Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-24

| which will 60 by way of Newport News
| and Tampa, Fla.
Tampa is again to be mace the rendez
Vous Tor large force, and the department
| Is obtaining complete details with q view
| ID centering another large fleet of trans
] pcrts there With the troops moving to
| tLese points and the expeditions well ad-
| Vahced' Gen. Miles will then be free to Join
the army in the field. Personally he is
most desirous Of being with the troops.
! 1or, as he says to his friends, he has been
with the men for thirty years, and his
spirit Is with them now, although circum-
| stances necessitate his remaining here f,r
time to clear up the important military
| movements impending. There is q pos,i-
b,iity that he may go with Gen. Henry's
| DIVISION when the Harvard and Yale make
| their second trip from Newport News, but
| tnls Is quite doubtful. The general nim-
SELF Goes not know when he will be able to
get away.
Dfscredit Reports of Battle.
| Notwithstanding the official snanisb re-
ports OF heavy fighting between the Amer
| lean invading army and the Spanish forces
| near Santiago, the army officers here are
| confident that no engagement of any mo-
ment has yet occurred between these
troops. Part of the landing project was A
! NOV ment In force by the Cubans across
! the country to prevent the Spanish forces
| from concentrating upon the beach to op-
pose the landing of the American troops.
Iaken In connection with SIMPSONS plan
! OF phndlng the Spaniards to the real land
ing place by an indiscriminate harryine Of
the coast Tor twenty miles east and west.
this scneme worked admirao bly, as far as
the American troops are concerned, as was
evidenced by their landing without the loss
| Of a man.
II is suspected. however. that the Cubans
nave had TO pay for this exemption on the
part OF the Americana, and that the en-
sasemcnts described In the Spanish de-
spatches were really between the Cubaus
| and the 6paniards far back in the rear in
stead OF between the Americans and spxn-
| iaros. Seeing that the Cubans, who were
almost without clothing, have been LIBERAL
ly supplied by Sampson and shefter. IT IN
conceivable that the spaniards might eusilv
mistake them for American soldiers at n
little distance.
heinforcements From Pando,
Inc news coming from Jamaica that Gem
efai fando Is sending heavy endorsements
10 the Spanish general Linerss In Santt-
ago IL hkely TO have the effect of Fastening
.he campaign against that town by the
Americans. Pando has 10000 soldiers at
f1o'suln, less than 100 miles from Santiago
lhey are the pick of the Spanish army IN
Suod, ana their commander Is known as
the Fighting General. Were they to COM
line with the Spanish force in Santiayo
the American campaign might be very
much prolonged and the task SET fnr
our troops would be very much heavier
Two factors have been relied upon to pre.
vent this combination. The first is the very
rough nature of the country between Ho,-
gum and Santiago, which would be exceed
ingly difficult for troops to cover in less
than four or five days at the earliest. The
second fs the active efforts of the Cuhans
10 harass the Spaniards on the march and
retard their movements. With the for,o
they now have in that country the Cubans
can do this very effectsally, but they can
scarcely undertake to absolutely check the
whole Spanish force of 10000 men.
What Ccrvera fs Doing.
The reports from Santiago indicate that
the Spanish admiral is using his squadron.
exactly as was anticipated to defend the
town from attack by soldiers in the raar
This only emphasizes in the minds of army,
officers the necessity for speedy action on
the part of the invaders for with Psndo,s
men to reinforce the garrison and Cervara,s
squadron in full play the Spanish force
would be, from a military point of view
actually much stronger than the combined
forces OF Americans under Shafter and On
bans under Garcia and Rabi which couI5 he
Brought against them. 1t is believed that
considerable reliance is to be placed unon
the American siege train, for as soon as
the heavy siege guns are in place ON the
crest of the hills it is expected that the no.
sition of the Spanish admiral below ex-
posed to plunging fire, would be unten.
able, and he would be obliged eithar to sur.
renoer or make a desperate sally for Iih-
erty and try to escape from Santiago bar-
bor.
Inc naval authorities here are satisfied
that no Spanish warship has escaped from
Santiago harbor so far, and the snan,sb
newspaper stories to the effect that "tbe
cruiser Reina Christina escaped from San
uaso, etc., were received here with pood
deal OF amusement. AS one officer nut !,
tne Spaniards must be possessed of a regp-
lar Flying Dutchman" in the 'Reina Chris
tna' Tor at last accounts, and very recant
ones, too. that particular vessel was living
IN the bottom of Manila bay, WHARF, Dewey
hao SUNK her on May day. The story is re-
garded as a fair sample OF those put af,oat
to deceive the Spaniards at home and give
comfort to their friends in Europe.
Running the Blockade.
Ihe formaS statement by the Spanisb
minister of marine that the Maria Chris
tina had succeeded in running the blockade
into Cienfuegos naturally demanded more
attention than the first publication. al
though the officials do not hesitate to ex.
press doubt Of its accuracy. This vessel.
however. is not, as may be supposed. a !
formidable war craft, but is nothing more |
than one of the vessels of the Compaenio
Trans-Atlantique of Cadiz, hastily fitted |
up with few 51-2-inch Hontoria guns
She was built in 1888, and is a sixteen-knot
vessel of 43s1 tons displacement. If she
has actually gone into Cienfuegos. she has
crossed over from some of the smaller is |
lands of the West Indies or NAV be from |
Porto Rico. 1t is believed, however. thar 81 /
the vessel actually reached Cuba. she got 1
In at Batabano. or perhaps Manzanillo. /
both of which are ports outside of the
blockade lines.
There-haS beep yn,,cb f,1 80