The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-07

never allow his vessels to be taken, and
that when he finds no other alternative open
70 avoid destruction or capture: he will sink
them, as Constructor hopSon dlu the Msrrl-
mac. With the channel closed, the last hope
OF naval men for a fight between ships OF
modern construction and fought under i'm
proved conditions disappears and by all II
is generally conceded that when the war
ends the historians will have but one inn
portant naval fight to record.
In sinking the Merri1nac the programme
of Admiral Sampson Is, for the first time,
disclosed and it proves beyond doubt that
Investigations made by him showed the ut
ter impossibility of his taking the large
force of heavy battle ships and cruisers be-
tween the forts and over the submarine
mines in an attempt to reach and bring into
action the Spanish vessels. Naval officials
have no theories to advance as TO the rea-
sons impelling the course followed by Samp-
son, other than that he concluded, after
careful examination of the charts and I'M
favorable conditions, that ii was inadvis-
able to take battle ships through channel
where there not one chance in ten that
they could pass safely. The difficulties that
such an undertaking would involve are
shown by the charts, which indicate but
tWenty-four feet of water at one point in
the channel or about two feet less than
would be necessary for the Iowa and the
Massachusetts
Cervera's vessels draw less by two or
three feet than the heaviest of the Amer
lean ships but even his vessels must have
mad little water beneath their bottoms to
spare as they passed in. With all chances
or escape against them, either by success
Iully removing the wreck and securing at
least channel to the sea, a general feeling
exists among naval officers that some bold
ard almost equally daring exploit as that
of Constructor Hobson will be attempted by
the admiral rather than submit to the resort
OF blowing up his own vessels without hav-
ing had opportunity of firing a single pro-
Jectle at an American vessel.
While admitting that the destruction OF
the collier in the harbor of Santiago places
an entirely new phase on the naval situa-
ton in Cuban waters, officials Of the Navy
Department are not prepared to issue In
structions to Admiral Sampson for the de-
tachment of main section of his fleet UNI
til he has been heard from in detail. Now
that the Spanish admiral is no longer to be
regarded as q dangerous factor in the trans
portation Of large bodies of troops by sea TO
Porto Rico and Santiago, the War Depart
.ment is preparing to take immediate steps
Tor forwarding several transports to both
places, and safe escort is to be afforded
them by the ships now part of the bic ok
aiding fleets off Havana, with other vessels
that are to be relieved from further duty at
Santiago. The army is relieved of the ne
cessity now of waiting further on the navy
to provide 1t necessary, vessels to convoy
the merchant ships, and large movement
is now expected to begin.
Constructor HobsonS action In obstruct-
ing the chanel SO that possibility of escape
by the Spanish fleet is now remote removes
all probabilities, the most conservative OIL
GERS agree of another great sea fight be-
tween the American and Spanish forces.
Until last Thursday both Admiral Samp
son and Commodore Schley are understood
to have been of the opinion that the heavy
else of caution and under the guidance or
skilled pilots familiar with the waters,
could be taken between the Notifications
and up into the harbor, but were convinced,
on representations made later. that no bat
tie ship could possibly. get around the turn
at the narrowest point of the channel,
where there was barely enough water for
the lighter vessels of the Spanish feet Re-
luctantly. therefore, they abandoned their
Admiral SIMPSONS message was received
that the department knew what steps had
been taken to hold tight the Spanish ships
Admiral SIMPSONS programme having
been developed, the next course of proce-
dure executed by him is yet to be presented
Notwithstanding the fact that the Merrimac
wreck prevents the passage of ships IN or
out of Santiago, the policy of the Navy De-
partment will not be to withdraw all the
heavy lighting vessels now blockading that
port and leave a loop through which Ger
vera might escape and make his way to
Martinique, where possibly he could secure
sufficient coal to enable him to reach some
home port. Several of the heavily armored
vessels, including two of the battle ships
and the. New York are expected to be with
drawn for service in completing the destruc-
ton of what remains of the defenses at
Puerto Rico. prior to the landing of Amer
lean troops for the seizure and occupation
Of that port A suitable squadron will be
left in front of Santiago where it will re-
main unquestionably until the United States
is in actual possession of the city.
The most substantial evidence has been
given to naval officials since the arrival of
Admiral Cervera in the West Indies of the
and the urgent necessity that the American
navy be increased by several additions of
this formidable type of ship. Secretary
Long is understood to have recognized that
Brooklyn and New York type, cer1era' 5
squadron could have been caught and de-
feated, and that it would never have
reached Santiago with fleet of these ships
moving around south of Cuba looking for
it. Every one of Admiral Cervera's vessels
is of the highest type of armored cruiser
and more formidable than either of the
American vessels account of the heavy
protection afforded its sides. The New
York and Brooklyn have the speed of Ger
vera's ships. but other vessel of the
American navy is so fast and at the same
time so we'll armored. Because of the pro-
lection of the Spanish vessels it became
necessary to send battle ships or monitors
in whatever fleet was ordered to look for
them; but with six ships of the armored
cruiser type the experts agree that the en-
envy could have been hunted down much
sooner and destroyed and captured without
the assistance of battle ships. The next ar
mored cruisers built for the navy, the con-
structors say. should be heavily armored
and have double the thickness of plates of
those around the sides of the New York
and Brooklyn. Constructor Hichborn is
one of the strong advocates of this type of
war ship. and believes that the next pro-