The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-09
President Mckinley Unwilling to
Risk the Danger of Losing Any of
the Cruisers or Battle Ships.
DISPOSITION OF PRISONERS
CERVERA AND HIS OFFICERS TO BE
SENT TO ANNAPOLIS.
Enlisted Men of the AdmiraI's Fleet
to he Confined in the Prison on
seavis Island, Portsmouth.

WASHINGTON, July s-Conditions at
Santiago are regarded as favorable just
now, according to the following dispatch
received from General Shafter this morn
ing:
Camp Near Santiago. July 7.-Perfeet
quiet to-day. AT the request of the
Spanish general. employees of the English
Gable Company were sent in to him to tele-
graph his government as to surrendering.
Men in good spirits. and making them
selves more secure every hour Wounds
are much less dangerous than similar
wounds made with caliber As. Among the
large number of wounded there are few am
putations. Perhaps ten will cover it. Gen
eral health Of the command is good. One
hundred and fifty cases of fever, which
runs its course in four or five days, but is
not serious. 1 am feeling much better"
Nothing more came from him during the
day. but the impression prevails that the
spaniards are in desperate plight within
the lines of the city, and General Skaters
action in allowing Linares to communicate
freely with Madrid is an Implication that
there is at least reasonable hope that the
Spanish general contemplates a surrender.
However that may be, every preparation is
making for a great engagement, the final
one at Santiago. it is hoped, which may be-
gin as early as tomorrow If Skaters re-
inforcements are on hand. The department
has not heard so far of the arrival of these
soldiers. but believes they have reached
Shafter.
The greatest difficulty that las been en-
countered is in the landing OF troops and
supplies. This being the hurricane season,
and the wind setting straight on .he south
ern coast. the masters of the transports
have become alarmed and taken their ships
many miles out to sea, necessitating long
journeys by the ships boats. which make
their landings through the surf with the
greatest difficulty and danger. SO slow and
tedious has been the service under the
conditions that Secretary Algerahas ordered
General Shafter to seize the transports, one
and all, and place them as near the coast
as he chooses without regard to the fears OF
their masters. Ten days ago lighters were
started down from Mobile and Tampa, but
so far General Shafter has received only
one These lighters have been a nightmare
to the department ever since. The captains
tie up in creeks at the slightest sign of bad
weather, while the charter rate of 800
day runs on. Orders have been sent for
ward TO terminate this state of things, even
If it is necessary to lose a few lighters in
the effort to reach Shafter.
General Shafter and Admiral Sampson
had a conference day before yesterday and
as a result the fleet is going to make
other try at the Notifications at the mouth
of the harbor tomorrow. If the army is
ready this will partake of the nature of a
general attack; if not then the navy's ac-
tion will be simply in the line of execution
of a policy of reducing Santiago by stages,
m 10
While cooperating as far as possible with
the army, the navy is not to be sacrificed
In this attack upon the Spanish forts. The
dropping of a six-ineh shell from on high
through the deck of the Indiana three days
ago during the trifling engagements with
the forts when the Mercedes was sunk,
strikingly verified the predictions of naval
experts as to the dangerous effect of ele-
waited fire on war ships at close range. 1t
was more by good luck than by good man
agement that the Indiana escaped destruc-
tion or an awful loss of life from this one
shell.
The President is determined that the
navy shall not be sacrificed for a small
stake such as Santiago. To his Cabinet Of
ficers he has pointed out the extremely dam
gerous position that the United States would
occupy among nations if left exposed by the
loss Of its navy. the arm of the service
which mas evoked the unwilling admiration
and respect of the greatest powers of Eu-
rope. Without navy or at least without
the steel bulldogs that make up its back
bone now lying before Santiago. it might
be concluded that we should no longer be
as safe as we feel ourselves to be at pres
ent from the arbitrary interference of Euro
pean powers in the settlement of our diff
culties with Spain.
The function of the navy in to-morrow's
attack will be to help the army in the as
sault when it shall come to the final stage
by entering the harbor. but this will be
done only after the Notifications at the en-
trance have been reduced and the way
cleared. 1t is gathered here that this was
the conclusion reached at the conference
between Shafter and Sampson Sampson re-
ported briefly just after the conference but
the department has not been able to COM
municate with him since and 1t is feared
that wire troubles exist that will prove en-
barrassing at this iuncture. Shafter has said
nothing about a forward movement on his
part, leaving the conclusion plain that he
waits the reinforcements.
The War Department was advised to-
night that during a severe storm off the
coast Of Cuba eleven lighters en- route to
Santiago In tow of tugs were swamped and
lost So far as known no lives were taken.
The lighters were from Mobile, New Or
leans and Charleston and were intended for
the use OF General Shafter In transferring
supplies and ordnance from the transports
to shore. Their need was essential 10 the
prompt forwarding OF all military nee
assaries TO the front before Santiago The