Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-06-30
WAR NEWS OF THE WEEK.
Commodore watson to Sail with q
Fleet For spain's Coast.


Commodore watson to Sail with q
Fleet For Spain's Coast.
Washington. June 30.-On Thursday
of last week came the news OF the
landing OF General Skaters full force
at Baiquiri. u miles from Santiago,
which was accomplished without the
loss of man and with little or no re-
sistance on the part of the Spaniards,
the landing being protected by our
warships. Two hundred Americans
and so Cubans had a skirmish inland
with $50 Spaniards. The enemy's flight
was shameful. Sixty Spaniards were
killed and 16 wounded. besides 16 being
captured, including one officer. The
Cuban-American loss was two killed
and three wounded. President Nc
Kinley's nephews, j. D. Barber and j.
F. Mckinley, have entered the army
as privates in an Ohio regiment. Eff
forts were made to have them made
second lieutenants, but the president
declined to use his authority in placing
relatives above trained soldiers. An
other expedition. 1000 men, left New
port News on the cruiser Yale to join
Skaters army. All non-combatants
who have been captured on Spanish
vessels during the war are to be turn
ed over to the French and German am
bassadors. who will send them to
Spain. Arrangements have been per-
fected for promptly forwarding mail
to our soldiers in Cuba.
On Friday there was some desperate
fighting within five miles of Santiago,
resulting in victory for our troops,
though is of our men were killed and
so wounded or missing. The Spanish
loss was much heavier Roosevelt's
rough riders played brilliant part in
the fight, and left half dozen of their
number dead on the field. Among the
killed in that regiment was Sergeant
Hamilton Fish, Jr., a grandson of the
late Hamilton Fish, who was secretary
of state in Grants cabinet. Secretary
Long wrote a letter of thanks to Naval
Lieutenant Victor Blue, who at great
risk exemined Santiago harbor and
located Cervera's fleet. 1t was an
nounced that if Admiral Camaras
Spanish fleet should enter the Suez
canal, en- route for Manila, number
of our warships would at once cross
the Atlantic and lombard Spain's prin-
cipal ports. The Spanish cortes dis
solved without the customary cheers
for the throne
On Saturday it was announced that
the capture of Havana will be made by
at least $4,000 troops. The movement
will be in the nature of a peaceful
siege, which will end in the fall of the
citadel. There is still one cable con-
Meeting Cuba with the outside world
Senior CASTELAR,, the great Spanish re-
publican leader, is quoted as saying
that Santiagos fall will mean Spain
collapse. Three or four hundred of la
soldiers encamped at Mobile are in the
guard houses for riotous conduct. Off
Gals at Washington highly praise the
bravery of the Americans in attacking
q superior force of Spaniards, am
pushed in the thickets near Santiago.
Sundays dispatches gave fuller de-
tails of the fight near Santiago and
in Washington the department officials
were busy perfecting plans to hasten
reinforcements to General Shafter.
Three thousand more troops left Fort
Monroe. Fifteen regiments at Chicka-
manga, including the Fourth and Six
teenth Pennsylvania, are under orders
to prepare for actual service, and 1t is
believed they are to be sent to Cuba.
The great news of Monday was the
definite announcement that Commodore
Watson had been ordered to sail at once
for Admiral SIMPSONS squadron off
Santiago. Thence he will proceed at
once with a fleet and attack Spain's
ports. The vessels of Commodore Wat
sons squadron will be the flagship
Newark, cruisers Yosemite, Yankee and
Dixie, battleships Oregon and Iowa and
golfers Scendia and Abarendo. It is
probable that the fleet will leave about
July A. The captured Spanish prizes
at Key West were sold by auction, and
all brought good prices. The steamer
Argonauta was bid in by the govern
ment for ST. 900, and will be used as a
transport.
The dispatches of Thursday inform
ed us that our troops have made
further advance toward Santiago, with
no opposition from the Spanish forces.
Generals Lawton, Chaffee and Wheeler
have thoroughly recOnnoitered the
Spanish, the latter climbing tree to
get a better view. The gallant ex-
Confederate is 81 years old. Spanish
pacificos who have surrendered to our
troops in the hope of obtaining food
tell of great restitution in Santiago.
All the meager supplies are being held
for the troops, who are on short ra-
tons, and the people are starving. The
pacificos declare that 10000 Spanish
soldiers have arrived at Santiago since
the American advance began. The
auxiliary cruiser st. Paul was attacked
by Spanish unprotected cruiser and
the torpedo boat destroyer Terror off
San Juan, Porto Rico. The St. Paul
hit the Terror three times, killing one
officer and two men and wounding sew
eral others. The Terror was towed in
by the cruiser. wholly disabled. The
st. Paul did not follow, fearing the
Spanish forts. The Egyptian govern
ment refused to permit Camara's
squadron to coal at Cadiz. General
Merritt left San Francisco to assume
his new duties as military governor of
the Philippines. General Gomez, Of the
Cuban insurgent army, is sadly in need
of arms, ammunition, food and medi-
cine. The war department discourages
the sending of de1icacies to the soldiers
as inimical to health.