Evening star., 1898-05-19
That Spain Will Have Coaliug Sta
tion at st. Pierre.
RELIEF TO MANILA MORE LIKELY
What is the Feeling in Congress.
sionaI Circles.
GOOD EFFECT OF SECRECY

from france coaling station at St Pierre
Miquelon, near Newfoundland OFF and or
| Tor some time past runlors of an intention
| on the part of the Cadlz fleet to cross the
| Atiahtlc and take coal in the vicinity OF
st. Pierre have been circulated, but no i'm
| portance has been attached to them 1t Is
believed that the State Department has re-
| celved more or less authentic information
| tnat the Spanish are cndeavoring to ar
! range to take coal at st. Pierre, but the
| report, 1t is said, is causing no concern. 1t
Is not believed in congressional circles that
| the Spanish have any intention to send the
! Caclz fleet to make a demonstration against
| our coast. The reports to that effect are
| thought to be intended to divert attention
and to interfere with our operations in
! cuba and Cuban waters. For France to
transfer a coaling station to Spain and per-
| nut her warships to take coal there during
| a period of this war would be an act of
| hostility toward the United States which
| IS not believed that France is now ready
| for. Moreover. If Spain could acquire a
coaling station at ST. Pierre it would not
| be possible for her to hold it, as 1T could
| be Immediately captured by one of our
| heet. Altogether the demonstration by the
| Cadiz fleet against our eastern coast is re-
| garded as utterly impracticable and not at
all likely to be undertaken
Spain and Manila.
That Spain will endeavor to send relief
to Manila is regarded as less improbable.
yet that would be forlorn hope move. the
! problem of coaling a fleet on the way be-
| ing extremely difficult, aside from the fact
that 1t would leave the Spanish coast un-
protected. If the Cadiz fleet were sent to
Manila by way of the Suez canal. taking
coal In transports, its progress would neces-
ssrliy be very slow, and some, if not all
the reinforcements to be sent to Admiral
Dewey would be able to get there before
the spanish fleet appeared. Even with only
the Charleston added to Admiral Dewey's
| feet and the Notifications at Cavite and
Corregidor Islands restored, equipped and
manned by our forces, the Spanish fleet
would not find it as easy to enter the
harbor of Manila as Admiral Dewey
found it.
The Spanish, after having abandoned Gu
ba and Porto Rice and lef. the coast of
Spain unprotected, would be confronted
with the danger of losing the feet set to
the Pacific. 1t is believed that If the Cadiz
feet Is prepared for service, and 1. is felt
safe to take it from Cadiz, 1t will try and
form junction with the fleet now hover
ing around on the Caribbean sea, if that
fteet is not destroyed before an opportun-
ity for Junction is given. 1t is believed
that If the vessels of the Cadiz fleet were
fully equipped for service and could have
been spared some of them would have been
added to Admiral Cervera's fleet before it
Venturcd to American waters. The Cervera
fleet Is deficient in everything except speed
anG the power of 6ie,a ,,,bo
the Pelayo end ore other of the Cadiz fleet
were Joined to it, it would be strong enousb
to risk a battle with either the Samnson or
the Schley fleet
Uncertainty of Cnrvera's Flet.
1t is said at the Capitol that 1t is quite
evident that the department has again lost
the Spanish fleet in the Caribbean sea We,
meeting between it and our fleet is ex-
pected. A theory is that the Spanish flee
Is endeaVoring to get into a position where
II can fall back on San Juan without dam
ger OF being intercepted, and that Admiral
Cervera VIII then attempt to draw some of
our faster vessels into running fight, with
the idea of separating them from the more
powerful and slower vessels, with the hone
OF doing damage to the fleet by fighting
them in detail. There is no doubt felt that
this Spanish fleet is sparrng for an OMEN
Ing, and that the ultimate object is to break
the blockade and get supplies to Blanco.
IL Is the bel1ef that at the present time
Admiral Cervera is no better informed as
10 the movements of our fleets than we are
OF MS, and officials are said to be much
grained that we have at least one fighting
Fessel the approximate whereabouts of
which is unknown to any one. The Ore
gon, 1t Is said is expected to play quite an
important part in the maneuvers now 60
ing on in southern waters, ana she NAV be
secretly Joined to squadron, which with
out her might appear weak enough to
tempt the Spanish fleet to battle Absence
of information as to the whereabouts of
the Oregon is likely to embarrass the Span
ish admiral in his movements, and IL he
has no suspicion whatever Of her presence.
il may prove disastrous to MIN.
Good Effect of Secrecy.
It is said at the Capitol that the ad-
ministration is much better satisfied with
the general situation at this time than It
has ever been before, and the policy of OBJ
serving the ~strictest secrecy as to the
movements of vessels is resulting -advan-
tageously Men in Congress, as well as the
department, have finally come to the rigid
determination not only that news ought
information, however obtained, which might
be of assistance to the enemy, should not
be published. The feeling in Congress on
the subject is very strong, and, IL neces-
sary, some very drastic measure will be
adopted to enable the President to sup
press publications of an injurious char
acter and to punish offenders
An evidence of how fully this has come
to be understood is that the great num-
Der of senators and representatives who
visit the departments ara no longer seek
ing information as to the whereabouts
and the movements of our fleets 1t was
said by some who were at the departments
today that they believed important dis
patches had been received from Admiral
Sampson. but that the nature of the infor-
nation conveyed or the location of the
fleet would probably remain unknown tn
all save officials at the department
The opinion was expressed that informal
tion from the vicinity of the feet would not
be permitted to come over the wires. and
that it was not improbable that news Ut an