The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-05
Two Big Steamers Have Already Been Secured as
Transports Foreign Experts Much Interested in
the Movements Against Cuba-71he Sailing Of the
Big Batt|eships and Monitors From Key West
Figures Of the King Alfonso and the Queen Regent
Already DisappearingFromStage ofSpanishPoitics

Washington. May 5.-A sensation was
raused yesterday by the news of the ar
rival of vessel supposed to be the dis
patch boat McCulloch at Mrs bay, 40
miles from Hong Kong. the cable term
mus The officials Immediately fell into
an air of expectancy, waiting for some
word from Admiral Dewey that would
not only confirm officially the stirring
news of the battle of Manila as reported
by the press, but also tell what happened
since the cable was interrupted. There
was no confirmation of the report.
The navy department has secured two
vessels. the Australia. and the City Of
Pekin, in San Francisco, which will be
loaded with coal and supplies and rushed
or to join Commodore Dewey's fleet
Whether or not they will carry troops
will be determined positively when the
commodore is heard from upon this mat
ter. An exceptionally large stock of
ammunition will go on the City of Pekin.
The first shipment of projectiles left
4 New York Tuesday and additional ship
ments will be made until the full quota
of powder and shot will be in San Fran
cisco. There will be a total OF more than
10000 proJectiles of various caliber and
weight For Vie four big eight-inch
guns OF the Olympia there will be 500
eight-inch steel armor-piercing projec.
tiles, weighing about 900 pounds EACH
For the six-inch guns OF the Olympia.
BaltiN \ ore and Boston and other ships,
there will bs 1000 projectiles The other
shipments will include about 10, 900 six
pound rifle balls, 1000 five-inch shells,
5000 three-pound balls and 5000 one
pound balls.
The department is fortunate In having
laid In an ample stock of projectiles of
all weights and sizes, so that there will
be no delay In getting full supply ready
for shipment. The supply Of powder is
not so readily obtained, as powder has
been distributed to the several heets and
ships as fast asyit has come from the
powder mills; but. owing to the emer-
gency in the case of the Asiatic fleet,
powder intended for other uses will be
forwarded to San, Francisco and sent to
Dewey. The recent explosions of mills
have not crippled the navy department
In securing supplies of powder, but they
have caused soTe delay in hllng the
orders of the war department.
No new official news has come to con-
firm the report from Hawaii that the
islands have been rendered 10 the United
States for war uses. 1t is said that, IL
the"incoming mail brought the PROPOSE
tion to San Francisco. II would scarcely
be trusted to the telegraph there on ac-
count OF its Importance, but would be
forwarded by the railway mails, which
would bring II here In about FIVE days.
yUfthas,t
welcome the possession of Hawaii at this
moment as affording a magnificent base
for naval operations IN the Pacific; but
1t is said that President Dole's PROPOSE
tion must be submitted to congress- so
that 1t will be for the legislative branch
In the end to pass upon this offer
The law for the formation OF the volun-
teer army leaves IL discretionary with
the president as to whether three or more
regiments shall constitute brigade,
and also whether two or three divisions
shall constitute corps. Those ques-
tions determined upon finally, the as
signment OF the major and brigadler gen.
erals will be fixed readily. General
Miles, commanding the army favors
the formation OF seven corps in all, two
In the regular army and five In the vol
unteers. In other quarters IL has been
suggested that the volunteers be d.
vided into three corps. A major general
commands either a corps or a division.
50 that the plan determined upon will
provide for a sufficient number of these
to give assignments to the officers of the
higher grades.
The foreign experts are much interest
ed in the approaching movements In
Cuba. From a strategic standpoint one
If them thinks IL would be unwise to at
tempt a military landing at any point
within the present line OF blockade. The
danger OF such a landing he points out
20 be that railways run along the coast
OF Cuba. connecting Havana with all the
points covered by the blockade. These
railroads are I'm the hands OF the Span
ish. and would permit them TO mass
$4,000 soldiers at any point threatened
with landing. For this reason he con-
siders IL an expcdIent move TO take
port remote from the present blockade,
such as Santiago. II would be difficult
20 mass Spanish troops there In time
to prevent a landing. Once taken the
he's A. S-~