Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-07-28
PORTO RICO EXPEDITION.
Early News May be Expected from
Gen. Miles in Command
of the Troops.
HURRYIRG UP The RElNF0RCEMENTS.
Gen. Brooke to Sail In Day or Two, and
the Remainder of the Troops to Follow
Immediately-Unruly War COrrespon-
dents BanIshed from the Army-P1ans
Carried Out.


Carried Out.
WASHINGTON, July est was said
at the war department late yesterday
that no news could be expected from
any official source as to Gen. Miles
movements until to-day at the earliest.
1t is calculated that he arrived last
night at the point on the coast of
Porto Rico selected as the rendezvous
for all the vessels of the expedition.
Whether or not he will undertake
to make a landing in advance of
the arrival of the whole expedition
probably will depend entirely
upon conditions as he finds them.
Should there be no Spanish force, or at
most an inconsiderable one on the
coast, the troops will be landed to re-
ieve them from the disastrous effects
of being confined closely on shipboard
under tropical sun.
Hurrying Up the Remainder of the Expe-
dItion.
Meanwhile the department is MAX
ing every effort to hurry along the re-
mainder of the expedition. Some
troops are now on their way from
Tampa and Charleston, and should
reach Porto Rico by the middle of the
week. Naval officers are assisting
actively in getting the troops off, and
were engaged in sending the necessary
orders to that end to the commanders
of the naval auxiliary vessels which
have been placed at the service of the
war department.
VIII Sail in Day Two.
In the course of a day or two the
troops brought from Chickamauga by
Gen. Brooke will sail from Hampton
Roads, where they have been arriving
all day, and are ready for the trans
ports. There is 4 probability that
Gen. Miles may be delayed for several
days in his landing operations for lack
of lighters, but several of these are
now on their way, and others will be
hurried forward as rapidly as possible.
However it may be as to speedy land
ing on Porto Rico soil, it will be well
along towards the end of this week be-
fore the active land campaign can be
begun in Porto Rico.
Gen. shafter Reported by Cable Yesterday
Santiago was rapidly improving, and
said he hoped in the course of a day or
two to have them all located in COM
Portable camps, where they may rest
and recuperate and where the sick
may recover. He is feeding IL 900 of
the Spanish prisoners of war, and al
though he has not yet been able to
furnish them tents, yet this deficiency
is being made good, and meanwhile
their present condition is no worse in
this respect than was their condition
before the surrender. The general
makes no mention of the alleged letter
from Garcia to himself, nor does he
speak of any friction between them,
whence the department has come to
doubt the authenticity of published
stories on these subjects.
Some Light Thrown Upon the Difficulties
of a War Correspondent.
In his report to the war department
relative to conditions at Santiago, Gen.
Shafter has thrown some light upon
the difficulties in which certain of the
newspaper correspondents there have
involved themselves From his report
it would appear that, animated by an
ambition to take prominent part in
the important events following each
other in rapid succession at Santiago
after the initiation of the nego-
tiations for the surrender of
the city few of the correspondents
were guilty of grave breaches of mill
tary law, necessitating prompt cor
receive action by Gen. Shafter. Thus,
for instance, one correspondent, in his
efforts to take part in the flag raising
over the city hall, resisted the mill
tary officers in the execution of their
duty and even attempted a personal
assault upon the commanding general
This made him subject to summary
and severe punishment, even death,
yet Gen. Shafter, probably realizing
that ignorance of military law was the
explanation of the action, contented
himself with expelling that CORE
spondent from Cuba.
Might Have Led to RIoting and Blood
shed.
A more serious offense, from the fact
that it might easily have led to rioting
and loss of life, was that of three other
correspondents who, it appears by Gen.
Skaters report, by circulating inflam-
matory posters, stirred up the town.
They were likewise deported, and as
evidence that he has no ill-feeling to-
wards the papers represented by
them, but desires only to exer-
else such control as is imPere-
lively demanded in the interest of
safety of our troops and protection
of the people under their care, Gen.
Shafter has declared that these CORE
respondents may be Immediately re-
placed by others from the same news
paper who will observe the rules of
prudence.
DIgnIfed but WatchfuI.
In a very dignified manner Gen.
Shafter takes notice of some of the
severely critical newspaper articles
that have appeared, touching the con-
dition of the troops before Santiago
while they lay in the trenches. He
admits that there was a shortage of
tobacco for a time, but shows conclu-
sively that there was no lack of the
necessaries of life, and that the troops
were adequately supplied with hard
bread, bacon, sugar and coffee. AL
though this bill of fare is not as extern
sive as that afforded troops in garri-
son, it embodies the main features of
the army ration while on field service.
An Active Correspondents.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 25.-The
document which is being circulated for
signature among Cuban residents in
Santiago addressed to the president of