The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-22
Sampson and Schley Are Far From
the SpaniardS.
HAD NOT HEARD THE NEWS
CERVERA'S FLEET
WOULD STRIKE FOR HAVANA.
Did Not Know That It Had Run Into
Santiago Harbor-Everything Was
at High Tension and Naval Off
GERS We're Expecting Big Battle
Redistribution of Vessels.

Key West, May 20.-(Via Jackson
vile. Fla, May 21.)-(Delayed in trans
mission. )-Tonight sees the close of the
most intensely anxious and most vex-
atious day Key West has known since
the war began. Everything indicates
the proximity of big naval battle,
but with an unseen foe, who may ap-
pear at any one of several points and
possibly strike a blow and get away
before force can be raised to Offset
them.
AT this hour the whereabouts of
Schley's and SIMPSONS squadrons are
the fixed quantities in the equation the
Spaniards are represented by.
Daybreak found Commander Schley's
squadron, which had sailed from
Hampton Roads of Friday, anchored
off Sankey lighthouse, six miles below
Sigsbee'S Dig greyhound, the st. Paul,
which, leaving the roads a day later
than thew, had beat them here almost
a day and a half.
The appearance of the flying squad
ron was supplemented about $3.50 by
two of the dispatch boats that had
been with Admiral SIMPSONS fleet,
racing neck and neck, the Associated
Press dispatch boat Dauntless in the
lead.
The necessity of cutting the cables at
Santiago de Cuba has already been evil
denced in Key West by several Madrid
cablegrams, via London, sent after the
bloody fight at Cienfuegos last week,
when the Marblehead's boat crew cut
the cable at that point.
Admiral SIMPSONS fleet arrived here
at p. m. This confirmed the forecast
made in these dispatches Sunday as to
the Whereabouts and intentions of
these two fleets, though both had been
slower in arriving than well posted ma
val officers here supposed at that time.
All this was interesting enough, but
not a word of it was allowed past the
censor's office, and a score of cores
pondents who had been besieging the
cable office all the morning wilted down
into the hotel veranda chairs out of the
broiling sun, helpless to get a word of
the real news of the situation to their
papers. Naval officers, for the most
part, were ignorant as the correspond
ents as to how matters stood in the
world outside of Key West, ard wheth-
er or not the matter that had been cen
sored had not already leaked out
through the less CONSTRUCTED channels
at Washington. Naval men, however,
had less time for speculation, for the
fleet was busily engaged in preparing
for some move. details of which were
known only TO Commodore Watson and
those nearest him. Every officer ashore
was on the alert for orders to hurry
aboard his ship.
It may be candidly admitted that all
discussion of the Spanish fleet here is
speculative Key West is lamentably
isolated from the current news, save
such as is furnished by daily bulletins.
The understanding of the intention
here, however, is that Sampson counted
confidently on finding the Spanish
squadron bottled up in San Juan as did
Dewey the Spaniards at Manila. 1t was
not until daylight on the morning OF
the bombardment that he learned the
harbor was empty.
Meantime, according to the best in
formation here the fleet of seven Span
ish ships, probably including the Viz
caya, Oquendo, Cristobal Colon, Maria
Teresa and three destroyers, has been
moving west along the southern shore
of the Caribbean sea. Later reports
from Mole St. Nicolas, Cape Haytien
and other points make it seem prob
able that a second section of the
squadron, probably including the Car
dinal Cisneros the Pelaya and the
Christina Regenta, are following in the
wake of the first.
Everything is at high tension and
both officers and correspondents are
looking for a dispatch boat tearing up
the channel at any hour with the news
that the hostile feet has been sighted
within striking distance of Key West
or Havana. 1t is impossible to fore
cast the movements of either Sampson
or Schley, but the superstition among
naval men is that orders from Wash
ington will direct a redistribution of the
vessels, forming a new flying squadron
TO make a quick round up ofrthe west
Cuban coast, perhaps as far around
as Cienfuegos on the south, leaving a
sufficient guard of heavy vessels at
Key West and throwing a strong fight
ing force in front of Havana where, af-
ter all, the great battle may be fought.