The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-29

ment from General shafter: but the
news was regarded as SO good that there
was no disposition to complain. II
disclosed a very satisfactory rate Of
progress on the part Of General Shaftei
towards the town OF Santiago. Ap.
parently he has gained all this ground
and has come within three miles OF San
tiago without suffering any losses since
the bloody skirmish OF Friday last. As
near as can be gathered. the Ameri.
can army is now at the fork In the road,
one branch OF which leads to Santiago
and the other to Moro castle at the en-.
trance to the harbor. General Shaftei
n thus free to move in either direction
according to the demands OF the cam
paign. with the 1900 men who re1n-
forced him on the Yale and the ad-
ditional brigade that reached him today,
It may be possible TO make even more
rapid progress In the advance upon San
tiago, as these men can be relied upon
to relieve the main body Of troops from
the necessity Of keeping open the line
OF communication between General
6hafter and his base at Baiquiri. Mean
while further reinforcemsnts are being
prepared and dispatched as rapidly as
the best energies OF the department
can direct, and 1t 10 believed that several
thousand men sailed from Tampa yes
tsrday directly for Santiago.
The department has had In mind the
difficulties Of the campaign that are just
developing In the public eye, such as the
use for the first time In civilized war
of barbed wire fencing as q means OF
defense. and, acting upon the advices
of some OF our army officers who were In
Cuba while the lighting was confined to
the Spaniards and insurgents, a certain
number Of men In each regiment have
been provided with wire outterp and
charged with the duty OF cutting down
these fences so as to permit the advance
OF the troops. 1t will probably be neces-
sary to shell out the force defending
these wire defenses before they can be
cut unless the men In charge OF that
duty are to be unduly exposed to danger.
This would involve larger use Of field
artillery than would be required In ordi-
nary warfare. The officials have been
forehanded as to these details. and In
fact have provided for the use Of barbed
wire by our own forces, having sent
about $50 tons of this wire with General
Merritt's expedition.
There is no further news from the
Cadiz fleet, though II is still known to be
lying at Port Said under the pretext
of repairing one of the torpedo boat
destroyers. The delay on the part OF
the Spanish fleet has not stopped the
preparations for the sending OF the
eastern squadron under Commodore
Watson TO the Spanish shores. The
commodore is Fastening with all speed
southwark on the Newark to Join and
confer with Sampson OF Santiago
In all probability the squadron will bs
ready to sail in the course Of four or
FIVE days. The impression which seems
to prevail In some quarters. that the
sending of this fleet to Spain Is In
tended solely to prevent Admiral Cam
ara from going to the Philippines, Is
erroneous. There Is no question that
this move has been under consideration
for sometime. and IL Is the fixed in
tention of the government to send the
vessels to Spanish home waters whether