Evening journal., 1898-07-22
NILES OFF AT LAST.
He Finally Starts After Many
False Alarms.
ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG CONVOY
BattIeships aud Cruisers GO with the
Expedition--Tw Two-tnirds of tIle Men
at Chickanasga VIII Proba-
bly, Co To- Porto Rico.
WAsHINGTON. InlY 22. i Generf

bly, Co to Porto Rico.
WASHINGTON July %. - General
Miles. leading tho military expedition
against Porto Rico. staxed at o'clock
yesterday afternoon from Slboney, Gu
ba. for the point on the island of Porto
Rico where IL IS the intention that the
troops shall land. It Is expected that
General Miles wiz wait al some ap-
pointed spot on the route for the expe-
ditions from Tampa, Newport News and
Charleston to fall into this column.
These expeditions are all under way,
some Of them with two or three days
start OF General Miles, so that the de-
lay should not be very great After all
the difficulty about the naval convoy
and the first conclusion OF the naval
authorities that none was necessary the
strength OF that now furnished Is sur
prising. There is a battleship OF the FIRST
class, the Massachusetts: an effective
protected cruiser, the Cincinnati, a
speedy and well armed gunboat. the
Annapolis, and four vessels of the aux
Hilary navy which have already proved
by their performances in Cuban waters
that they are fully equal to the ordi-
nary gunboats in offensive power. These
are the Gloucester. which distinguished
herself In the destruction of Cervera' s
squadron; the Wasp. which has attain
ed an enviable notoriety as a destroyer
of Spanish blockhouses; the Leyden.
which for time was the sole repre-
sentative OF United States power In Ha-
vana harbor, and the Dixie.
Secretary Alger believes that General
Miles on the Yale will arrive at his des-
tlnation Sunday morning with 5000 men
under his immediate command. A day
later will come 1900 men on transports
and the following day $500 more.
Whether the landing viii be deferred
until the arrival Of this entire force or
whether General Miles VIII take the in
itlative and hoist the flag himself on
Porto Rican soil is left 20 the discretion
of that officer 1t is the departments
determination that ne shall not lack for
troops or equipment. and this first expe-
dition may be followed by several others
as fast as the troops can be got ready
rnA word comes from the general that
he needs no more General Schwan's
brigade comprising the Fifth, the Slew
enth and the Nineteenth United States
infantry q splendid body OF trained
soldiers, sailed from. Tampa yesterday
to join General Miles. and II the Porto
Rican expedition is not an immediate
success 1t will not be for lack of dispo-
sltion in the war department to supply
every requisite.
Secretary Long said last night that
the preparations for the dispatch of
Watsons squadron to European waters
were going on erruptedly but that
the depai1ure necessarily would await
the movement Of the warships to Porto
Rico the Massachusetts and other ships
being required for copvoying the troops
TO Porto Rico. ThiB disposed Of a report
circulated during the day that the expe-
dition had been abandoned. II was felt
that the report was the more mischiev-
Gus at this time as Il indicated a pur-
pose to yield to the implied threats from
European sources that a European CO.
alition would result II the American
warships attacked the coast Of Spain.
Neither the state nor the navy depart
ment looks for any embarrassment from
European quarters outside OF Spain as
a result of the naval movement against
the Peninsula. During the day orders
wero sent - Norfolk to hurry forward
work On the colliers which are 20 ac-
company the Watson expedition.
Had the army tpoopships been able to
20 to Porto Rico without naval con-
voy, the Watson squadron could have
got away within the next few days, as
the war board had wished to close all
preliminaries by next Saturday. But
as the battleship Massachusetts,, cruls-
ers Columbia, Cincinnati. Dixie and
Yale, together with several lesser craft.
were considered necessary as a convoy
for tho Miles expedition, this changed
plans slightly.
The Dixie Is almost certain to be IN
the Watson squadron. and the Massa-
ohusetts Is likely 20 be. Secretary Long
expressly says, however. that the delay
OF the Watson squadron Ia incident to
conveying the troops to Porto Rico
and does not mean that the start will be
postponed until the Porto Rico opera
| tions are concluded.
The report from Barcelona that tho
| people were so fearful of the approach
| of the watson squadron that they were
urging France 20 establish a protector
/ ate over all the Catalonia district, in
/ Guiding Barcelona, was dismissed by Of
| ficials and by members Of the diplomat
/ &c corps best informed on the affairs Of
| France as fantastic speculation. quite
/ unwarranted by any actual movement
now on foot II Is said to be thoroughly
/ wel established that France Is not lend
I iuor n halpfnor hand fo Gpafp in onxf 90