The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-28
CAMARA's SQUADRON.
The Most Formidable Armada I'm Ger
tain Respects Spain Ever Had.

N11n heSpeC6S spain Ever HAD.
WASHINGTON. June 27.-The determina-
ton to send Commodore Watson's squadron
against Spain was the outcome of direct
official advices which reached the State and
Navy Departments as to the progress of
Admiral Camara's squadron. These advices
give a list of the Spanish ships at the en-
trarce Of the Suez canal, which differs
somewhat from the list given in the press
dispatches and by Lloyds. The official list
is as follows: Pelayo, Carlos V. Audaz
osada, Proserpina, Patricia Rapido, Bue-
nos Ayres, Isla de Fancy, Colon. Covandon-
ga and San Francisco. The additional infor-
nation comes from official sources that this
squadron is at Port Said and expects to take
on board ten thousand tons of coal before
entering the Suez canal. Such heavy coal
ing will take some time. 1t discloses also
that the admiral expects to make a long sail
and Is doubtless headed for the Philippines,
a point which the officials here doubted at
first This squadron is the most formidable
Spain has afloat, in total tonnage, strength
OF individual ships, arnor and guns.
The Pelayo is the strongest of the ships
and Is the only battle ship in the Spanish
navy. She is $3.50 tons, with a speed of 1871
knots. che carries thirty-five guns of various
caIber and has seven torpedo tubes. The
largest guns are the twelve-inch Hontorias,
one forward and one aft, and eIeven-inch
Hontorias, one on each beam.
The Carlos is of 5000 tons, with speed
of nineteen knots. She has twenty-eight
guns, the largest being eleven-inch Hon
torias working electrically, one forward and
one aft. She has also six torpedo tubes.
The Audaz and Osadi are torpedo boat de-
stroYers. recently finished in England. just
before the war begun. They are of four hum
bred tons each and are thirty knotters. Each
carries six guns and two torpedo tubes.
The Buenos Ayres belongs to the Trans
atlantic Company, of Cadiz. and has been
transformed into a cruiser. She is $500 tons,
with fourteen knot speed.
The Proserpina Patricia and Rapido are
merchant vessels, recently reconstructed
and armed. The Colon, Covadonga and San
Francisco are GOLFERS
1t ii apparent from this that the main re-
lance of Camara's fleet is on the battle ship
Pelayo, the armored cruiser Carlos v and
the two new torpedo boat destroyers, Audaz
and Osada. The others are auxilaries and
GOLFERS AS there are only two armored
ships in the lot, Admiral Deweys fleet of
protected, but unarmored ships, probably
viii take care of this Spanish squadron.
with the Monterey added. he could certainly
do so.
WATsON'S SQUADRON SUPERIOR.
The Eastern squadron which the United
States will now send against Spain, far out
ranks this Spanish squadron, the oregon
and Iowa exceeding the Pelayo and Carlos
" at every point, while the other United
States vessels are far superior. ship for
ship, to those of the Spanish squadron, with
the single exception of the two Spanish tor
pedo boat destroyers.
When the American fleet sails. for Spain
1T will take with it complete information as
tl the entire stretch Of Spanish coast, with
detail maps of every harbor and its fertif-
cations. The war board has mass of this
information before it to-day and spent
good part of the day studying Spanish
charts and Notifications with view TO out
lining the series of blows which are to be
delivered to Spain at home The Spanish
coast line is 2,122 kilometres long, of which
769 kilometres is en- the north coast while
1883 kilometres is along the Mediterranean
and the Atlantic on the south coast. The
coast is described by naval strategists
abrupt and mountainous. with sinuous in
let's and CULTS, resembling the fiords of
Scandinavia. In general the Notifications
of the coast are relics of the medieval
greatness Of Spain, and many of these old
defenses are tumbling ruins.
The Spanish coast is divided into three
captain generalcies, namely: Ferrol, on the
north Cadiz on the south. and Carthagena,
on the east At Ferrol is the naval school
and the school of naval application. At
Carthagena is the school of ordnance and
the torepdo school. Cadiz is the point where
most of the fertilization guns are made.
Each of the three naval provinces has GER
tain number of coast towns under its i'm
mediate care. The Ferrol division includes
the ports Of Ferrol, Corruna. Vilagarcia,
yigo, Vivero, Rivardeo Santandar, Bilbao
and st. Sebastian. The Cadiz division in
cludes the ports of Cadiz, Algesiras, Mala-
ga, Montiril, Almeria, Seville, Huelva and
the Canaries. The Carthagena district in
cludes the ports of Carthagena, Alicante,
vaIenca, vinaroz Tortoco, Barcelona, Ma
taro, MaJorca. Mahon and Twice.
ARMAMENT OF THE FORTS.
The total artillery of these ports. under
the normal conditions prior to the war. is
as follows: 119 Krupp guns, So Armstrong
guns, 80 Ordonez guns and large number
of Hontoria guns The main reliance is on
the Ordonez guns, which are especially for
Qualifications purposes. They are of 21.A
and so centimeters.
A separate division of the coast is made
: for the purpose of placing torpedoes and
submarine mines. This work is divided into
four districts with Ferrol, Cadiz, Cartha-
gena and Mahon as headquarters. Each
town along the coast is allowed a certain
number of torpedoes. For instance, the al
lotment for Barcelona alone is 500 torpedoes.
Many of these ports are connected by ca
bic which form an additional feature of
naval attack. A cable runs from Barcelona
TO Marseilles. Cadiz has three cables, one
20 the Canaries. another to Gibraltar and
another to villa Real. Vigi is the cable sta
ton for two lines.
The Information is In minute detail as to
the defenses of each port. For instance, Fer
rol is protected on the north by a series of
three batteries and two chateaus, the cha
teaus occupying points which command the
passes from the sea. The town is encircled
by bastions and redouhts of ancient pattern,
but recently remodeled. The defenses of
Cadiz consist of circle of eleven powerful
forts. The other harbors are similarly de-
fined with detail information as to APP
proaches. channels. depth of water. batter
les etc.
With this full information at hand the
nature Of the assault upon the coast of
Spain win be pretty well outlined before
the American squadron sails. At the same
time much viii be left to the commander
in-chief of this squadron. Some naval au-
thorities believe that the Canary islands