The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-14
Vessels of the United States More FOrmid=
able and Some of their Guns Larger.
Spaniards Said to Be in Caribbean Sea-Sampson In
structed to Pursue Them-Schley's Flying
Squadron Hurryng South.
speeiaI to the Inalanapollg journal.

Special to the indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. May 13.-The flower of
the Spanish navy has crossed the Atlantic
to fight us. Where the Spaniards will
strike will be speedily revealed. They
stopped at the French island of Martinique,
five hundred miles southeast of Porto Rico,
to lay in fresh supply of COAL Accord
ing to some advices they are still there.
Other information represents them as hav-
ing sailed this morning either for Havana
or Porto Rico. Orders were sent Admiral
Sampson early this morning to proceed at
once to meet the Spanish squadron and de-
stroy it. These Instructions were dispatched
via st. Thomas, which is only few hours
from Porto Rico The fleet liner Harvard.
formerly the New York, was waiting there
to take the orders, and by O'Clock this
evening they should be in his hands. BY
midnight or before he should have been on
the way south with his aggregation of
lighting machines sea monsters of iron and
steel which the Navy Department believes
fully capable of sinking anything the Span
ish can send against us. If the Spaniards
should be moving north to meet the Ameri-
cans the two fleets may meet tomorrow
morning. and while these words being
read the greatest naval battle in the his
tory of the world may be in progress. 1t
will be the battle which the nations of the
earth have been waiting for ever since the
construction of modern battle ships began.
it will test the theories of those who have
been building invulnerabIe ships to go
against irresistible projectles. 1t will test
the practical value of the wonderful naves
which have been built at a cost OF many
hundreds of millions of dollars and which
are costing other hundreds of millions
every year to maintain.
A FORMIDABLE SQUADRON.
The Spanish squadron has no battle ship
like the Iowa and Indiana in Admiral
Sampsons formation, but it includes at
least four armored cruisers of the highest
grade, vessels of great speed and formid-
able armament, besides several torpedo
boat destroyers and torpedo boats. The
American fleet under Sampson consists of
two battle ships, four armored and pro-
tected cruisers and three monitors. The
cruisers have speed but the other ships are
slow moving and in point of ability to
maneuver and get about quickly they are
no match for the Spaniards. The Spanish
fleet is the faster traveller, and can there
fore pick the place of battle. If it should
conclude to give Admiral Sampson the go
by and proceed directly to Havana it can
do so without molestation. One thing can
be taken for granted. The Spanish fleet
came over to give battle and not escape
collision If the latter had been its pur-
pose it would have remained on the other
side The Spanish authorities profess to be-
lieve it's navy is stronger than ours. If they
are sincere they have the American navy
ideally stuated it is divided, and if the
enemy is in earnest in believing it can whip
our navy as whole it should not hesitate
to attack the first section it can find. That
would be the Porto Rican squadron under
command OF tne intrepid Aumlrdl sampson.
This American squadron is the heavier of
the two in weight of armament, and should
prove the better. The fight. however. would
not be one sided.
ORDERS GIVEN SCHLEY.
Fearing, however. that Havana may be
the objective point, and that the Spaniards
will avoid. instead of seek. fight with
Sampson, the flying squadron" under COM
niand of Commodore Schley, has been or
dered from Hampton Roads. The commo-
dore sailed under sealed orders, but ii is re-
garded as certain almost that he is under
instructions to proceed at once TO Havana
to protect the mosquito fleet. which is
blockading the northern coast of Cuba.
Schley sailed with only three fighting yes
sells, namely, the Massachusetts and Texas,
which are battle ships of the first class.
and the armored cruiser Brooklyn OF the
battle ships. the Massachusetts is supposed
10 be the stronger 1t Is one of the best
lighting machines in existence. Both the
Massachusetts and Texas carry tremendous
armaments. The flying squadron" as II
sailed yesterday, although inferior in mum
bers and in the number OF guns carried by