The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-29

washington, June 2s-lt was very
late in the day when the first dispatch
within two days came to the war de-
partment from General Shafter. but the
news was regarded as so good that there
is no disposition to complain. II dis
closed a very satisfactory rate of prog
ress of General Shafter toward the town
of Santiago itself. and apparently he
had gained all the ground and has come
within three miles of Santiago without
suffering any loss since the bloody skr-
mish of Friday last. Altogether the per-
formance is regarded as very gratifying
to the department here. As near as can
be gathered from the brief dispatch
the American army Is now at the fork
in the road, one branch of which leads
TO Santiago and the other to MORO cas-
tie, at the entrance OF the harbor. Gen.
eral Shafter is thus free to move in
either direction. according to the de-
mands of the campaign. With the 1900
men who reinforced him yesterday on
the Yale and the additional brigade that
Will reach him by tomorrow. 1t may be
possible TO make even more rapid prog
ress in the advance upon Santiago. as
the men can be relied upon to relieve
the main body of troops from the ne
cessity of keeping open the line of COM
munication between Shafter and his
base at Baiquiri.
Meanwhile further reinforcements are
being prepared and dispatched as rapid
ly as the best energies Of the department
can direct, and IL is believed that sew
eral thousand men sailed from Tampa
directly for Santiago to-day. The de-
l.. n
ties of the campaign that are just de-
veloping TO the public eye. such as the
use for the first time in civilized war
fare OF barbed wire fencing as a means
Of defense, and acting upon the advice
Of some of our army officers, who were
in Cuba while the fighting was con-
fined to the Spaniards and the insuT-
gents, certain number of men I'm each
regiment has been provided with wire
cutters and charged with the duty of
cutting down these fences so as 70 per-
NIT the advance of the troops.
IL probably will be necessary TO shell
out the force defending these wire
chevaux de frise before they can be cut.
unless the men in charge OF that duty
are To be unduly exposed TO the fire.
In order to do this a larger use of field
artillery than would be required in or
dinary warfare is needed. The officials
here have been forehanded as to these
details. anu i'm fact have provided for
the use Of barhed wire by our own
forces. having sent a lot of $50 tons OF
this wire with General Merritts expe-
dition.
The lines are being frightened about
Cuba, and IL will be soon impossible
for even small quantities OF food or
war supplies to reach the Spaniards
there. The proclamation issued to-day
extending the blockade to the south
Gf NJ 70 Il Es, hi
will accomplish this result. on the
south coast the Isle of Pines will be
cut off as a transfer depot for cattle
and food supplies coming from Jamaica
and Central America. by closing san
Juan harbor the Spaniards will lose the
last chance of smuggling war supplies
To Cuba, and the future operations of
the army and navy looking To the oc-
cupation of the island of Porto Rico
will be materially advanced by the es-
tablishment of a successful blockade.
There was no further word from the
Cadiz fleet to-day, though IL is still
known To be lying at Port Said under
pretext of repairing one of the torpedo
boat destroyerS
The delay on the part OF the Spanish
fleet has not stopped the preparations
for the sending of the eastern squadron
under Commodore Watson to the Span
ish shores. The commodore is hasten
ing with all speed southwark on the
Newark TO Join and confer with Samp-
son off Santiago.
II has been known to our government
for some time that the Spanish gov
ernment was trying to purchase the
splendid modern armored cruiser
O'Higgins. our agents. however, have
watched these negotiations care
fully, and our government has
been finally satisfied they have failed
II Is needless to say that the result
was agreeably received here, as the
greatest complications might have re-
suited out OF the sale of the warshfp