The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-06-17
NAVAL SPECTACLE.
Great Fleet of Fifty Transport,
Ready to Sail from Key
West for Cuba.
the GOVERNMENT NIL TAKE NO RISKS.
Omcial Confirmation of the Engag.men,
at Guantanamo Bay-rbe Real Object
of the Charloston's Voyage 10 >.cur.
Coaiing station la the Pacific by ia.
Seizure OF the Ladrones.

Coaling station Ia che Pacific by ia.
Seizure of the Ladrones.
WASHINGTON, June ll.-From the
maze of doubt and contradiction as Ia
the dispatch Of the first army of inya-
sion to Cuba one thing stands oui
clearly-namely: That the government.
feeling strong in its present p~ositic-
and plan, is moving cautiously ara
with the d~elibcration which il be-
lieves will secure success unattended
with disaster. With this main pur-
pose in view, the army and navy are
cooperating toward the dispatch of
the troops, some $4,000 in number, un-
der escort of IA strong fleet OF naval
conveys, made up of IL war ships.
headed by the battleship Indiana
Unattended by this strong fleet. the
troops might have left last Friday,
when one strong naval convoy was
ready for this service. Since then.
however, reports have come as to the
presence of Spanish ships in the north
Atlantic.
Realizing that nothing vas To be
gained by haste, and that the war was
progressing steadily toward success, il
was determined not To take the one
small chance of having our troop trans
ports menaced by some scouting ship
Of the enemy.
AS a result the troop transports have
not proceeded to Cuba, either yestcr
day or the day before, as has been re.
peatedly asserted. They are in readi-
ness TO go, but will not move until the
naval convoy is ready to accompany
them, assuring safe conduct from Flor
ida to the point of destination
Whether that will be to-day or to-mor-
row the war department declines posi-
lively to say, and there is authority for
the statement that any reports pur-
porting to give the day or hour when
this formidable flotilla of invasion VIII
start is not only unwarrantcd, but
meets with the most vigorous official
condemnation.
The administration feels that the
time has come when it is of the utmost
importance that the precise move
ments of this invading fleet should no,
be published in this country, and thus
heralded to the enemy.
The completeness with which the
transport of troops has been planned
is shown in the official list OF trans
port vessels given out at the war de-
partment yesterday. OF this list 81
large steamships, varying from 4'l0
tons down to GOO tons, are ready TO
t carry our troops to the point Of inva-
sion. There are some Is other craft,
including vessels suitable Tor convey
ing fresh water. stores, etc, and for
Tightening the troops and stores.
5 The entire transport feet OF about
! fifty steamships, augmented by the
: fleet of naval conveys, IL in number
= will make an imposing marine process
sion, exceeding in magnitude the no.
table spectacle ofthe naval review dur
ing the Worlds fair year.
The first official confirmation OF the
engagement at Guantanamo last Tues
, day came to the navy department yes
! tcrday, and was made the subject o.
y a bulletin. The terms in which Al
J. miral Sampson described the affair
D tended strongly to take away the large
importance that had been given 1t 10
tie unolllcidl NiSphttb'o' N
"A notable failure on the part 81 th'
admiral to mention anything like
landing, although a statement that th'
Marblehead now holds the lower pay
by implication may carry with III tn'
idea hat her marines are ashore.
The statement coming from SaI
: Francisco to the effect that the real oo
= ject of the Charleston's voyage was ln'
y seizure of the Spanish Ladrone isiah"'
: has small basis Of truth i'm IT, Nhei
= it was decided to send the monitor
!, Monterey and Monadnock clear acros
= the Pacific from Mare Island 70 Mania
u il was well known that this conla no
be done without sending along co..
liers. because of the insufficient Goa
i, supply of the monitors. 1t was ho
y deemed practicable to tow the 0tg IRON
clads the 1000 miles of the voyage ina
would have to be traverscd by '"0i
:, without coal. ~ il became necessary =
:. find places in the Pacific where ".
:, could rcplenish their bunkcrs. a sAu"
y of the charts showed that there WEI
several groups lying between law"
and the Philippines which might aio,
a harbor in which the golfers cou'
v lay along side the monitors anu 49, :
r. their coal bunkers.
,e- The officials do not deem 1T pruu'.
r. to name the particular islands chos'
is. for the purpose, but it is obvious ~
re being barred 10y neutrality laws no
lis the possessions Of natural count
~ the first recour of the navy ueP''
ment would be some OF the NPa"S'
islands, such as the Ladrones oI y
C~arolipes. Therefore, it Is assu'n.
A. that IL the Charleston really goes !
as one of the former islands, IL wa :
,ir with the purpose of securing y
OF vance a suitable harbor for inc ="
he the monitors.