The herald., 1898-06-04
SIGSBFE WAS CERTAIN
THAT THE SHIPS HE SAW WE'RE
SPANISH
THREE WERE lying AT ANCHOR
So He Was Sure That the Fourth Was
Hidden Somewhere Near
at Hand
Press Special Wire

NEW YORK, June 4.-If the slightest
semblance of doubt has been entertained
by members of the war board and the
authorities of the navy department as to
the precise location of the Spanish fleet,
it was entirely removed, says the WASH
ington correspondent of the Tribune, by
the receipt of important information direct
from Capt. Sigsbee of the auxiliary cruis-
er St. Paul. who came on Immediately after
reporting his arrival at New York to Adj
miral Bunce, and communicated to Secre-
tary Long advices from Admiral Sampson
and Commodore Schley, both of whom he
left a few days ago, the former then on his
way through the Windward passage, and
the latter holding tight the Spanish vessels
behind the outer defenses of Santiago.
Perhaps no officer of the navy is more
familiar with the type of cruisers now at
Santiago than the former commander of
the Maine and, having seen three of them
lying at anchor in the last four days, he
is positive that the fourth is there as well.
The last occasion that Capt. Sigsbee met
the Vizcaya was in Havana harbor, where
she lay not two cable lengths from the
Maine, and while there Capt. Sigsbee not
cnly carefully noted her qualities and type,
but secured drawings and accurate descrip
tions of the warship He has impaired to
Secretary Long the experiences of the st.
Paul and of Commodore Schley's squad
ron in trapping the Spanish admiral al
Santiago Capt. Sigsbee does not take full
credit for having discovered the ships first,
but says that both he and Commodore
Schley saw them about the same time, and
that as his signals went up to the flag
ma foo hot ba had
sighted two of the ships, Commodore
Schleys were run up, communicating the
same information to him.
For six days Captain Sigsbee and the st.
Paul lay off the harbor expecting nightly
TO be attacked by the Spanish torpedo boat
destroyers. With his running lights doused
and all side lights out, he cruised off and
on about fifteen miles from the shore un-
der darkened skies and with steam at low
pressure. The use of searchlights to sight
any torpedo boat that might be lurking
around ready to attack the ship would have
revealed his presence to the Spaniards at
Santiago and this was what the captain
did not wish them to learn. With every op-
portunity of attacking him, the two thirty
knot destroyers remained in the harbor all
the time and Captain Sigsbee accounts for
this conduct on their part as due to the de-
sire of the Spanish admiral not to permit
his presence to be known.
Commodore Schley has established an
effective blockade of the port before the st.
Paul steamed away. On leaving Santiago
Captain Sigsbee made for Mole st. Mich
oas and from there crused to the west I'M
til he met Admiral Sampson from whom he
received dispatches for the secretary of the
navy. The next move of the st. Paul will
be probably in the direction of Porto Rico
and as soon as she is coaled and provisioned
Captain Sigsbee says he will sail again. He
leaves here today for New York and will
probably pass out of Sandy Hook with his
vessel Sunday or Monday.
The junction of Admiral Sampson's squad
ron with that already blockadng Eantago
under Commodore Schley seems, according
to Captain Sigsbee's calcula tions, to have
been effected on Wednesday. The presence
of SO many heavily armored American
ships off the harbor in which Admiral Ger
vera's cruisers have ax,n refuge is taken
here to indicate purpose on the part of the
commander Of the American fleet to re-
duce Santiago at once, by a naval assault,
rather than wait for the tedious co-opera-
ton of the land forces dispatched, or about
TO be ulspatcneu from tampa. Ii is argued
here with some force that siege operations
against Santiago from the land side, would,
on account of the rugged character of the
surrounding country, involve insuperable
obstacles. and that the ordinary field artil-
lery of the besieging forces would be no
match for the guns of the Spanish men-of.
war inside the harbor.
The general expectation in naval and mill
;r fbot
bined American squadrons will renew or
have already renewed the attack on the
outer works with a view to forcing an en-
trance into the bay and compelling the
Spanish warships to accept battle at close