The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-28
BLOCKADE SATISFACTORY
No MORE Firing or PRIZES Sc
CURED AT MATANZAS.
CREAM or FRIES ALREADY TAKEN
The nswgent Army is Active and IS Trusted
to Shut off All Communication Be-
tween North and South
Cuba.


ON board the Flagship New York, off
HAVANA, April 27--7 Il. m.-via Key
! West, 3:3J p m.,-The blockade con
tinues without incident. No casualties
have been reported to the flagship. Last
night was uneventful This morning
the torpedo boat Dupont arrived from
Matanzas reporting that there had
been no more firing there, and that the
blockade was effectively established.
| No prizes have been secured by the
Alatanzas squadron.
News has been received that La Lucha
last night asserted that two coasting
steamers had snealled into Havana har-
| Dor on Saturday, but it should be re-
membered that at that time the block
AIDE was only in it's initial stages.
To-day the fighting squadron is
equipped with force of small boats
which, under cover of darkness. can
get close in shore, where they are like
| ly to prevent blockade running by lit
tie craft hugging the coast.
The amount of provisions carried by
the two coasting steamers into Havana
| last Saturday must have been so small
as to be practically of no effect. The
incident cannot he taken as in any way
1
ness or as affecting in the slightest the
chances of our success.
Havana even now feels the pinch of
the blockade. When Spanish need of
food becomes imperative. then if there
is money enough in the city to make it
| worth while, there are likely to be
made many attempts mt blockade run
ming. but Rear Admiral Sampson says
they will be unsuccessful. Then viii
come the inevitable. and Havana will be
forced to surrender and beg for food.
The appearance Of the Spanish fleet
ana an attempt to raise the blockade are
contingencies that must be considered.
Information regarding the movement
of the insurgents is meager, bnt it is
4 known that ms many as can are leaving
| Havana The insurgent army is bcliev
cd to be active. and is trusted TO shut
off al communication between north
and south Cuba. though communication
between Havana and Bataba still APP
/ pears to exist Much had been writ
| ten regarding Il concerted movement by
She insurgents upon Havana and its
dcfenses. This seems hardly feasible
The scarcity of food is bound to affect
insurgents and Spaniards alike. AS
soon MS the former carry their campaign
into the far north of the island they are
confronted with the starvation.
1t is believed the insurgents will adj
here To their guerilla tactics and not
/ transfer their forces in any large num-
bcrs to n territory where starvation will
soon hold sway.
The problem Of provisioning and coal
| ing the blockading fleet has so far
proved an easy one to solve.
The flagship New York spent last night
patrolling the coast from point west
of Havana to within ten miles Of
| MatanZas ON the east.
| The general belief is that that the
cream of the prizes has been taken. and
| that not many more Spanish merchant
vessels will venture into these waters.
The Associated Press dispatch boat
| Dauntless left the fleet to return to Key
West on her third round trip since last
Friday, Mt half past seven this morn
| ing, in the teeth of a twenty-five knot
gale from west of north. The Asso-
ciated Press correspondent bad an inter
view with Rear Admiral Sampson in
| the Admiral's cabin on the flagship yes
terday morning. The Rear Admiral OK
pressed satisfaction with the conduct of
| the blockade.
OF course, the absorbing topic. from
| Admiral to coal paSscrs, is, when do we
| take Havana? One could not help
/ thinking yesterday. when lying near
shore, how easy it would be to land
| troops at a particular point or Mt hun
| drcds OF others on the coast. The toy
forts on the hills would not Brighten
| battalion of school cadets. and the
water is deep enough to allow the war
ships to cover Il landing from close in.
On the highlands of Cuba. health is
! the rule at all seasons of the year. as is
shown by the reports not only of the
Spanish but of American health au-
| thOrties.
On her present trip to Key West the
| Dauntless, mt the request of Captain
| Chadwick, of the New York. brought
in young Aranguren. brother of the in
surgent Brigadier General Nestor Ar
| anguren. who was killed by the Spanish
| Colonel BenedictO, in revenge for his
| having shot Lieutenant Colonel Ruiz of
the Spanish army. Young Arangurcn
has been on the flagship. where it was
though at first he might he of some spe-
cial use owing to his local knowledge of
certain parts of the coast, but the lad
/ has not been well, and it was thought
better to send him home.
| 1t is almost ludicrous to see the transi |
| ton in the case of SDaniards taken
| prisoners on the captured merchantmen
from a state of vociferous grief ana fear
to one of the most complete politeness.
when they find that there is no intention
| to maltreat them.
Tears change to smiles; petitions for
mercy to protestationS of regard-and
| both i'll the twinkling of IN eye.
Lieutenant Del Pine Of the Spanish
| Infantry, and his orderly, who were
| captured by the gmboat Wilmington. on
board smaiI schooner bound for Ma
tanZas, were put on shore yesterday ut |
Santa Cruz. twenty-four miles from Ha-
vana. by the United States scout boat
Algonquin. formerly the steamer El +
roro. The lieutenant was on a furlough.
ana was gong to see his wife and in
FAINT child. The latter was born last
Friday, and tho father had NOT seen his
child. Under the circumstances Rear