The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-05-19
More Scouts are Needed.

effective patrol fleet is now felt. Com
ment is made that the authorities
should have anticipated the necessity
OF having half a dozen or more vessels
for this service and should have or
dered the four Morgan liners now on
the New England coast and at Hamp-
ton Roads to duty of this kind. This
type of vessel was secured by the
government, it is contended, for rapid
work on patrol service, and where
there are now but three available
scouting vessels operating south there
should be not less than half dozen.
A large number of these ships cruis-
ing over certain zones would render it
practically impossible for the Spanish
vessels to approach any section of
Cuba without due notice being given
the fleets under Admiral Sampson
and Commodore Schley. Widely sep
arated the two fleets are now so stu
ated that it would be impracticable
for one to proceed speedily to the
assistance of the other if attacked by
the Spanish forces.
Trying to Keep Important Secrets.
The navy department continues to
maintain its strict censorship over all
news made public relating either to
the receipt of information from Samp-
son or the American consuls in the
West Indies, or what additional in
structions, if any, have been sent to
tnnf n at1Sln V,1,, a.: L
intensities the mystery which sur
rounds the probable direction that
SIMPSONS fleet has taken.
Naval officers express the opinion
that SIMPSONS fleet is not proceed
ing to Clenfuegos, and will not go
that far to the west unless the scout
boats report that the Spanish are
heading presumably in that direction.
The proper strategy, they say, de-
mands that the Windward passage
be guarded to prevent the fleet slip
ping through and coming in suddenly
on the patrol ships on the north coast
of Cuba, whereas if the enemy pro-
ceeds to Cienfuegos there will be time
for Sampson TO go around one end of
the island and Schley the other, and
thus effectually prevent escape to
any port in the West Indies for coal
and supplies.
This plan is the one generally
agreed to by officers as the one being
adhered to, and is the one laid down
by the War College in consideration
of possible war between Spain and
the United States around Cuba.
SchIey Now Near the Scene.
Whatever may be the tactics of the
Spanish, the officials have no appre-
hension now of calamity Detailing any
of the smaller ships on blockade work
as a result of surprise by an everwhel-
ming force of the Spanish armorclads.
The flying squadron, was reported off
Key West yesterday morning, and
the presence of these strong fighters
will materially relieve the anxiety
that the Spanish vessels might escape
Sampson and get into Havana with
large quantities of ammunition and
supplies understood to be urgently
required by Blanco to enable him to
fight his Moro batteries fiercely and
rapidly.
While not so formidable as the fleet
under Sampson, Schley, with two
battle ships and one magnificent arm
ored cruiser, with the addition of the
monitors Puritan and Miantonomah
and large number of auxiliary YES
sells would present an array of fight
ers competent to deal with the Span
ish successfully, it is contended by
experts, regardless of assistance from
SIMPSONS fleet. Numerically the
fleet now in the gulf outnumbers two
to one that under Admiral Sampson,
and is a little short in real fighting
strength except for lack of torpedo
boats and tirst-class battle ships, of
which Sampson has more.
Game of Hide and Seek.
The game that will be played from
now on will be one of hide-and-seek,
the hiding being done probably by
the Spanish and the seeking by the
Americans. Unless the Spanish ad-
miral has received news of the depart
ure of the flying squadron he is prob
ably reckoning on having to deal with
Admiral SIMPSONS fleet alone, which
he knew when he sailed from Martin
ique was off the Haytian coast.
General Greeley's strict exercise of
censorship on all cable messages go
ing out of the United States may lead
to the Spanish admiral being cut off
from information about the steps
taken already to augment the fight
ingstrength of the gulf squadron The
two squadrons united are admitted
to be capable of dealing crushing
blow to the Spanish fleet, and if its
presence can be definitely learned in
time to secure the operation of the
combined fighting strength of the
two fleets the strategist board has no
doubt that the battle will be quickly
decided and with but little damage to
the United States ships. Such an
overpowering array of fighters oppos-
ing the Spanish fleet of four large
vessels and three torpedo boats would,
they say, las completely cripple Spain's
naval forces in the Atlantic as Ad-
miral Dewey's squadron silenced the
guns of the vessels at Manila.
The distances between the oppos-
ing fleets render the time exceeding
ly problematical when they will meet,
and it also depends in still larger
measure on the plans of the Spanish
and their destination. If bound for
any port of Cuba the journey should
be accomplished by the last of this
week, and if once within sight of the
Cuban coast escape then without first
encountering one of the two squad
rons, would be remote, if not impossi-
BILE. A battle is looked for in the
next seven days, probably sooner, and
A.