New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-10

ard Uayti-cables which, It had been alleged.
had been cut by the auxiliary cruiser st. Louis
The boat was put to work. bu; UP TO To-Day
had not found the cable foi which she IS
searching Guarded by the baitie-ships Massa-
chusetts and Texas, she worked on FRIDAY
morning within TWO miles Of formidable foriifi-
cations on shore. and. strange to say. without
any attempt Of the Spanish gunners to hit them
although in the early morning the big guns "ele
fred vlciously n; Commodore schey's flagship.
Just how long Santiago can stand hesies'ng
IL a matter of conjecture. Three weeks ago "
was said in Jamaica that ;he food IN santiago
was very poor and that it was also very sca"''
The country about the city is unproduc''Ve ana
mountainous. and the insurscrt camps arc 81
close that there IS n,.le or no communication
between the city and It's environs TIC railway
service IS not carried to distance much beyond
Cen miles from The town
Nr.MgER OF SOLDIERS ~ SANTIAGO.
Since Sunday last. when Ceryera's squadron
was bottled UP w the Flying Squadron under
Commodore Sch,ey. nothing has gone IN, ana
,,o auxiliary cruiser 81. Paul captured abou;
four thousand tons Of coal consigned to the
mort. II IS thoroughly believed that only short
time will he needed to bring Santiago 70
sarya..on basis Naturally. TIE feet has sup
p,y. perhaps for two months. but the Spanish
so,6,ers cannot be sustained on this.
ono ,,nno-,snt fact vas learned to-day from
the insurgents or shore. There are not twenty
thousand soldiers. as has been stated IN ms
part OF the Province % Santiago dc Cuoa' p"'
only about six thousand Even these are badly
fed and much dsheartered
It has been the intention to send the cruiser
Marblehead and the cable steamer east 10 Guam
tanama to cut the cable at that point worn
having been brought that the Spanish fleet evil
IDENTITY was in communication with Madrid. The
ships were to leave at midnight, but a subse-
cuent order DELAYED them.
IN the mean time the Spanish seemed to be
pronting greatly by delay. Active work is oeihg
prosecuted on the earthworks and new guns are
being mounted.
On Sunday morning the feet lay outside the
harbor. a quiet-looking lot Of innocents' ready
to fight at a moments notice. At 1880 O'Clock
n turboat bearing flag Of truce was seen by
the lookout on the Iowa to be steaming down the
entrance.
MISTAKEN FOR FLAG OF TRUCE
Crashing the situation Immediately. Captain
hiatt
started out in a boat TO meet the tug. at the
came time instructng the officer in charge to go
as near as possible to the mouth of the haroor
60 as to see where the Merrimac was sunk. and
~ her hull was successfully blocking the harbor
entrance The boat succeeded In getting close
enough to observe that the Spanish tug mad 10
20 into shallow water and around the wreck be-
fore she could get out.
When she emerged. the Spanish officer on
board after an exchange Of compliments. said
the Spaniards had seen what they believed to
be flag Of truce the Iowa. and had come to
answer II. They were politely informed that
they had been deceived by the awning over the
lookout In the foretop and that the American
fleet had no occasion to send flags of truce. The
Spanish tug then returned to the harbor
Attention was called to-day to a fictitious
story to the effect that the auxiliary cruiser ST
Paul. with Captain Sgsbee on board. had first
located Cervera's fleet here. There Is absolutely
no foundation for such a story. The scouts did
not arrive off Santiago until twelve hours after
Cobl nd I'D rriV
and they were very much surprised at the an
nouncement of the Whereabouts Of the will-o'-
the wi feet