The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-28
BIG BATTLE Is IMMINENT
AMERICAN TROOPS IN SIGHT OF
THE CITY OF SANTIAGO |
STRONGLY : ENTRENCHED AMI
AWAITING ORDERS TO ATTACK !
ENEMY HAS DUG RIFLE PITS FoHi
FINAL RESISTANCE

Barb Wire distractions Are Among
| the Serious Difficulties the Az
| mount-Spaniards Have Bull
Block Houses Upon the Ton Of
! Every Hill North and East Of
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Need Moro
| Heavy Guns and Supplies, but
| Regard the Enemy with Con.
tempt.
ON THE RIO GUIANA, June 2e, via
Kingston, Jamaica, June 27-The Span
ish and American advance posts are
now almost close enough to see the
whites OF each others eyes and a COL
lisfon may occur at any moment.
Copyright, 1898. by the Associated Press.
OFF BAIQUIRI, June 26, via King
ston, Jamaica, June 27.-The Third and
Ninth cavalry only remain here, guard
Ing the material ashore All the other
regiments are being pushed as rapidly
a..
Active operations before that place are
officially expected to begin on Wednes-
day next.
interruption of communication be-
tween the army and the fleet by storm
is possible at any time. Juragua and
Baiquiri are both open roads with no
protection.
Gen. Shafter expresses satisfaction
with ha
charge of the landing of the troops in
an enenys country, and under condi-
| tions never before faced by an army,
| considering the character of the land
| ing places AMI the adjacent country
| Not shot was fired from the Arnerl-
| can side last night, though the front
Of the American linewas not $500 yards
| from the entertainments where the
| Sraniards propose to combat the ad-
vance on Santiago de Cuba.
Three cannon shots were heard dur
| ing the night. They seemed to come
| perhaps from seaward.
SPANISH STRONGHOLD.
| The top of every hill and mountain
porth and east of Santiago is occupied
! hE bockhouses from whence the Span
| iards can view the movements of the
American army as 1t advances beyond
| Sabaniliay while to the eastward of the
city, gashing every knoll and bit of high
| ground, are Spanish intrencnments.
The correspondent Of the Associated
Press from an elevation to the right OF
the American line today counted
| thirty-four of these entertainments
completely fencing every approach TO
the city. The trenches have been dug
as the conformation of the ground ad-
n,itted. The ends of the trenches over
| lap where breaks in the line occur, thus
/ securing comparatively safe retreat
| from rife fire in case parts of the
| trenches are captured. Upon one of
| these works modern guns have been
mounted. They can be plainly seen
with the naked eye.
Spies report that inside the intrench-
/ ments are four parallel lines of rifle
| pits, shoulder deep, and in front of
them are marked ranges and several
rows of barbed wire fences.
No officer who has surveyed the field
over which the advance must be made
| underestimates the task ahead of the
Americans, although our boys still ex-
press the most contemptuous opinion
of their adversaries.
HEAVY GUNS NEEDED.
The general opinion Is that more ar
| tillery will be necessary before 1t Will
| be safe to attempt to make an assault
! upon the Spanish works, as the fire of
the rifle pits must necessarily be dead
| ly, and sufficient to demoralize any
force, of however much courage, when
halted by wire obstructions.
Some officers believe it will be nee
essary to lay regular siege to Santi-
ago, and advance with a line of earth
! works until the rifle pits can be she'll
ed with shrapnel by the light artillery.
| These pieces have an effective range
! of $500 yards, and the Mauser rifles,
in the hands of the Spaniards, are
sighted to 1900 yards, and they kill at
2,1OC yards. However gratifying to
the national pride is the careless atti-
| tude of our enlisted men, the grave
! fear remains that they may need
| more severe lesson than the ambush
| of the rough riders before they realize
the deadly possibilities of modern war
! fare.
The road over which the ordnance
must be brought is densely lined by
| underbrush. Every yard is an ~arti-
| fetal hedgerow, and the road to the
| base of supplies is in a similar state.
| But very little danger is apprehended
| of flank attack, as it is evident Gen.
| Linares Is acting strictly on the de-
! fensive The failure of the Spanish
| troops at Holguin. Manzanillo ana
I, Continued ON Seventh Page.