The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-01

of naval applications. At C~arthagena
is the school if ordnance and the tor
pedo school. Cadiz is the point where
most of the fortiication guns are
made Each of the three naval prov
inces has a certain number of coast
towns under it's Immediate care.
The Ferrol division includes the
ports of Ferrol, COrruna, Vilagarcia,
Vigo, Vivero, Rivardeo, ~Santandar,
Bilboa and ST. Sebastian. The Cadiz
division includes the ports Of Cadiz,
Algericas, Malaga, Montiril, Almeria,
Seville, Huelva and the Canaries. The
Carthagena district includes the points
of C~arthagena, Alicante, Valence, vi
naroz, Tortoise. Barcelona, Mataro,
Majorqua, Mahon and Twice. The to-
tai artillery Of these ports, under the
normal conditions prior to the war, is
as follows: 119 Krupp guns, So Arm
strong guns, 80 OrdoneZ guns, and a
large number of HOntoria guns. The
main reliance is on the Ordonez guns,
which are specially for fortification
purposes. They are Of II, "a and 80
centimetres.
A separate division of the coast is
made for the purpose of placing tor
pedoes and submarine mines. This
work is divided into four districts with
Ferrol, Cadiz, Carthagena and
Mahon as headquarters. Each
LOWn along the Quasi 10 L
lotted a certain number of torpe-
does. For instance, the allotment for
Barcelona alone is 500 torpedoes.
Many of these ports are connected
by cables, which form an additional
feature Of naval attack. A cable runs
| from Barcelona to Marseilles. Cadiz
has three cables, one to the Canaries,
another to Gibraltar and another to
Villa Real. Vigo is the cable station
for two lines.
The information is in minute detail
| as to the defenses of each port. For
instance, Ferrol is protected on the
NORTH by a series of three batteries and
two chateaux, the chateux occupying
posts which command the passes from
the sea. The town is encircled by bas-
tiOns and redOubts, of ancient pattern,
but recently remodeled. The defences
of Cadiz consist of a circle of eleven
powerful forts. The other harbOrs are
similarly defined, with detail informa-
ton as to approaches, channels, depth
of water, batteries, etc.
With this full information at hand,
the nature of the assault upon the
coast of Spain will be pretty we'll out
lined before the American squadron
sails. At the same time, much will
be left to the cormander-in-chief of
this squadron. Some naval authorities
believe that the Canary islands will be
tllC IILob jill VI oNI"Sh GIN NIASA lin
next move will be to establish a naval
base at Ceuta, a point on the African
coast owned by Spain, and opposite
Gibraltar. With this base our ships
would be within easy striking distance
of the long stretch of Spanish coast.
ONLY ONE CABLEGRAM FROM
SKATERS ARMY.
One short cablegram received by
/ General Greedy from one of his signal
corps officers of the army under Shat
ter was all that came to the war de-
partment last night or today. That
related entirely to the management of
telegraph and contained no news as to
the movements of the military. There
fore, it is assumed at the department
| tina General Shafter is simply carry
ing forward his plans of bringing for
ward his troops from the seacOast and
concentrating them at points of van
tage on the heights surrounding San
tiagO. His army is not to give battle
until every ~precautiOn that prudence
can suggest has been taken to assure
the success of the movement, for no
| one better thar General Shafter APP
| preciates the tremendous moral advan-
| tage hat woul accrue to Spain from
| even a temporary check Of American
arms at this time.
There is M intention of weakening
the Havana blockade by the with
drawal of Commodore Watson with
|. his flagship. To prevent his Secre-
tary Long has ordered Commodore
Howell to proceed Immediately to the
| American fleet off Havana to take
command of the post vacated by Com
modore Watson. Commodore Howell
is at present in command of the coast
patrol fleet and he will take the entire
fleet with him; that is, all of the larger
vessels. to reinforce the blockade of
the Cuban coast. He is already or his
way south from the New England
coast and should reach Cuban waters
by the end of the week.
| A story was afiOat today to the eff
! feet that the big dou~ble-turreted mon
| itors Puritan and M~iantonomah had
been struck and seriously injured by
| Spanish shells off Havana. Inquiry at
the navy department, backed by a few
anxious messages from friends of the
people aboard, developed the fact that
both of these monitors are at Key
West. where they have been at anchor
for some time past. The officials know
| of no firing upon American bloackad-
ing vessels from the MORO or other
| fort at the entrance of Havana harbor.