New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-28
THE COUNTRY AROUND SANIIAhO.
VALUABLE INFORMATION GIVEN TO THE
MILITARY AUTHORITIES.


ment to-day were two men who are recognized
nv tho military authorities as having complete
information OF the ground around Baqurl'
Juragua Santiago and the entire field Of pres
ent war operations. They are George w
Pfeiffer engineer Of the Spanish American iron
Company whose headquarters are at lalqulr'
and c. II. Ziegenfuss. general manager ol inc
Juragua Iron Company. They left me" 80"
lions after war had been declared ana "he'
the Spanish troops we're beginning L" prepare
for an invasion. OWING to their con'pl''e "N
ouaintaDce with the country ROADS, trans raH-
roads, bridges, landing places. etc, tn' "'''i'a''
authorities here consulting them an" '''VS
will be asked to Join General Smarter : st"i' ~
assist IN the advance Of the Army I"-""!
they were comforting with Brigadier-Gohefai
Stone on General Miles's staff. on the oeS'
means Of getting troops. light and AeaVy ar
tillery and stores westward from "V"''"'
Skaters present base.
Mr. Pfeifrer lives at Baiquiri where the main
landing Of troops occurred He says there were
about one thousand Spanish troops there wheh
he left the place and another thousand NJ
Siboney They were well equipped. but there
was no organization O' drill as in me American
Army Almost the only systematic action was
when the bugle sounded for rancho or IA
tions With war declared, the Spanlards began
their depredations, and considerable OF inc
mining property Of the Spanish American com
nanv and the Juragua company was destroyed
rut the fine ocean pier Of the company, being
built of steel resisted all efforts at destruction
and has proved effective means for LANDING
troops and stores Mr.. Pfeffer describes it AS
similar TO one OF the big steel piers along the
Great Lakes. where iron ore is discharged. II IS
thirty feet wide and runs two hundred feet into
the sea at which point there is depth OF
twenty-six feet Of water This is deep enough
10 accommodate any Of the transports. except
possibly the Yale and the Harvard md they
could get to the outer end. 1t is admirably
equipped for landing supplies as well as troops
as there are elevated tracks along which gon-
dolas carry freight between the ships and the
shore
Mr.. Pfelner says the coast shelves precip-
itously. so that there is little or no shallow
beach on which men could reach the shore
through surf The town Of Baquri is a. Tie
pier landing. and consists of scattered nuts
used by the mine employees. a number OF
ragged and hungry Cubans sought relief there
and were kept alive by the company The
mines four and one-haf miles inland.
CONDITIONS AT JURAGUA.
MIR. Ziegenfuss lives at Juragua. and Is thus
able TO throw light on the very point whore
Skaters main body Of troops Is now located
He says JuraGua exists only in name as there
is no town whatever. There is a mining plant.
but the town proper is Sboney This lies on
the coast while the so-called JuragUa is four
miles inland. II Is between SiboneS and the
Juragua mines that Skaters troops lie Mr.
Ziegenfuss says The ground is densely covered
with underbrush with few patches Of open
ground There roads thus far east-ony
1sl..x.
would be OF no service for light or heavy ar
tillery or for any army. unless the engineers
cleared them out.
From Siboney west TO Santiago thu prospect
for the rapid advance OF the Army is much
better. Instead Of trails good roads begin TO
run toward Santiago. They We're built some
fifty years ago and are out Of order. having
been used in recent years only for horses and
cattle. but would form the basis, IL Is he-
lieved. for good progress toward the main point
OF attack. Mr.. Zegenfuss says the company
has good railroad plant running from Sihoney
directly into Santiago. While the STANDARDS
have destroyed the Santiago end. considerable
part Of the track remains There were nine loco
motives and several hundred fatcars gondolas,
ETC. at the time Mr.. Zegenfuss left Siboney.
There is only one bridge along the route II
crosses the San Juan River. and Is regarded az
50 essential for the use Of troops that three
warships from Admiral Simpsons fleet are
covering it with their guns.
OPEN FIELD ABOUT SANTIAGO.
Nearing Santiago. Mr. Zlegenfuss and Mr.
Pfeiner say that the country begins to be Level,
good roads appear and the ground is free from
heavy underbrush. There is practically an
open field around Santiago we'll suited for the
manpuvring of troops and for a fight in the
open. Mr. Pfeifer came home by way Of Sanu
ago. He says the city has practically no de-
fences on the land side There are no walls.
no Notifications. hockhOuses and no in
trenchments. Anything in this line must have
been put up hastily since he LEFT the city few
weeks ago. He says the only thing a that time
In the way Of defence from the land side was
n double line Of barbed wire. about five or ten
feet apart with tange OF the wire In tn"
intervening space. This was good enough 10
guard against surprises from the insurgents.
but il is thought Il Will amount 70 nothing
against the devices Of the Army engineers
Mr. Pfeiffer thinks that the country from Ho-
gum down to Santiago is not such as 20 make
It difficult for General Pando 10 got through
large army or relnforcements. He thinks
that with forced marches General Pando might
reach Santiago within five six lays. Mr..
Pfeiner doubts. also whether the Cubans could
stop this advance Of Spanish reinfor, emcnts, IA
their main body IS with General Shafter and
they could not hope to do much against Pando
and 10000 men.