St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-05-25
WAR NEWS.
The Spanish Fleet.

| Admiral (erVera Squadron IehCucu
Santiago de Cuba, Thursday. The Adula
on Wednesday sighted seven ships be-
tween Jamaica and Cuba, heading west
in double line. The Spanish fleet OF seven
vessels, gunboat having replaced the
Terror at Martinique, lett Curacao on
Sunday evening.
Santiago is about $50 miles northwest
from Curacao, an easy three days's jour
ney for the Spanish ships. 1t is the near
est Cuban port and it is entirely within
naval experts expectations that Cervera,
ascertaining that Admiral Simpsons
fleet was north of Cuba, would make for
the nearest port on the south coast OF
Cuba.
Santiago de Cuba, where Admiral
Cervera's squadron is reported to have
arrived, is on the south coast of the ex-
IRENE eastern part of Cuba. 1t is about
| $50 miles from Curacao, whence the
Spanish fleet sailed Sunday evening.
From Santiago to Habana by an air
line the distance is about $50 miles.
There is no railroad and the land tele-
graph lines cannot be depended on, be-
cause of the insurgents. The ordinary
means of communication is via cable lines
to Cienfuegos. Two Of three cable lines
from Cieniuegos have been cut by Ameri-
can warships. Santiago is between 800
and 900 miles from Key West by water.
The harbor of Santiago is defended by
Moro Castle and another fort, and by
some recently erected block houses. Some
torpedoes have also been laid.
t., tp hot mort
authorities say that Spain has made a
decidedly good move, and that her agents
have been keeping Admiral Cervera very
we'll advised OF the position of Rear
Admiral SIMPSONS squadron. The
navy department desired it known
that Rear Admiral Sampson had cabled
from Cape Haytien that he was
going to Cienfugos. Had this been true
he would have passed Santiago de Cuba
long before the Spanish fleets arrival,
and il bound for Key West Cervera
would have nothing to fear. Now that
the fleet is safely ensconsed in Santiago
it will be an extremely difficult matter to
lock it up in that harbor. In the first
case the armorcads are at Key West,
about eight hundred miles away, and
they cannot reach Santiago under sixty
| hours.
If at Santiago, another point of advan.
tage is that Admiral Cervera is in con.
slant communication with Captain Gen.
eral Blanco, notwithstanding the Ameri
can men.of-war and the cutting OF cables
which was accomplished at Cienfugos
Furthermore, the Spanish fleet is at g
base of supplies, where it can secure both
coal and provisions and make any re-
pairs that its voyage may have made
necessary.
The Oregon Safe.
The battleship Oregon, the second lar.
gest craft in the American navy, has
completed her long trip from San Fran
cisco, making the entire circuit OF South
America and is now safe. Her notable
voyage from San Francisco to join Adj
miral Sampson in the West Indies has
been watched with greater interest on
account OF her danger from the Cape
Verde squadron. The Oregonis supposed
to be accompanied by the gunboat Mar
ietta, also withdrawn from the Pacific.
The cruiser Buffalo, formerly the Mic
theroy of the Brazilian. Navy, is also
coming north, and no fears for her safety
are felt. 1t is said that she did not &C.
company the Oregon and Marietta.
The Oregon left San Francisco about
six weeks ago, before the war had opened
and at that time it was not admitted
that she was to join the ships in the At
lantic waters. She stopped at Callao
for dispatches and then went around the
Horn and then up the east coast of South
America. In all the trip covered more
than 1000 miles. 1t WIS Rio that Capt.
Clark was informed that war had begun
between the United States and Spain.
The uncertainty concerning the loca-
ton OF the Cape Verde squadron made
the rest OF the voyage dangerous and in
teresting 1t was believed at the Navy
Department thatif the Spanish formation
was after the Oregon and the Marietta
they would lie in wait for the American
ships between Para and Cape st. Rogue
Brazil, the nearest westward points from
the Cape Verde Islands, whence the
enemy had sailed on April 20. The bat.
tleship and gunboat were last reported
at Bahia, Brazil. When they left there
they were to make no stops until beyond
the radius OF danger. Through clever
ruse they apparently managed to leave
Bahia three days before the world knew
it.
John Wanamaker's Regiment.
Ex-Postmaster General Wanamaker
began THU lay organizing his volunteer
regiment. Wednesday he announced
that "able-bodied men of good char.
acter, and preferably men without fami.
lies. are invited to enroll" The organi.
cation of this regiment has been deferred
to avoid interference with filling up the
National Guard. Mr.. Wanamaker has
perfected plans for organization of a
regiment with guns, uniforms, blankets
and tents for 1900 men, ready to be
shipped to whatever point wanted. The
expense of fitting out this command will
be about $4,000. Under an arrange.
ment announced by Mr. Wanamaker, to
pay wages of his employees who are
members OF the national guards of Penn.
sylvania or New York, there is being
paid out each week to the representa-,
tives OF these volunteer soldiers about
$4,000.
Another War.
Advces received by steamer tell of q
very critical state OF affairs in the Sa,
moan islands, where another native
war is believed to be inevitable. The
rebels are hoistinu the;r a. :, lie -