The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-06-29
A TASTE OF WAR.
Spanish Will Have It Served at
Their Own Doors.
A Powerful Flying Squadron Under Com
mand of Commodore Watson VIII
Soon Cross the Atlantic and
BombArd Cities on the
spanish Coast.

tration yesterday finally came to 6
decision to send an American squad
ron to the Spanish coast and INTO the
Mediterranean. Several times since thc
war broke out rumors to this effect
have circulated, but the project had
not matured. 1t required the Spanish
movement toward the Philippines by
Camaras squadron to decide the
navy department to adopt this bold
stroke. The first announcements yes
terday was through the following bul
letin posted at the navy department:
Commodore Watson sails to-day il
the Newark to join Sampson, when he
will take under his command an
armored squadron with cruisers and
proceed at once off the Spanish coast.
The following bulletin was posted
showing Commodore Watson's squad
ron. 1t is designated the eastern
squadron and is as follows:
Flagship Newark, battleships Iowa
and Oregon, cruisers Yosemite, YautiC
and Dixie, and the colliers Scendia
Abarenda and Alexander. The start
will be made at once from off San
tiago. The bulletins also showed the
following changes in designation ol
the divisions of our vessels
North Atlantic-Rear Admiral SaJEp
son, commanding.
First squadron-Commodore Howell
commanding.
Second squadron-Commodore w. s
Schley, commanding.
Naval base, Key West-Connodore
Remey, commanding.
The three vessels selected as col
liers have already started to Newpor.
News to take on large supply of coal
1t will require about week to get
this down to SIMPSONS fleet, 50 il
the start is to be made from that point
it will be impossible for Commodore
Watson to get away before the ith OF
July. This would seem TO be an aus
picious date for the beginning of an
expedition that will, for the first time
in the worlds history, START from the
New World to attack continental
Europe.
The determination to senl this
squadron against Spain was tie out
come of direct official advices reaching
the state and navy departments as to
the progress of Camara's squadron.
These advices give list of the Span.
ish ships now nearing the Suez canal,
The official list follows: Pelayo,
Carlos ", Audaz, Osado, Proserpina,
Patricia, Rapido, Buenos Ayres, Isla
de Paney, Colon, Covandonga and San
Francisco.
This squadron is at Port Said and
expects to take on board 10000 tons
of coal before entering the Suez canal.
Such heavy coaling will take some
time. 1t discloses also that the ad-
miral expects to make a long sail and
is doubtless headed for the Philip
pines. This squadron is the most for
midable Spain has afoat. The Pelayo
is the strongest of the ships and is the
only battleship in the Spanish navy.
The eastern squadron, which the
United States will now send against
Spain, far outranks this Spanish
squadron, the Iowa and Oregon en-
ceeding the Pelayo and Carlos V. at
every point, while the other United
States vessels are far superior to those
of the Spanish squadron.
When the American feet sails for
Spain it will take with it complete in
formation as to the entire stretch of
Spanish coast with maps of every
harbor and its Notifications. The war
board had mass of this information
before it yesterday and spent good
part of the day studying Spanish
charts and Notifications, with n view
to outlining the series of blows to be
delivered to Spain at home. The Span
ish coast line is abrupt and noun
famous, with sinuous inlets. In gen
eral the Notifications of the coast are
relics of the medieval greatness of
Spain and many of these old defenses
are tumbling ruins.
Some naval authorities believe the
Canary islands will be the first point
of attack and that the next move will
be to establish naval base at Ceuta,
a point on the African coast, owned
by Spain and opposite Gibraltar.