The age-herald., 1898-07-14
THE CRISIS HAS
 BEEN REACHED Within a Few Hours Santiago
 Will Surrender or Receive THOROUGH P $lSM OF FIRE Guns Of Ent'5$ 2.my and Navy Wil' Open : ls City Today. THE PRL SINCE OF YELLOW FEVER Among Our Troops Has Fastened the
 Assault on the Beseiged City. ORDERS HAVE GONE TO GEN. SKATER To Farley No More With the Spanish Com. mander, But to Attack the City With all the Forcee at His Com nland at Noon Today.
Among Our Troops Has Fastened the
 Assault on the Beseiged City.
ORDERS HAVE GONE TO GEN. SKATER

Washington, July 15.-Whie the long-ex. pected fall of Santiago did not take place today. it is evident that he crisis has been reached. Within the next twentya four hours it will either surrender or fe. ceive such baptism of fire as seldom falls to the lot of a besieged town. "If he re- fuses, I will open on him at 12 noon to- morrow with every gun I have and nave the assistance of the navy Am ready to bombard the city with 13-inch shells.''
 That is the program laid down by Gen. eral Shafter, and is to be carried out to the letter. Genral Shafter is still com- raanding according to the war department officials, and although dispatches have been received from General Miles, signed "Major- General, Commanding" it Is said that he has not displaced General Shafter in direct charge of the operations.
 The public in one of these telegrams from General Miles, was given the first notice that our government had offerd in the course of the negotiations with General Toral to send the Spanish soldiers in Sam tiago back to Spain. A few days ago 1t was sad the president would insist upon an unconditional surrender, but it appears the condition has been modified, as indi-  from a desire to avoid useless bloodshed, for General Torals army removed to spain would be harmless to prevent our further oneratlons in Cuba anG would serve as good a purpose as would the destruction of the Spanish army
 {. Yellow Fever Prevalent
 To allow the Spanish general to withdraw to the interior and fall back on HaVana' on the other hand, would put us unuet ei1 obligation of overcoming that additionai force when it comes to the siege ol ii vana. Our government also is moved 10 make this proposal to move the SRanisli forces to Spain through strong desiTe to close up the operations at Santiago at the earliest possible moment. Thls position mas been materially strengthened by the ap- pearance of yellow fever in the American lines. ,
 It was at first supposed that the men were falling i'll with malaria ana chmatlc fever so the cases were reported as slii- ply suspicious. Now, however, comes the final admission that they are genuine yelT low fever cases. The appearance has de~ termined the authorities upon a. more se- we're prosecution of the campaign.
 It is not doubted that General Shafter has done all that is possible to prevent close communication between the soldiers ana refugees for sanitary reasons. Ills at- tempt to help the poor to the extent or ms power in which he has been obliged 10 make use of the quartermaster's depart ment to deliver supplies to them and from the exposure thus resulting the fourteen cases reported found their origin as the latest dispatches say that nine of the cases were among the quartermasters employees and five among the refugees
 The Cases Are Mild
 The cases are regarded as mild cases of yellow fever. The promptness with which the sick men have been collected and the tod n them the best nursing and medicine, com- bined with the improved methods of treat ment of fever that have been developed by the United States Marine Hospital Service and adopted by the army, would seem to warrant the confidence expressed by medi- cal officers here of the ability of the sur geons with General Shafter to control these suspicious eases and prevent an extension of the fever The presence in the camp of Dr. John Guiteras of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most famous yell low fever experts in the world, is an ad- ditional source of confidence in the proper management of the situation.
 Ordrs either have or will soon go for ward to General Shafter to discuss no more with the Spanish commander the terms Of surrender but to proceed to assault the town with all the force at his command, as soon as the present truce expires.
 It is expected by GeneCal Shafter that the navy will cooperate, and while Secretary Long has receivedfn direct advlces on that point from Admiral Sampson, he fully credits this assertion. Reluctant as the war department is to sacrifice the many lives in assault 1t Is deemed to be the better policy to makeit than to allow the men to rot away with levers and other diseases during the long period that would be re- Qured to perfect the reduction of the city by steady investment. An expectation is still entertained here, however, that this
 
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