Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-07-12
Dispatches from SKATER.


Dispatches from Shagter.
Washington, July o. The war de-
partment received two dispatches
from Gen. Shafter over night as fol-
lows:
Playa del Este, with Army Corps in the
Field. July 9.-Secretary of War, Washing.
ton: Gable operators were permitted TO &c
in yesterday morning. The English cable
was In working order and some of the
operators were In the city. Gen. Toral
wanted these there as they We're the prin.
cipal men. This cable has not been cut and
the men sent in have not taken it up again.
English cable has been working all the
time through to Havana.
"(signed) .'sHAFTER"
Playa del Este. July 9.-Camp Near
Santiago, July S.-Adjutant General, Wash
ington.-Complete report received to-day
of loss ON July and 2. Killed % officers,
208 enlisted men; wounded 81 officers, 1.20;
enlisted men; missing 70 enlisted men. The
reports giving the names of the killed and
wounded are being rapidly prepared and 1t
is hoped to get them off to-m orrow.
'isigned) SKATER"
Feeding Santiago Refugees.
Washington, July 9.-Lively inter
est is taken by the war department
officials in the reports regarding the
large number of refugees who have
fed in panic from Santiago to avoid
the horrors of war. Many of these
people, non-combatants, have looked
to Gen. Shafter for assistance, which
may make severe drain upon the
commissary branch of the expedi-
ton. Especially is this so in view of
the great difficulty experienced by
the general in getting his supplies
from the transports to the shore. If
the city of Santiago holds out for
long time and Shafter has the non
combatants on his hands to feed, the
question of their sustenance may be-
come serious conundrum for the
government. Gen. Shafter has au.
thority to issue rations to the hungry
people, and he undoubtedly will do
SO to the greatest extent without inn
pairing his own resources. He has
full discretion to act in the matter
and will do his utmost to relieve any
suffering that may exist. For the
time being he has all the stores
necessary for his command and
enough to deal out some supplies to
the Cubans, az Gen. Egan, of the com
missary department, shipped great
quantity on the transports. In adj
dition to those already there, the
Port Victor is about to leave New
York with great amount of all kinds
OF eatable merchandise, to be fol-
lowed soon thereafter by the Mohawk
and Mississippi with stores of re-
fr1gerated beef and fresh vegetables.
Range of Our Gunu
Washington, July o. Attention has
been directed to the range of the guns
On our ships, for on this depends
whether the bombardment will be con
fined to the outer forts or whether 1T
will be effective upon Santiago itself.
There are five battleships and two ar
mored cruisers besides the lesser ships
TO open this fire, namely, the battle
ships Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts,
Oregon, Texas, and armored cruisers
New York and Brooklyn.
The Oregon and Iowa are to berushed
with the eastern squadron to the coast
of Spain, and therefore may not take
part in the bombardment. The three
battleships and the three armored
cruisers combined have &c huge l3-incb.
12-inch, and S-inch guns, having "A range
of ten OF eleven miles on an acute Gle
walton, and range of over six
miles on the elevation which
can be given in turrets This
is an elevation which can clear Moro
castle and the harbor batteries and can
about reach the city of Santiago. The
maximum elevation on shipboard is IL
degrees, which limits the full range of
the heavy guns about one-half. 1t is
only the large guns above mentioned
that have a range that could get any
where near the city, as the six-pound-
ers and under have range of not over
three or four miles, while the Calling
guns are for close range, usually not
exceeding 1000 yards.
Naval experts say that the lombard
ment will be confined mainly to the
forts and batteries, for, while the big
guns can about reach Santiago, when
the ships are standing off mile or so
FROM the harbor, yet the most effective