The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-11

Copyright, 1898. by the Associated Press.)
On board the Associated Press dis
patch boat Wanda, off Santiago de
Cuba, Thursday, June (via Kingston.
Jamaica, June lott is believed the
navy will follow the landing of troops
by forcing the passage of the narrow
channel leading to the harbor of San
tiago de Cuba, fishing up the sunken
mines and compelling Admiral Cervera
to make a stand. If the destruction
of the Spanish fleet is successfully car
rieG out, it will end the last yestige Of
Spanish domiriOn In eastern Cuba
The harbor of Guantanamo is COM
pletely under the control of the Amer
lean fleet and the landing of marines at
that point is expected to occur stimuli
taneOuSly with the landing of troops
at Santiago de Cuba.
The navy awaits the army. The fight
ing ships of Rear Admiral Sampson
and Commodore Schley have battered
down the coast defenseS of southern
Cuba, and have sealed up Admiral Ger
vera's fleet in the harbor of Santiago
de Cuba by sinking the collier Merri-
mac in the channel at its entrance,
which the guns of the fleet cover. Boats
running under the shadows of Ell MORO
have cut the Haytien cables and now
hold 80 miles of the coast east of San
tiagO de Cuba, including Guantanamo
harbOr. Under the cover of the guns
of the fleet eastern Cuba may be safely
invested by land and sea, Admiral Ger
vera'S fleet annlhilated and the entire
province and it's towns and harborS
seized and held after a short cam
paign.
BASE OF OPERATIONS.
The harbor of Guantanamo is a. fine
basis for land and sea operations. The
harbor is capacious and has 10 feet of
water. The land approaches are not
so precipitoUS as at Santiago de Cuba.
The low lying hills can be easily
reached with trains of siege guns and
miles distant, where a few mountain
batteries, beyond the reach of the fleet,
will be taken to an eminence command
ing the city and the Spanish ships.
Guantanamo is an important place.
II has six miles of water harbOr and
will be of great value TO the United
States navy and army as a supply sta
ton, cOaling depot and cable terminus.
The Spaniards have but slight de-
Tense. Their batteries were silenced on
Tuesday by the Marblehead inHa few
minutes, firing at 1000 yards. A small
Spanish gunbOat ran away. The Ore
gon, Marblehead and Yankee hold the
harbor, waiting to land marines.
WHERE IS THE ARMY?
The navy's work has been done well
day and night ships patrol the 30
miles of coast within eask gun range
of the shore. The officers and men are
ever ready and impatiently say:
What more can be done? We have
opened the way. Where is the army OF
invasiOn?''
aT hand
The Marblehead returned to Guanta-
namo on Wednesday, taking Captain
Goodrich of the marines to survey land
ing places.
This morning the New Orleans and
Porter were close inshOre off Daiquiri,
east of Santiago, where there are eX-
tenSive iron works. A large iron pier
offers an excellent landing place. Pos
sibly one detachment of the army will
land there another force may land west
of FL MORO, and a third body Of troops
may land at Guantanamo. 1t is be-
lieVed the city can be captured easily
in a few days. and that Admiral Ger
vera will be compelled to fight
The destruction of the shore batteries
now makes possible their occupation by
troops. giving the American feet an
opportunity to enter the harbOr and
remove the mines at the entrance and
effect a joint blow of the army and
navy. involving the surrender of the
Spanish troops in the eastern provinces,
now practically all concentrated at
Santiago de Cuba, and the surrender or
destruction of Admiral Cerveras fine
ships would necessarily have an impor-
tant, if not controlling bearing in clos
ing the war.
1t is with this view that such a close
watch is maintained to prevent the es-
cape of the Spanish ships, and neceS-
sariIy the presence of the soldiers is re-
1uired to prevent the defeat Of the
work thus far accomplished by the
navy