The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-28
STAINS SLIPPERY SQUADRON
IT IS AND TT IS NOT AT SANTIAGO
 DE CUBA.

Any Definite News of the Exact Loca-
 ton of Cevera's Ships and Reports
 from Various Sources Conf1ict-BIanco
 Says the Spanish Vessels Are at santi-
 ago-Advices From West Indies by
 Way of London Say the Spanish Ad-
 mtraI Has Not Been Located.
 Washington, May 27.-The military situation as at present determined by
 those in authority is to make no for
 ward movement of troops either upon
 Porto Rico or Cuba until definite in-
 formation is received as to the location
 of the Spanish squadron. The interval
 prior to an aggressive movement will
 be employed in seasoning the men.
 Steps have been taken to secure early
 information as to whether Admiral
 Cervera's squadron is inside Santiago
 harbor, and whether the American squadron has such advantage of posi-
 tion outside the harbor as to make the escape of the Spaniards practically im-
 possible. For the last few days army
 circles have shared public belief that the Spanish ships were trapped in San tiago harbor, and that has given impe- tus to arrangements by which large
 bodies of troops at Chickamauga and
 elsewhere might be moved forth with
 rapidity to Tampa for authorization. of ,s.,%,r
 ports in Florida waters answered to the question that a movement on a large scale was about to occur.
 Unless the navy department secures some direct and official information re- specting the Spanish and the American fleets within the next twenty-four hours through the aid of the West In
 dian cab1es,eit will resort to the use of
 dispatch boats. It can be again af- firmed on the highest authority that at the close of the day the department
 had nothing more than a belief, found- ed on unofficial advices, that the Span- ish squadron was lying in Santiago harbor and no news as to Commodore
 Schleys whereabouts. However, the great majority of the officials of the navy department entertain no doubt that Cervera Is within Santiago har-
 bor, and they have impressed this be- lief upon the president and the cabinet. The reports from the newspaper dis
 patch boats as to the movements of Sampson's and Schley's squadrons dur ing the past week are very mystifying even to the naval officers here, and one of them called attention to a statement coming from the West Indies that twelve war vessels were seen for a short time off Cienfuegos on Wednes- day This, he thought, was Schley' $ flying squadron, and in that case the commodore could scarcely have cover ed the distance between Cienfuegos and Santiago with a slow moving fleet of ironclads in less than two days.
 London, May 2S.-A dispatch to the Financial News from Kingston, Jamai- ca, says that the master of the schoon- CT Jane, which has arrived there, re- ports having picked up a yawl con- taining two reconcentrados who had es- capped from Santiago de Cuba. He says that they told him that Admiral Ger vera's squadron was in the harbor that the vessels were coaled and victualled, and were ready to sail when the Cadiz squadron arrives next week and breaks the blockade"
 Chicago, May 27-A private cable to the Associated Press from a reliable person in Port Au Prince, Hayti, dated May 25, asserts that he had positive in formation that at that time Admiral Cervera's fleet was in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba.
 London, May 2S-A dispatch to the Daily Telegraph from Kingston says: "Despite the most energetic search, the whereabouts of the Spanish Cape Verde squadron remains unknown to the American authorities. On Thursday last Cervera was reported to be at San tiago de Cuba and Schley left Key West for that port. The next morning I learned where the squadron was bound and was enabled to follow aboard the British ship Premier. Since then we have been engaged in a fruitless search for the Spaniards in the gulf and the Caribbean sea. Monday morning we came up with the American warships off Cienfugos and learned that Com modore Schley believed that Admiral Cervera was in the Cienfuegos harbor, but owing to the nature of the port it was impossible to learn from the sea whether this report was true or not. "The topmasts of three or four light ships could be seen in the harbor over the promontory, which holds the en-
 rance. and it was believed that these were the Vizcaya and other cruisers 1nder Cervera. Tuesday evening the
 Cuban insurgents sent a boat with pos
 tive information that the Spanish fleet
 was not in Cienfugos harbor, and just
 after sunset Commodore Sehley' s
 squadron sailed away southeast, bound
 for Santiago de Cuba. We followed,
 and despite heavy gale kept in touch
 with the squadron until four o'clock
 Wednesday,. A severe rain squall then
 hd the vessels and when it cleared we