The record-union., 1898-07-16
LONG and
ANXIOUS
WAIT.
Cabinet SoIiCitOuS to Hear
From Shafter.
Negotiations Found to Be Sill
in Progress
SpaniardS Make an Unexpected
Demand.
Want Their Arms Returned TO Them as
Soon as They Arrive on
the Shores Of
Spain.
Spaniards Make an Unexpected
Demand.

WASHINGTON, July 15-There was
long and anxious wait to-day to hear
further news from the commissioners
who had been charged to make ar
rangements for the surrender of the
spanish army at Santiago. For eigh-
teen hours no word came from either
General Shafter or General Miles. al
though there was the keenest desire on
the part Of the President and the Cabi-
net officers to learn what was to be
done, and whether the actual surren-
dering of Santiago and the Spaninsh
troops had been carried out When
the Cabinet met at IL o'clock there was
nothing from the front which would
serve as guide for the deliberations.
It was thought that the cable had
been interrupted, but inquiry Of Cen
eral Greedy, Chief Signal officer, gave
assurance that the cable was intact
ThereupOn Secretary Alger sent a dis
patch asking for the situation up to
the latest moment, and particularly in
quiring as to how far the surrender had
proceeded. No answer came while the
Cabinet was in session. In the mean
time, General Greedy had cabled and
he was the first to hear from the front.
A dispatch from Lieutenant Jones.
military censor at Playa del Este, re-
ported that the message from the Sec
retary of War to General Shafter was
only six minutes in passing from WASH
ington to Playa del Este. The message
received by General Greedy came at
2:23 p. m., and indicated that negotia-
tions were still in progress, but as the
dispatch was submitted to the Presi-
dent no details We're given out
Toward the middle of the afternoon
dispatches from General Shafter and
General Miles began to arrive, in re-
sponse to Secretary Alger's dispatch.
They Were not given out in full, but
such portions as We're made public
showed that the negotiation were still
In progress and that the Spaniards had
raised some rather unexpected ques-
tions. Most important of these was an
insistence that the Spanish troops
should retain their arms when they rec
turned to Spain. There was entire will
ingness on the part of General Toral to
turn over the arms to General ShaIter
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. This was a condition which
had not been anticipated. The authori-
ties here did not regard it as serious.
or as likely to overcome final settle
ment as it was attributed to the Span
ish sensitivenesS against the humilia-
ton involved in the laying down oe
their arms. One of these dispatches,
after specifying that this difference had
arisen, added that settlement would be
reached before the day closed General
Shafter himself summed up the situa-
ton by saying: IT cannot be possible
that there will be a failure i'll complet-
ing arrangements" No question what
ever has been raised as to the surren-
der itself. Not only has General TorGI
agreed to it, but this agreement has
been ratified by General Banco at ia
vana and by the Spanish Government
at Madrid. Genera. Greedy received
another dispatch az 5 p. m. containing
the information that Colonel Allen had
landed the shore end of the sigma;
corps cable at Playa del Este from the
cable steamer. Colonel Allen was not
allowed to land at Playa on account of
the Adria coming from an infected dis
tr.ct. All were well or board, but no
one was allowed ashore.
Colonel Allen returns this evening 20
Baiquiri to repair the French cable at
that point and establish regular COM
mGnication between Playa and Santi-
ago, so that the army will be in tele-
graphic communication with Washing
ton as soon as the city is surrendered.
The perplexing problem now to be
solved is how to carry out the plans
made by General Shafter to remove
the Spanish soldiers who surrendered
to Spain 1t would have been no easy
undertaking to remove 10000 men
across the Atlantic under the best con-
ditions. but the reports that indicated
the existence of yellow fever among
the Spaniards threatened ali kinds OF
difficulties After all, il was decided
to be only matter of money and il
the price offered is large enough steam
ship lines can doubtless be found to
undertake the task. AT the best, sew
eral weeks probably will be required
to move the SpaniardS, so that ii will
be necessary TO maintain a consider
able proportion of the American army
in the neighborhood for some time
Continued on Sixth Page1