Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-20

rake the channel for 800 yards.
The merchant ship Mexico. OF Barcelona.
mounting four small quick-firing guns, is
in the harbor. Several coasting steamers
and schooners are at the wharves.
A few days ago a, German. steamer
brought 1900 bags of rice to Santiago de
Cuba. Rice and sardines are the principal
food supplies.
Last night. when about sixty miles from
Santiago de Cuba, seven large steamers,
moving in two columns crossed the Adula's
course. going west. They were evidently
warships, but their nationality could not
be identified. The Adula brought 255 pas
sengers.
The descriptions given by the first mate
and five seamen of the Adula agree as
to the fleet that crossed her course
few minutes after midnight this morning.
-Four of the seven ships were large cruis-
ers and three were small. They were dis
tant about four miles when the lines Of
the courses intersected. about thirty miles
or the north coast of Jamaica. The
.Adula's crew believes they were the ships
of the squadron under Admiral Cervera.
and it is feared that. If they were on the
way to Cienfuegos. they may destroy the
American blockading squadron.
Senior Domingo Capole, vice president. and
formerly one of the ablest lawyers in Ha-
vana, landed from an open sail boat on
the north side OF Jamaica, near Falmouth
to-day. With him was Cervasio Subio, a
sea captain. Senior capote is on his way to
the United States to consult with the Amer
ican government. He is understood to have
full powers to make an Important treaty.
He and Captain subio are now in quar-
antine.
LONDON. May 19.-A dispatch to the
Senor Polo Bernabe has secured by cable
a coal depot near st. Pierre. Miquelon, the
French colony on the south coast of New
foundland. at which the Cadiz squadron
viii coal. previous to attacking the Allan
tic seaboard Of the United States. while
I: the Cape Verde squadron. commanded by
Admiral Cervera, draws of the squadrons
commanded by Admiral Sampson and Com
Inodore Schley.
WASHINGTON. May 1e.-The disagree
able TACT is being forced upon the naval
strategists that the speed Of the Spaniard
gives him n tremendous advantage in
every way except in battle with super
for force. They are worrying over the
problem Of how to catch an enemy who
can travel five miles faster than the speed
lest ships of the fighting squadron Of Ad-
the Spaniard and believe he can be
crushed, but the enemy has shown no dis
position to fight.
II is the popular thing for the amateur
strategists. who do their thinking, on dry
goods boxes scattered about the country.
to say the spaniard has shown better
strategy than the Americans. but that is
nonsense. He has the advantage of speed
and no strategy can rob him OF that SO
long as he persists in keeping 500 miles
away from an American ship. He cannot
be chased for he is too fast. The Ameri-
can cannot leave his seacoast unprotected
in order to 60 after the spaniard, for that
willy enemy would run around the Ameri-
can and have the coast cities at his mercy.
On the contrary, the official strategists in
Washington think the spaniard committed
a great error in not making dash for
Havana from Martinique He had good
chance Of reaching that port ahead of
both Sampson and Schley. and would have
found Commodore Watson's blockading
squadron an easy prey. When the Span.
lard was reported at Martinique Sampson
itors. could not move over eight knots an
hour. Schley was at Hampton Roads.
about az far away from the Havana as the
armada.
The American war managers were very
much worried until they learned the enemy
had thrown away Its opportunity by going
to Curacao. after which they breathed
easier. They are not likely to put the
American fleets in that jeopardy again.
They will maintain strong force to sup
port the blockade and to protect the coast.
But the problem of cornering the Span
lard is worrying them. 1t may be patriotic
to say the American navy is equal to i'm
possibilities. but 1t is not good sense.
The battleships Iowa and Indiana can
never catch the Spanish cruisers if the en-.
emy chooses to keep out of the way
There is a chance of taking the enemy un-
awares or finding him short Of coal, though
he seems to have solved the coal problem
for the time being. II he wants a fight
the battle need not be long delayed. II
he hopes to carry on a guerrilla warfare
against inferior vessels and intends to steer
clear Of the American battleships, samp.
sons fighting squadron is helpless SO lons
as the enemy can get coal.
The American fleets have three duties t.
perform. They must maintain the block
ade Of two Cuban coasts. protect American
ports and crush the enemy. That is no,
SO easy as the stick-whittllng strategist.
may think. :,