The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-07-05
A GLORIOUS FOURTH
Made More Glorious by the Victo-
.sss3s.. 80 ries of Our Warriors. .s.,,ss.s s,s.s.
GENERAL SKATERS ULT1MATUM

Unless Santiago Has Surrendered b
Noon Today the City Is Being Bonn
! barded by Our Siege Guns-Time Ez
tended at Request of Foreign Consul
| Washington. July 5.-The complet
Ennihilation Of the Spanish squadron g
Santiago and the capture of the Span
ish Admiral Cervera. WITH, 1900 prison
ers: the demand by Gersral Shafter TO
the surrender of Santiago by noon to
day on pain of bombardment: wor,
from Admiral Dewey that the Ladron
Islands had been captured. that Span
ish gunboat had surrendered. that
hundred or more Spanish officers ant
men were taken, and that our Philip
| pine expedition had landed-this is II
part the thrilling record of such G
Fourth Of July as has not been known
since the bells of Independence Hal
rang out the tidings of American free.
dom.
1t was a day when one momentous
event followed another in constant and
rapid succession. each hour bringing
forth some new feature more startling
than what had gone before. The cli-
max came at o'clock. when, amid the
widest cheering, which fairly shook
the great war, state and navy build
Ing to its foundation, Admiral Samp-
sons dispatch announcing his glorious
victory and the entire destruction of
the Spanish fleet. was made public.
The story Of the day is best told in
the series of official dispatches. each
bearing date of suly 4. from Sampson,
from shafter AID from Dewey Ad-
miral Sampson's dispatch. dated Sibo-
ney. July 3. was as follows:
The fleet under my command offers
the nation as Fourth of July present
the destruction of the whole of Ger
vera's fleet. Not one escaped. 1t at
tempted to escape at $3.50 a. M, and at
2 p. IN. the last. the Cristobal Colon,
had run ashore 60 miles west of San
tiago. and has let down her colors.
The Infanta Maria Teresa, Oquendo
and Vizcaya were forced ashore. burn
ed and blown up within 20 miles of
Santiago, the Furor and Puton being
destroyed within four miles of the port.
Our loss was one killed and two wound
ed. Enemys loss probably several
hundred from gun fire. explosions and
drowning. About 1900 prisoners includ-
ing Admiral Cervera. The man killed
was George H. Ellis. chief yeoman of
the Brooklyn"
General Skaters strong position was
shown in series of dispatches. Most
convincing of all as to his feeling of
confidence and strength was that dis
patch given out late in the day in
which General Shafter gives the text
of his demand for the surrender of the
city on pain of bombardment.
Shafters first dispatch demanding
surrender named noon of July as the
hour. To this Jose Toral. the Spanish
commander answered, declaring that
the city would not surrender Later
the British, Portuguese and Chinese
consuls went to Skaters lines and de-
clared that 1900 to 10000 people,
many of them cid, were anxious to
leave the city The consuls urged that
the hour for beginning the lombard
ment be extended until 10 o'clock to-
day. In view of this request General
Shafter extended the hour until today
neon.
General Skaters other dispatches
breathe the same air of confidence and
as shown in his demand
on the Spanish commander. The first |
one made public during the day stated |
that his lines completely surrounded |
the town from the bay on the north to
San Juan river on the south, leaving |
the city thus enveoped by stretch
Of water on one side and stretch
Of frowning American guns on the
other In another dispatch General
Shafter epitomized The strength of his
position by saying: Il feel that l am
master of the situation. and can hold
The enemy for any length of time"
In any event, IL o'clock today marks
he limit of Skaters concession, and IL
has not capitulated at that
lour the great siege guns now brought
o the front and in position, backed by
he batteries of lighter field pieces, will
)egin their work of destruction.
The pressing needs of reinforcing
,hafter is no longer felt. now that the
spanish fleet is out of the way. A con-
siderable number of men. however. are
already on the way, and others will
ollow.
The changed naval situation will
,ring no abatement in the activity of
he authorities here in carrying the
var directly home to Spain. There is
enewed determination to get Commo-
lore Watson's eastern squadron away
!, the earliest moment, for the double
purpose of striking blow at the
oast towns of Spain and of pursuing
Idmira Camara's fleet.
1t has been acting Admiral Sampson
or some time, but it will be Admiral
sampson in fact as well as in name is
he prevailing feeling in naval circles
s result of the victory reported by
he American admiral. By a singular
oincidence his rank was advanced yes
erday to that of commodore. owing to
he retirement of Admiral kirkland.
The release of Hobson and the other
eroes of the Merrmac incident is
kelly to be another result of the events
ransprng yesterday. 1t may now
ONE about either by the surrender Of
he city. which would include the sur
ender of Hobson and other American
risCners in the city. or else by the ex-
hange of Hobson for Admiral Ger.
era or some other high ranking naval
nicial. Until yesterday the possibil-
y Of exchanging Hobson We're slight,
S this government had no Spanish
risoners of high rank to offer in his
lace. Now, however, they have one
the foremost admirals of Spain, and
mong the 1900 other naval prisoners
lere are many officers of distinguished
lnk. TO exchange a Spanish admiral
,r an American naval constructor
light seem strange under ordinary
rcumstances, but II will be done with
ut any begrudging by the authorities
ere, and will be particularly appro-
liate in view of the action OF Cervera