Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-24
NILES EXPEDITION
1t is Expected to Reach Porto
Ill.,. Rico Today.
OTHER TROOPS DELAYED
New Camps To Ee Created Az Soon ..s
Possible Reports of Recent lex
citing Events Among Gu r..
M bans Not Credited. .. 49,.
(Ey Telegraph.l

WASHINGTON. July 23-General
Miles expedition, in all probability. is
now in the Mona Passage between
Haiti and Porto Rico. and will be in
sight OF the landing point in the morn
| ing. While this is the expectation OF
Secretary Alger FOR prudential Reasons.
the War Department declines to make
amy comment as to the accuracy OF
the various guesses that have been
| made in the effort to ascertain Just
| what point has been selected for the
| landing place. There is likely to be a
lapse of Il day or two between the ar
rival OF the expedition and the notifi-
cation of the fact to the department.
unless some merchant vessel crossing
to st. Thomas should sight the Amer
lean flotills. After that, however, the
department will be in the closest COM
| munication with General Miles, for il
will possess itself of a cable connecting
General Miles headquarters directly
With the department. Some parts OF
the Porto Rican expedition have been
delayed a few days beyond the dates
fixed for their departure, but in view
Of the difficulties in handling the large
body OF them and the supplies for them
this is not surprising. Thus Schwan's
troops got away only today from Tam
1pa though IL was believed they started
yesterday. while the most numerous
detachment OF the whole expedition. the
iirst division under General Brooke.
Will not be able to clear from Newport
News before Monday. Still it is bellev-
ed that they will arrive at Porto Rico
in good fashion, and it will certainly
| facilitate an orderly and comfortable
landing of the troops to have them land
| In attachments. instead of one vast
army, astnSthe case Of Skaters army
I, at Santiago.
| Doubt is cast upon the reports of re-
cent exciting events among the Cubans
at or near Santiago owing to the failure
of General Shafter to make any report
NJ o1,fh lA
| made less important subjects matter
for dispatches, 1t is hard to understand
| why he should fail to mention an event
Of such Importance as the reported at
| tack by Garcia upon Spanish troops on
their way to surrender to Shafter.
There was no health report received
| from Shafter today, bur so far from
being dlscouraging this is believed to
ed conditions reported yesterday and
! the day before as to the health of the
camp The War Department is now,
while Keeping close eye upon General
Miles expedition looking with interest
for detailed mall reports from General
Shafter telling OF the engagement pre-
ceoing and leading up to the surrender
or Santiago 1t wae reported today
that Colonel J. J. Aston, of General
Skaters staff, was due in Washington.
bringing with him the full capitulations
signed by commissioners. and 1t was
expected that Skaters preceding re-
ports would accompany them. How
ever, up to the close OF Office hours to-
day. which. to the relief of the hard
| worked clerks was three o'clock for the
| first time in months. the officers had
not appeared and the department does
not know where he is.
Some official papers have come from
Sampson. but to the great disappoint-
mens of the Navy Department officials
the reports closed on the day before the
famous naval battle. Some points Of
interest contained in them will be Civ
| en- to the public in the course of a
day or two. but they viii relate only
To several fights between the squadron
and the shore batteries
| 1t is the purpose OF the War Depart
ment to begin at once the execution Of
the plans devised by Secretary Alger
| for the creation of reserve camps, and
| boards OF staff officers are now engaged
In various localities oking after suit
able camp sites and making the prelin-
| mary arrangements for acquiring the
| right to use these places and arranging
| for water supplies. The intention is.
not to be caught through any contin-
gency with large numbers of troops at
central points in the midst of an cpl
demic of any kind, with no place to
move them. 1t was for this reason that
| Fernandina was selected some time ago
as one OF these reserve camps. and with
in the last few days the value of the
! policy has been amply justified. as
otherwise there would have been no
suitable place to which to remove the
troops from Tampa. One Of the reserve
camps is likely TO be located in the
valley OF the Potomac. about forty
miles above Washington, and will be
very convenient for the reception OF
troops from Camp Alger in case it is
deemed necessary for the health of the
soldiers to remove them
J me state Department today COM
! pleted the engrossment of the joint res
clutlon adopted by Congress extending
me thanks of that branch of the gov
ernment to Admiral Dewey for his no
table achievements in the Philippines
These were transmitted to the Navy
| department. which will forward tnm
to the admiral, along with the degree
OF l.. l.. D., conferred upon him by the
| University of Pennsylvania.
EYLLOw FEVER SITUATION.
General Shafter Reports That Ii Is No.
| Alarming