The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-03
GENERAL NILES At TAMPA
Headquarters at Tampa
Bay Hotel.
RAINY SEASON BEGUN.

Omeial Announcement Of the Success
ful Landing oTthe Dorst Expedition.
All Quiet Along the BlOekade-Storfes
OF Spanish Cruiser OF Florida Coast
RfdieuIed = Something More than
Coal Expected 10 be Found I'm the
RestOrmel.
Tampa. Fla. June 1.-Major Nelson
A. Miles, commander-in-ch chief of the
United States army, is now in Tampa.
The general, with his staff and large
office force, arrived here today over
the Florida Southern and Peninsular
railroad from Washington and estab-
lished his headquarters at the Tampa
Bay hotel. Mrs. Miles, Miss Miles
and Sherman A. Miles were also in the
party Gen. Miles was apparently thor
oughly tired out by his hot journey
and remained in the hotel all day con-
versing over the situation with Cen
erals Shafter and Wheeler and renew
ing old acquaintances among the vet
Grams who were with him on the from
tier
The rainy season on the Florida
coast may now be said to have fairly
commenced A terrific thunderstorm
was experienced here today. The rain
fall for half an hour was simply enor-
nous, but the ground, dried into pow
der by drought that has lasted for
eight months, readily absorbed most of
it and but little discomfort was caused
- %1o
few tents We're blown down by the oc-
casional squalls and some lively
scrambling among the unfortunate oc
cupantS Of these tents resulted, but no
material damage was done. The dust
and heat of the past two weeks have
been almost unbearable and, in con-
sequence, drilling hours in many cases
have been shortened, it being simply
impossible for even the regular troops,
hardened as they are, to stand 1t.
Lieutenant J. D. Miley, of General
Skaters staff, has returned. His trip
extended over several days. Brigadier
General H. w. Lawton has reported
here to General Shafter.
An official notice of the complete
success Of the expedition in command
of Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Dorst,
which sailed from this port on the
steamer Florida two weeks ago, carry
ing arms and ammunition, commissary
supplies, horses and males for the in
surgent army under General Garcia,
besides one of the largest and best
equipped bodies of men that has yet
volunteered for service in the cause of
Cuba, was posted on the bulletin board
at army headquarters today. 1t reads
as follows:
Colonel Dorst returned to Key
West yesterday, after landing a sue
cessful expedition on the northeast st
coast of Cuba. He landed at Point
Banes, directly across the island from
Santiago de Cuba. He took with him
from Tampa over 400 Cubans, fully
armed and equipped, and to some ex-
tent drilled, and landed these to-
gether with over 1000, 900 rounds of
ammunition, between 1000 and 5000
Springfield rifles and a steamer load of
munitions of war, including horses and
mules"
This makes the third successful ex-
petition in landing munitions of war
and armed Cubans on the coast of
Cuba. Colonel Dorst was the first to
land American troops on Cuban soil
and to raise the American flag on
those shores. He was also the first to
| whip a body of Spanish troops, in
which the commanding officer and two
or three men were killed, and he is the
hrst TO capture one of the deep water
ports on the north coast of Cuba 1t
is little singular that while at almost
the same time that Commodore Schlev
was closing in on the Spanish fleet in
the port of Santiago de Cuba, Colonel
Dorst was and had been for two days
unloading munitions of war in a port
directly north and within sixty miles
of it,
Key est, Fla, June 1. APO D. MAS
kJa of hofl
CUBA there is but one opinion among
naval men here and that is the Ameri-
| can fleet is strong enough to cope with
| the whole Spanish navy, let alone Ger
vera's light squadron.
| Advices from the iblockading fleet off
Havana say that there is nothing stir
! ring there. Every morning one Span
ISM gunDoat satulks out OF the harbor
and moves along the line OF forts, pro-
| tected by them, as if sent by Blanco
| to tell the Americans he does not fear
| them.
The stories about a Spanish cruiser
| being seen in the straits Of Florida and
| even chasing American ships have be
| come the subject of laughter among
| naval officers, who say they would
| dearly love to see any such ship.
Nearly all the newspapeG boats have
! gone to Santiago.
| Admiral Cervera'S coalShip, the big
| British steamer Restormel has been
| moored at the naval station dock
| where her cargo Of picked Welsh coal
viii be unloaded. Naval officials have
an idea that they will find something
beside coal in her hold. 1t was the
ReStormers failure to reach Santiago
| that made it impossible for the Span
iSh fleet to escape.
There were no important naval move
ments today.
Seventy-five naval reserves from
Chicago and 147 from Iowa and Illinois
arrived on the steamer from Tampa
| today under command OF Lieutenant
Porter. They Will go into camp with
the other Chicago reserves here until
taken by the ships. All were well ex-
cept one, who was brought ashore on
cot. Il. -.