The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-06-22
The Two Generals Hold a Conference Re-
garding the Landing of Troops Pre-
paratory to Striking Santiago
With Combined Forces
and Fleet.
and Fleet.
INDICATIONS OF SAGASTA WEAKENING !
Special to EVENING HERALD.

from the most convenient landing
places cast ana west OF the harbor en-
trance
General Garcia gave the Americans
assurances that they need have no fear
of contracting diseases on the south
eastern coast Of Cuba, as the climate
there is not unhealthy only extremely
hot at this season of the year. The
Cuban general declared that his own
troops, i'll fed and clothed as they were,
were in good health and therefore the
Americans need not fear fevers or
other serious ailments.
General Shafter examined the con-
dition Of the Cuban soldiers during his
visit, and was impressed with their
hardy and soldierly appearance, though
he recognized the fact that they need
clothes and provisions, both of which
were given them.
At the conclusion of the conference
General Shafter and the other officers
had little or nothing to say regarding
the plans for landing the American
troops or for the cooperation of the
Cubans. The best information OBJ
tainable is that there will be no at
tempt to make a general landing for
two or three days, but small bodies of
troops will be put ashore at several
points, both east and west of Santi-
ago, including Acerraderos. This will
give General Shafter an opportunity
to become more fsmiliar with the
work before him an to ascertain the
best place for general landing.
The interview closed with the UNDER
standing on the part of both generals
that small bodies of troops are to be
landed at once at several points along
the coast, where they will be safe from
any serious attack by the Spaniards,
and will be able to keep the enemy
in doubt, for the present, as to their
ultimate intentions.
Among the troops that will be landed
first are a number of men from the
engineer corps, who will begin work
at once preparing for the movement of
the main body.
1t was nearly dark before the off
GERS returned to the Seguranca, and
then she steamed back to the flagship
and took up a position for the night.
Before nightfall all the other trans
ports and the conveying warships had
drifted nearer to shore, and the Span
ish soldiers, watching from the bluffs
on both sides of the entrance of San
tiago harbor, must have been impress
ed by the great array of vessels stand
ing off shore. There were nearly GO
of them, including the troop ships and
the men-of-war comprising Rear Ad-
miral SIMPSONS fleet and the squad
ron of Commodore Schley.
| The 5000 Spanish soldiers and per-
| haps 1000 sailors guarding the city
| and harbOr of Santiago de Cuba doubt
less concluded that there was but a
small chance of overcoming the force
of American warships and some 20, ,00C
! American soldiers and sailors which
will be hurled against them before the
! present week is over.
The dispatch boat left the fleet foi
the cable station just at nightfall, wher
the warships had their positions in {
semi-circle in front of the harbor en-.
trance, with the troop ships further
out. The sea was comparatively
! smooth, for the first time in seyera
weeks, and the great fleet was almos
motiOnless.