Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-06-07
CERVERA
Has No Choice But Sur
render.
If He Wishes to Escape He
Must Fight.
Sampson Will Take His Ships at
the Proper Time.

-
q NEW YORK, June by no posi-
bility, it is conceded by the members
OF the board, will Admiral Cervera's
vessels in the harbor Of Santiago be
able to reach the open sea, even after
the wreckage of the Merrimac Is re-
moved, a task that Is not at all
feasible, In view of the heavy fire that
any one would be subjected to who
might try to place sufficient dynamite
in the wreck to remove it, says the
Washington correspondent Of the
Tribune. The entire Spanish squad.
ron is now conceded to have been
caught and closed against all possible
tiles of escape, and unless Cervera
purposely destroys his ships they are
bound ultimately to fall into the
hands of the United States.
Cervera's position is regarded as one
of almost pitlful humiliation, and his
situation such that he will be forced
to surrender without possibly having
q chance to fire on single war vessel.
That his officers and entire force will
be made prisoners Of the United
States the crews of the Spanish ships
will become prisoners of war, and II
they attempt to escape from Santiago
they will fall into the hands Of the
insurgents.
Opinions differ as to the chance Of
the four powerful armored cruisers
and torpedo-boat destroyers becom-
ing the property Of the United States
but most nayal men assert with
great positiveness that Cervera will
never allow his vessels to be taken,
and that when he finds no alternative
open to avoid destruction or capture,
he will sink them, as Constructor
Hobson did the Merrimac.
With the channel closed the last
hope for tight between modern ships
under favorable conditions disappears
and by all it is generally conceded
that with the war ended the Ameri-
cans will haye but one important
naval flight to record.
In sinking the Merrimac the pro-
gram of Admiral Sampson is for the
first time discovered, and 1t proves
that investigation made by him
showed the utter impossibillty of his
taking the large force of heavy bat
tle-ships and cruisers between the fort
and over the submarine mines In the
Spanish vessels.
Naval officers have no theories to
advance as to the reasons impelling
the course followed by Sampson other
than that he concluded after careful
examination the beginning of the week.
They are now advancing by forced
marches, In spite of the rains. On the
whole, a thogh resistance will be
made, if, as expected, the Americans
renew the attack,
When the result of the Merrimac
affair was known in Madrid the money
market became animated, while in
political and financial circles curious
ly conflicting impressions prevailed,
some fancying that the successive
failures of the Americans might have
the result of making the United
States favorable to peace, Financiers,
on the other hand, are divided be-
tween patriotic satisfaction and the
feeling that the drift of the war
means It's prolognation and pecuniary
sacrifices detrimental to the Spanish
credit, Most of the newspapers at
tach importance to the affair, since IL
was shown that the forces are not
only alert, but well able TO hold the
enemy in check.
Strengthening Works.
LONDON, June 7. News from Mad