New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-23
GOING TO JOIN MILES.
BROOHE'S COMMAND WILL
SAIL SUNDAY.
PORTO RICO EXPEDITION WILL NUM-
BER FOURTEEN THOUSAND MEN
MILES NAY LAND MONDAY.
[DY TELEGRAPH TO ruE TRIBUNE !


o'clock on the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul. ac-
cording TO arrangements made by the War and
Navy departments to-day The St. Paul reached
New-York to-day and Immediately began coal
ing under orders 10 60 10 Newport News to-
morrow night.
Four light batteries Of volunteer artery-A
of Illinois. B OF Pennsylvania = OF Missouri.
and the 9th Indiana-wI probably accompany
General Brooke on the ST. Paul. with a detach-
ment from the Signal Corps and the First d.
vision Hospital and Ambulance Corps General
Haines's brigade, which left Chickamauga to-
day, will probably embark ar the same time on
the St Louis and transport No. "a formerly
the Roumanlan, both of which reached Newport
News to-day, and on No. 26 formerly the Michi-
gan. which, with the Massachusetts, and the
City Of Washington. should join them there To-
morrow. In addition to two battallons or IN
fantry the Massachusetts, will carry $40 horses.
The Massachusetts loaded commissary supplies
for 10000 men for one hundred days at New
York where the Roumanan took aooaro lff
tons of oats and 16S tons Of hay The Nor
wegian ship Ito. chartered for the expedition.
has also started for Porto Rico with materiai
for constructing a heel landing pier She viii
ston at Charleston tomorrow or next day to
pick up the wagon transportation train OF Gen.
eral Hancss brigade.
orders were issued to-day constituting 'ns
Third Brigade First Division. First Corps, at
Chickamauga the other two brigades of that
division being the First, under General Ernst
which left Charleston Wednesday, and the Sec
ond under General Hams. which left Chicka-
mauga to-day. Brigadier-General FREQ ~
Grant was named TO command the new origaue'
and the 9TH Illinois and LIST and 30 Kentucky
have been assigned 10 him. II IS contemplated
that this brigade shall leave Chickamauga next
Wednesday. and as soon As possible after tnat DO
loaded on the Manitoba the Seneca and several
other transports, some Of which are now bound
north from Santiago to Newport News, sailing
from the latter port in about week
AN EXPEDITION OF 1900 MEN.
These three brigades of the First Division
from Chickamauga, together with the troops
already taken by General Miles. constitute an
aggregate force exceeding fourteen thousand
men, including eight light batteries OF artillery
aud ten regiments Of infantry. OF the latter
three are from Illinois two each from Ken
tucky Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and one
from Ohio. The light batteries with General
Miles at the present time are c and F, OF the
Sd Artillery. and F. Of the 4th. and B. OF the
9th
From the progress made by General Miles's
expedition UP 70 about noon to-day, When ne
arrived at Mole 81, Nicholas il is improbable
that he will reach Porto Rican waters before
Sunday night, and he IS not likely to make a
landing before Monday.
Regarding Fajardo the nearest town to the
landing place in Porto Rico. a little book OF
Military Notes on Porto Rico" just issued
from the Military Information Division OF the
Adjutant Generals Office. at the War Depart
ment, gives the following information:
Faiardo-A town OF 1876 inhabitants OF
whom l.116 are white and 1900 col0red II is
the chief town Of Jurisdiction Of S,IiJ inhabi-
tants, OF whom the majority are white. Ii Is
situated fifteen and one-half miles from Huma-
Gao on the east coast of the island. The port
is handsome, with third-cass lighthouse at
the entrance at the point called Cabezas de
San Juan. and custom-house open 70 universal
commerce. The town is about and
quarter miles from the bay
The only important industry Of the district IS
the manufacture of MuscoVado sugar n which
most Of the planters devote themselves Ssooks.
hickory hoops. pine boards and provisions come
from the United States in considerable quanti-
ties. Sugar and molasses are exported. and
occasionally tortoiseshe The climate Is
healthy and temperate II has postoffice apd
telegraph station. II dates from ia Its church
is Of masonry. having steeple with clock
and bell. and was built in ls95, at the same
time as the Town Hall. Two hagrations, in
April Of 1892 and 1888. respectively, destroyed
4 large part Of the town. which. however, is to-
day vsihly progressing just as the others OF the
island. This town bcsieged November Ii,
1924. by Commodore Porter. but the inhabitants
showed such disposition to resist that he put
to again.
HISTORY AS SPANIARDS WRITE IT.
The information was probably obtained from
Spanish sources. shown by the last para
graph, which falsfes history. and which mght
have been omitted had the Navy Department
been consulted. AS a matter Of fact. Commo-
81 Tho a
miral in 1923 took command OF an expedition
fitted out against pirates in the West indies.
In October 1924 he secured evidence that a
quantity of valuable goods had been carried
by pirates TO Fajardo, and the Beagle, one OF
the schooners Of his squadron. was sent there.
On landing her officers were thrown into prison.
but Immediately after their release, which oc-
Cured presently. Commodore Porter sailed for
Fatardo landed a force OF two hundred men
and demanded an apology, which was promptly
forthcoming. The United States Government
however. court-martialled him for exceeding his
powers and he sentenced to suspension for
six months. Commodore Porter was afterward
made Consul- General to the Barbary Powers,
and later made Minister to Constantnople by
Andrew Jackson.
The same War Department publication gives
the total strength of the Spanish military forces
in Porto Rico, from Official records OF December
last, which are thought 70 be unchanged since
that time, as 1219 officers and men, the enlisted
ed strength being divided follows Infantry,
5000; artillery. 700. engineers, 200 civil
guards. 146. military police. lS1; cavalry. s:
sanitary brigade. 2l There seven chaplans.
and all the others are officers
The road from Fsjardo TO tho capital dis
tance Of thirtysx miles. through the towns OF
Luouillo Ioisa and Rio Piedras is toer2bly
good for persons on horseback as far as RIO
Piedras and thence TO the city OF san Juan,
distance OF two leagues, is an excellent carriage
road made by the order OF the Captain General.
part Of II through mangroye swamp. over
the river Loisa is fine wooden bridge and on
the road near Rio Piedras is a handsome stone