The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-06-10
CAPE VERDE ISLANDS.
Tot q Convenient Rendezvous fol-
the Spanish Fleet of
Warships.


Warships.
There has been much argument il
many places of the question: Is it pos
sible fer Spain to conceal from this
country the movements of her fleet a,
the Cape Verde islands? And has sh'
such control of the cable lines as to ex
ercise censorship over everything SEN
from Cape Verde?
The Cape Verde islands lie off tn,
west coast of Africa, about 800 miller
from the mainland. They take thei
name from Cape Verde, which is the
extreme western point of the African
coast. These islands, as we'll as the set
Element at Cape Verde, belong to the
French, with but few English-speaking
residents. The islands are rocky and
mountainous and with tropical vegeta.
ton. A great fishing industry is car
ried on there by the French, and COM
munication with the mainland is made
by small fishing boats and occasional!
steamers. Some of the islands are also
used as coaling stations by the French
and for steamers in the West African
trade. They are dangerous for naviga,
ton of large vessels, and would be es-
pecially so to war vessels that were at
tempting to blockade or dislodge yes.
sells lying inside the bays and reefs.
It is not possible to obtain correct
cable advices from the Cape Verde is.
lands direct, because all such communi.
cations have to be first conveyed by
boat, either a small sailing boat OF
steamer, to Cape Verde, at which point
on the African coast the cable station
is located. The Western Cable & Tel
egraph company operates its line from
Cape Town, South Africa, to London.
via Lisbon and Paris. The submarine
cable is laid from Table Bay (Cape
TOWN. to Mossamedes, point on the
west coast of Africa, thence direct
across the Gulf of Guinea to Cape Verde
lighthouse, thence on to Las Palmas
(Teneriffe), Madeira ana Lisbon.
Steamers of the Union and Castle
lines do not touch at these islands, but
going south they invaria bly, make Cape
Verde light and signal their number
and destination, which is Immediately
cabled to London and Cape Town. Nc
| doubt the Spanish authorities were in
constant communication with the feet
at Cape Verde islands and would have
| established a means for quick service
between the islands and the mainland
but it is highly proba BILE that, in the
| absence of official information through
London, the advice of the sailing of the
| Spanish fleet from Cape Verde was the
| result of a story circulated by some OF
the French fishermen plying between
| the islands and the mainland, who
might have seen some of the boats al
| practice and thought they were under
| way for the westward.
Under the conditions that prevail it is
hardly likely that Spain would have
made the Cape Verde islands rendez.
vous for base of supplies, being in
| the first place so far south of where
they would strike if coming westward
thus increasing the distance from Cuba
| by being in the widest parallels OF
| longitude.
In the event of the Spanish end of the
| cable being closed against information
to this government, it would be a
simple matter to obtain correct infor.
nation regarding the Spanish fleet al
the Cape Verde islands through Cape
Town via the Eastern Cable company's
system, which goes by way of Alden
Suez canal and the Mediterranean sea
The agents of the steamship lines from
| England to Cape Town, located at Ma.
| deira and Ten eriffe, would be able to
give accurate information about the
Spanish fleet, as they are necessarily
close in touch with the French and
Portuguese boatmen who ply between
| those islands, and who are dependent
almost entirely on the steamship agents
for their living.
In view of the dangers to naviga ton
among those islands, it is to be hoped
| our squadron will not be enticed across
the Atlantic in order to drive the Span.
ish fleet out. The Cape Verde islands
are dangerous and treacherous.-Cin
cinnati Commercial Tribune.
American Philanthropy.
A remarkable testimonial to the &C.
tivity of private philanthropy in the
| United States is contained in the forth
coming annual volume of "Appleton's
Cyclopedia," edited by Rossiter John.
son, which sets forth the figures of be.
quests made for public purposes in the
United States in 1897. The figures ex-