The age-herald., 1898-07-16
With Understanding That They Be Re.
 turned When Spain is Reached.
WILL NOT RETARD SETTLEMENT

Washington, July 15.-There was a long and anxious wait today to hear further news from the commissioners who had been charged to make arrangements for the surrender Of the Spanish army at Santla! go. For eighteen hours no word came from either General Shafter or General Miles, although there was the keenest desire on the part of the president and cabinet advi- sers to learn what had been done and particularly to know whether the actual surrender of Santiago and the Spanish troops had been carried out. When the cabinet met at Il o'clock there was posi- lively nothing from the front which would serve as guide for the deliberations .,
 Through Cable Interrupted
 It was thought the cable had been inter- rupted, but on inquiry of General Greeley, chief signal officer, he gave assurance that the cable was intact Thereupon Secretary Alger sent dispatch asking for the siti uation up to the latest moment, and par ticuiarly inquiring as to how far the sur render had proceeded No answer came while the cabinet was in session. In the meantime General Greeley had cabled and he was the first official to hear from the front. A dispatch from Lieutenant Jones' military censor at Playa del Este, reported that the message from the secretary of war to General Shafter was only six minutes In passing from Washington to Playa The message received by General Greeley came
 
 tlons were then in progress but as the dispatch was submitted to the president, no details were given.
 Dispatches Begin to Arrive
 Toward the middle of the afternoon dis patches from General Miles and General Shafter began to arrive in response to Sec- retary Algers rather imperative request They were not given out in full, but such portions as were made public showed that the negotiations were still in progress and that the Spaniards had raised some rather unexpected questions. Most important of these was an insistence that the Spanish troops should retain their arms when they returned to Spain. There was entire will lngness on the part of General Toral to turn over the arms to General Shafter at the time Of the surrender, but with this was to be the understanding that the arms were to be returned to the Spanish troops when Spanish soil was reached. xs.s H.
 No Doubt About Arrangements
 At the same time it was point on which neither side appeared to be ready to yield. One of these dispatches from the front after specifying that this difference had arisen, added that it was believed a settle ment would be reached before the day closed. General Shafter himself summed up the situation by saying:
 It cannot be possible that there will be failure in completing arrangements"
 No question whatever has been raised as .o lhe SurreHueF ltSelI. Not only has Gen. eral Toral agreed to it, but the agreement has been ratified by General Bianco at Havana and by the Spanish authorities at Madrid.
 General Greedy received another dfspatch containing information that Colonel Allen had landed the shore end of the signal corps cable at Playa del Este from inc cable stamer Adria. Colonel Allen was not allowed to land at Playa on account of tne Adria coming from an infected district. All were well on board, but no one was al- lowed ashore. Colonel Allen returns this evening to Baiquiri to repair the French cable at that point and establish repular communication between Playa and Santi. ago de Cuba so that the army will rbe in telegraphic communica rion with Washing ton as soon as the city is surrendered.
 APerplexing Problem
 The perplexing problem now to be solved Is how to carry out the pledge made by General Shafter to remove the Spanish soi- diers who surrender, to Spain. It would have been no easier undertaking to remove the 10000 men across the Atlantic under the best conditions, but the reports that indi- cated the existence of yellow fever among the Spaniards threatened all kinds of dif- faculties. After all, it was decided to be only matter of money, and if the price offered Is large enough steamship lines can doubtless be found to undertake the trans- At the best, several weeks prob- ably will be required to remove the Span- iards, so that 1t will be necessary to main- tain portion of the American army in the neighborhood for some time to come.
 American Troops Comfortable
 Still, being under care to protect them- selves from the foe, the American troops can be so disposed as to make themselves very comfortable In comparison with what they have undergone, and by removing them into the hills just in the rear of San- tiago it is believed that the danger of an of the yellow fever will be duced so far that It will no longer be cause for grave apprehension The surgeons re- ports describe the disease as of mild type and it is said that these will readily yield 10 change of location into higher and cooler ground.