Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-02
Feeling Of Uncertainty and Expect
ancy Manifest at Havana.
NO ANfI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATION
The oquendo and Vizcaya Sailed
for Porto Rico.
NO TORPEDO FLOTILLA YET

Special Cablegram From STAFF Correspondent.
HAVANA, April 1.-THE situation here is
che of expectancy. The patriotic spirit Of
the Spaniards is running high. Much space
is given to reports from Madrid of the
firmness shown by the Sagasta ministry in
rejecting the demands of the United States.
No comment is made on the departure of
the Oquendo and Vizcaya. Consul General
Lee has received nothing from Washington
to indicate an expectation of early hostili
ties. There has been no anti-American
demonstration and no disorder of any kind
PEPPER.
Destination of Spanish Cruisers.
NEW YORK, April 2.-The Evening World
prints a copyrighted dispatch, dated April
1. en- board the Worlds dispatch boat
Triton, via Key West, which says:
''The Spanish warships Vizcaya and
Oquendo no longer lie like big black watch
dogs across Havana harbor. They are on
their way to Porto Rico. The Worlds dis
patch boat followed them until this was
made certain.
They left their moorings at o'clock
this afternoon and started eastward along
the north coast of Cuba For days both of
the big Spanish cruisers have been ready
to sail at an hours notice Their bunkers
Late last night package of sealed or
ders was sent out to the two warships
from the Office of the Almirante on La
Machina wharf. Early this morning prep
arations for departure were begun Boat
after boat, loaded down to the gunwaIes
with provisions of every kind, started out
from Havana wharves for the vizcaya and
Oquendo.
"a FOG
The Evening World correspondent board
ed the Vizcaya at 10 o'clock. He was re-
ceived most courteously by Capt Eulate in
his cabin. All l know about it," said the
Vlzcaya's commander, lis that we are 60
ing away, but where 1 have not the faint
est idea. My orders are sealed, and I shall
not open them until am several miles out
at sea-"
correspondent was put on board the
Triton, with orders to follow the cruisers.
The correspondents narrative continues:
LAS soon as the two ships reached the open
gulf they turned to the westward and ran
three or four miles down the coast in that
direction
After they had reached a point on the
coast about five miles westward of Havana
they turned completely around and head
ed for MORO again.
The watchers on the Triton were aston
isned. Could it be that the Vizcaya and
Oquendo had changed their plans and were
returning to Havana?
Under speed of about eleven knots an
hour they passed Moro for the second
time, the Vizeaya leading the Oquendo by
half a mile.
Down the coast to the eastward of Ha-
vana the two men-of-war passed in process
sion. AT a distance OF seven miles from
land the Triton paralleled their course, sail
ing at about the same rate of speed. As
the sun dropped down below the horizon
the Vizcaya and Oquendo became lost to
view in the shadow of the long green hills
of the shore.
Increased Their Speed.
The two ships had increased their speed
little by this time, and were jogging
along at a comfortable fourteen knots.
They kept well within the fve-mile limit.
Most of the time they were not more than
a mile from shore. So the Triton followed
the Vizcaya and Oquendo until they round
Ell Point Guanos.
Point Guanos is twenty-eight miles to
the eastward of Havana. Had either OF
the two men-of-war had any idea of going
to United States ports they certaiRly would
have turned north at Point Guanos But
they did not.
AT speed of sixteen knots an hour
they kept on to the eastward. The course
that they followed is the one indicated on
charts being the most direct route to
Porto Rico
FIOtilln Mt Cape De Verde.
MADRID, April The statement cabled
last night that the torpedo flotila of Spain
has arrived at Porto Rico was taken from
a newspaper here. Investigation shows the
announcement to be erroneous The Span
ish fiotilla has arrived at the Cape De Verde
Islands. and it is said will proceed after
&C aling.
The Liberal today expresses the opinion
that as a result of the manifesto" of the
autonomist government Of Cuba, the United
States will find interference difficult in the
names of liberty and humanity"
The Liberal ADDS: Spain, aid ID by JUS
tice and right, will successfully iefend her
SELF
In conclusion the Liberal quotes the case
of the Alabama as being against tile United
States action in the case of Cuba.
As 1t has taken the Spanish torpedo flo
tilla nine days to make the Cape de Verde
Islands, from the Canary Islands. which
they left on March "a, it should, roughly
speaking, going at about the same rate Of
speed. take the fiotilla about twenty-six
days from now to reach Porto Rico from
the Cape de Verde Islands, supposing the
fiotilla Was able to coal and start again
today, which is unlikely.
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