Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-28
SQUADRON.
Nothing Seen Of the Ships That
Commodore Schley Is Try.
ing to Locate.
SPANISH ADMIRAL HARD TO CATCH
Has Guns and Ammunition for Blanco at
Hayana-Our Boys Spelling for Fight,
but Cervera Otherwise-British Corre-
spondent Believes He Has Dodged Our
Terrors and Got Away Again-Report
That He Waits Assistance from Cadiz.


Associated Press Dispatch Boat
Dauntless, May 81, via Key West, Fla,
May 2S.-ICopyright, 1898. by the Asso-
ciated Press.1-U to IL o'clock this
morning (Friday) nothing had been
seen of the Spanish feet. Should Com
mCdore Schley be able to drive the
enemy to take refuge in some Cuban
port on the south coast and bottle him
up, the plans of both navy and army
could at once take definite shape. A
squadron of our ships could hold Ad-
miral Cervera in port or force him to
give battle, while plans for the imme-
diately invasion of Cuba could proceed
with the assurance that they would
not be frustrated by the unexpected
appearance OF a fleet of the enemys
warships. Neither Rear Admiral Samp-
son nor the naval officers with the fleet
appear at all sanguine that the Span
iards unless hard pressed will attempt
to run the gauntlet into Havana.
Cervera Not Spelling for Fight.
Admiral Cervera, since he reached the
Caribbean sea, has shown anything but
a disposition to fight, and our officers
are inclined to think that if he is driven
out of the waters south of Cuba he will
double back to San Juan de Porto Rico,
where his ships could coal under the
protection of batteries as powerful as
those at Havana, as Rear Admiral
Sampson ascertained when he lombard
ed the forts there two weeks ago. Part
of Commodore Schley's squadron sailed
for the west end of Cuba about noon
Thursday, May 19. The advance guard
of Commodore Schley's fleet was at
Cienfuegos on Sunday, May o. Com
modore Schley had an idea that Ad-
miral Cervera's squadron, which is car
rying guns and munitions for Havana,
would slip into Cienfuegos. which has
railroad communication with the Cuban
capital. But the fleet was not there.
Sampson Is Keeping Close Watch.
Admiral Sampson has swift naval
scouts always out below the horizon,
whose first duty is to come steamins
In with news wherever they find it, like
reporter to his city editor. II smoke
on the horizon comes up fast 1t Is prob
ably the smoke of a dispatch boat. II
the smoke comes up slowly and dies
away at intervals, then it is probably
collier or supply ship with coal or
food for the feet. If there are any
men anywhere Just now who are
spelling for a fight" they are the
'jackies' of Rear Admiral Sampson's s
| squadron. If there is anything that
looks less like the color of war than
loafing round over blue gulf waters
with that same squadron. 1t would be
hard to name it.
| Waiting for the Cadiz Squadron.
London, May ga dispatch to The
| Financial News from Kingston, JAM
| aica, says: The master of the fishing
schooner Jane, which has arrived there
reports having picked up a yawl con-
tanning two reconcentrados who had
escaped from Santiago de Cuba He
says they told him that Admiral Ger
| vera's squadron Is in the harbor that
the vessels were coaled and victualleC
and were ready to sail when the Cadiz
squadron arrives next week and breaks
the blockade"