The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-03-22
SPAIN DEFIANT
SHE WILL REPEL ANY .DEMAND
FOR INDEMNITY

Buvfnp MISUNDERSTANDING Report of
Court in P~rosident's Hands-To Give
Spain Notice ofIntention of InterventIch
weyl.r's Prediction of the Maine DIsas.
ter.
the day in official circles was the issue
of an order for the formation of a new
squadron of naval vessels to be sta
toned at Hampton Roads. The squad
ron in the beginning will consist OF five
ships, all the best of their types. Two
of them, the battleships Massachusetts
and Texas, are withdrawn from the
present North Atlanti fleet at. Key
West and Tortugas. 1t would be a
grave mistake to suppose tina in order
ing this movement the navy depart
ment is animated by any purpose of
yielding to representations or intima-
tions that may have come from the
Spanish minister as to the mischief
caused by the gathering of so large a
naval force as Admiral Sicard's fleet
in the vicinity OF Cuba. On the con-
trary, the formation of the new squad
ron was brought about by purely stra-
getic considerations, altough it ap-
pears from the nature of the force SO
far under orders to rendezvous at
Hampton Roads, that this strategy is
of the defensive nature. The new
squadron cannot ibe called a flying
squadron" because the association of
heavy b~attleShips with fleet cruisers
like the Brooklyn, Columbia and Mime
-. 49, a,ya;InI 1n rnnn1 nf
the whole to. the speed of the slOwest
vessel, and the squadron could not do
much flying" in the naval sense. The
dicatiOn rather are that, when re-
inforced by some smaller cruisers, the
squadron viii constitute an ideal naval
defense. For the past two months in
fluences have been at work in the navy
department. to bring about this change,
and as a policy board, headed by Cap.
tain Crowninshield, has been in fire.
quent session of late at the depart
ment, it is believed that it ha en-
dorsed the plan at last. Although the
other ships to be added to the squad
ron have not yet been denitely select
ed. it is surmised hat they will in
clude some Of the other ba~ttlaships at
Key West and the armOred cruiser
New York, in which case Admiral 81
card, it is believed, will command the
lcW lOItt. Ill DloIC w NliC III To- 1NN'
York, the people of Key West will o
upon the grim outlines of the big mon
itor Puritan, supposedly the most pow
erful ship in smooth water in the whole
world. h will have to assist her on
guard the double-turreted monitor,
Miantonomah, and the monitor, Amphi-
trite. The Puritan is now at Norfolk
almost ready for sea. The Miantono-
NAH is at League island quite ready,
N nd ~ &c. tho "A ~, N it riff at port Row
al, s.. c.. So the order in the end will
result in the gathering Of the pick of
the North Atlantic squadron at Hamp-
ton Roads. The point is said to be the
best s~trategically on the Atlantic coast.
1t is almost centrally located and the
ships from that point can reach any
portion of the coast in short order,
which is regarded as desirable since
10 one can tell just where a f1otilla of
torpedo destroyers of a fast cruiser
may turn up with hostile intent to
attack a town. Beside, the secOnd best
navy-yards in The country is there to
fall back upon for repairs to the ships;
plenty of the best coal is at Newport
News, there is easy. water to navigate
and, finally, the forts at Hampton
Roads may serve as a base of opera
tiOns in case of need for protection.
These are the considerations which
animated the navy department in maxi
ing this new order. 1t is announced
that the commander of the new squad
ron has not yet been selected and,
pending that selection or the arrival
in port of Admiral Sicard, it is expected
that Captain Higginson, the command
er of the battleship Massachusetts, and
the senior officer, will hold the COM
mand of the squadron.
Remaining at Key West after the
departure Of the Massachusetts and
the Texas, Admiral Sicard will still
have a fleet of his own in numbers,
when the spectacle will be presented
of a fleet and a squadron on one sta
tion, something not seen since the
civil war.
The monitors, which it is designed
to send to Key West, are said to be
well fitted for the service. Owing to
their light draft of from fifteen to six
teen feet, they will be able to navigate
safely the shallow waters OF the Ffori-
da coast and will not be Obliged, like
the Iowa, to lie six miles out at sea
from Key West to secure enough We
ter under the keel.
The gunboa Helena reported to the
state department hat She had sailed
today from F~unchal, Madeira, for Key
West to join the squadron. 1T is now
said that 1T has been definitely deter
mined to bring the battleship Oregon.
around South America to Key West.
The navy department has issued or
ders that such trial as may be made of
the new torpedo boat, Rodgers, shall
take place while the boat is under way
Saturday next from Baltimore to Nor
folk. She also will go southwark to
join the f1otilla at Key West. The Co
1umbia and Minneapolis are still each
26O men short of their full quota, but
it Is expected that enough men will be
secured in the course OF a few days to
enable the ships to be sent to Hampton
Roads to execute the orders issued to-
day. The naval recruiting officers are
meeting with success at New Orleans.
Yesterday they secured forty men who
We're professionally fitted for the navy.
INTERVENTION WILL LEAD TO
WAR.
The semi-oficial statement given out
at Madrid advancing the governments
view that a demend for indemnity
biased on Spanish responsibility for the
Maine explosion would be Indignantly