in IS hours"