The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-25
Entrance to the Harbor May BE
Forced, the Forts Destroyed and
Dewey's Deed Repeated.
RUMoRS OF A FIGHT DENIED
NO ADVICES CONFIRMING REPORTS
OF AN ENGAGEMENT.
Secretary Long Confident the SPAN
iards Are Hiding in the Harbor
of Santiago de Cuba.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.


Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, May 25.-Nearly all the
newspapers here agree this morning in their
reports as to the whereabouts of the Span
ish feet, dispatches from Washington and
elsewhere indicating that Admiral Cervera
has at last been bottled up" in other
words, that he has been brought to bay in
Santiago de Cuba harbor Whether all the
Spanish armada" is at Santiago is not
known, for reports on this point are con-
iicting, but 1t is not thought by naval
strategtsts that Cervera would have weak
ened his fighting ability by dividing his
feet. The dispatches to the morning pa
pers bear out Secretary Longs statement.
made yesterday afternoon, that the Span
iards were still in the port of Santiago.
The Washington correspondent of the
Times says that letters from Key West re-
port everything that could steam, sail or
be towed was forced into service to assist
Admiral Sampson and Commodore Schley to
box up Admiral Cervera and force him to
give battle. Not a word of the elaborate
preparations. except by way of roundabout
hints, has come from Key West, the news
paper correspondents having been put on
their honor not to give intimations of opera
tons that can assist the enemy in the
slightest particular. All the talk in the
meeting of the Cabinet Tuesday indicated
the confidence of the administration in the
early receipt of good news from Admiral
Sampson One Cabinet officer who expressed
the greatest eagerness to hear from Samp-
son and Schley, and who has no doubt that
the news, when it comes will be great"
admitted that the outside limit of time in
which it was expected that the vessels of
the United States and Spain must meet had
passed, and that official information might
arrive at any moment either that Cervera
was bottled up or that his fleet was at the
bottom of the ocean. ST do not look first for
unofficial information" said he. "for the
reason that the commanding officer of the
United States forces has concluded that he
can get along quite as we'll and without
as much possibility of injurious observation
II he excludes newspaper boats, as he has
done"
The administration is determined that If
Cervsra will not fight. but manifests de-
termination to get away and return to
Spain, to follow him and "lxill' his fleet be-
fore it can reach its own side of the Allan
tic. To do this would require the sending
of coal ships along with the United States
fleet for some distance but If any accident
should happen to any of the Spanish ves-
sells. or the supply of coal should run out.
Admiral Cervera would have to run the
risk of destruction, or else abandon disa-
bied vessel in the hope of getting off with
the others, or perhaps be oyertaken by SIN
gle ships until the whole fleet was gobbed
up. 1t is calculated by naval officers that
the Spanish fleet has now about exhausted
it's fuel, and that it cannot undertake the
difficult task of retreating. The only hon.
orable outcome to Spain is for Spains ships
to try conclusions at once while the coal
bunkers and the food supplies are not COM
pletely exhausted.
There will be no news from Sampson or
Schley until one or both of them has tested
the inclination or ability of Admiral Ger
vera to fight. naval officer said: II think
that Wednesday will bring the opportunity
for US to cheer for Sampson and Schley
along with Dewey" In addition to the be-
lated policy of censorship adopted in regard
to the transmission of reports of
naval movements by telegraph it appears
that the Navy Department has decided TO
dispense with the attendance of newspaper
dispatch boats upon the fleet in Cuban
waters The information reaches here that
before the beginning of the recent operation
Of the squadrons of Sampson and Schley
against the Spanish fleet, notification was
given to all the newspaper boats which have
been watching and reporting the blockade
that they would not be allowed to follow
the war ships on their cruise Ine notice
was psIeInptoIy ~ 10 uHueIStood, ana It's
strict enforcement is supposed here to ac-
count for the lack of news from the fleets
which has amounted to famine for the
last week.
1t is believed there are enough United
states war ships on Santiago de Cuba TO
force entrance to the harbor and destroy
the Spanish ships. The channel is not