Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-25
SANTIAGO HARBOR IS STRONG


Washington, May 25.-The question
that agitated the navy department this
morning was whether the Spanish
squadron under Admiral Cervera is at
Santiago de cuba. The department
hopes and believes 1t IT, but 50 far Is
not in possession of accurate lnforma-
ton ON that point. The reason for its
belief, so far as can be gathered, il
that the Spanish squadron, when last
heard from, was in that harbor and
that 1t has not been seen anywhere
else in spite of the fact that the scout
ing vessels of the navy fairly swarm
in the West Indian waters and that
the United States consuls on every
island are on the alert to watch and
to report the movement of the Spanish
fleet. The department officials, ac-
cepting the view that Cervera is in
Santiago harbor, are of the opinion that
he is likely to remain there for long
time, weeks and months perhaps.
A study of the defenses of the har-
Dor and Typographical features has
convinced the experts that to undertake
to carry the place by storm from the
sea and to attack the fleet while 1t Is
under the protection OF the forts would
involve 30 great a loss Of life ON our
part as to be entirely unwarrantcd I'M
der the existing circumstances. Ihe
harbor is known to be mined and these
mines are SO well protected by Judi-
ciously placed shore batteries that the
usual methods of countermininS coula
be practiced only with the utmost peru
to the sailors of our fleet.
MORO castle, one of the principal
defenses of the harbor, Is perched upon
a very high elevation. It's guns II
served with anything like fair gun
merry could rain most destructive hre
down upon our ships and not even tho
battleships and monitors are designed
to resist a plunging fire of uhis KIND
on the other hand, 1t Is extremely ar
iicult for guns mounted on shlpnuard
to be sufficiently elevated to throw
proteutiles with any effect against
modern fertilization on IN elevated
bluff or hill That Is the lesson learned
at San Juan, and the fleet there had
the advantage OF being able To remain
off at long range, which 1t would not
have on the attack of Santiago. The
place could be taken by assault, but az
already stated, the officials do not be-
neve the present conditions warrant
such an expensive undertaking.
The effort, therefore. probably will
be made to keep CerNera inside Santi-
ago de cuba harbor until starvation
causes the surrender Of the spanish
squadron and the forts of Santiago.
That this can be done is not doubted
by naval experts, as the narrow chan
mel connecting the inner harbor with
the sea, requiring any ships to emerge
singly, would expose them To almost
certain destruction at the hands of
couple of armored vessels or monitors
commanding the entrance,
OF course there Is always danger III
these watch dogs were themselves at
tackled and destroyed by some of the
torpedo boat destroyers attached to
Cervera's squadron, provided thoir
commanders are desperate enough to
face the primary and secondary bait
teres of the American warships. There
is also risk of an attack on rhe block
aiding vessels from without.
The news has reached the navy de-
pedo gunbOat Terror had cleared from
the harbor of Port de France. after
having taken coal from the Alicante.
II give the Spanish squadron "A three
months lease of life II they are in
Santiago harbor," said prominent
naval officer this morning He OK
planned that he based his calculation on
the length OF time that the supplies OF
the fleet would hold out. Long before
that time the town Of Santiago, which
probably Win be cut off entirely by the
Insurgents and perhaps by United
States troops, VIII be practically
starved. but following the Spanish prac-
tlce elsewhere. Havana and Manila for
instance, the military and naval forces,
apprUpriating all, the food supplies
would hold out longer.
The long wait involved in this cal
culaton, the naval officer explained,
would have very substantial COM
pensation in the acquisition by the
United States of the splendid vessels
that go to make up the Spanish squad
ron through their surrender. They rep
resent in money valhe alone about Sl5.-
600, 900 md have an additional value to
the United States at this juncture that
cannot be expressed in figures.