The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-05-28
WAITING FOR SCHLEY.
The Government Wants a Report
t.sss%sr ,.s: From the Commodore a.,.S.
BEFORETAKINGDEFINITEA ACTION

| Meantime the Army of Invasion VIII
Be Held in Readiness to Move at Any
Moment-Holland Wants to Attack
Cervera with His Submarine Boat.
Washington, May 2S.-The military
situation as at present determined upon
by those in authority is to make no
forward movement Of troops either
upon Porto Rico or Cuba until full and
definite information Is received as to
the location Of the Spanish squadron
and its possibilities as factor in the
aggressive moves of Spain. That being
the positive determination there Is no
present purpose to hurry forward the
troops now at the several points of
concentration, but the interval prior
will be employed in seasoning the men.
Steps have been taken to secure early
information as to whether Admiral
Cervera's squadron is inside Santiago
harbor, and whether the American
squadron has such advantage of oppo-
sition outside the harbor as to make
the escape of the Spaniards practically
impossible.
+ For the last few days army circles
have shared public belief that the
Spanish ships were trapped in santi-
ago harbor, and that has given an i'm.
petus to arrangements by which large
bodies of troops at Chickamauga and
elsewhere might be- moved forward
rapidly to Tampa for embarkation. The
presence of 80 or more transports in
Florida waters added to the convic-
ton that movement on large scale
was about to occur. All this has been
going on with the understanding that
Admiral Cervera's career as possible
menace In the rear of our troops had
been cut off by his being securely held
within Santiago harbor, but in the alb
sence of positive information on this
point, together with the certainty that
he can be held inside the harbor, there
is no purpose whatever on the part of
the war department to make an ag-
grcssive forward movement on Cuba
or Porto Rico. This was stated today
in the most positive manner and from
an authoritative source.
Unless the navy department sue
ceeds in securing some direct and Of
fetal information respecting the Span
ish and the American fleets within the
next "a hours through the aid of the
West Indian cables it will resort to the
use of dispatch boats. 1t can be again
affirmed on the highest authority, and
Notwithstanding all rumors to the con-
trary, that at the close of the day the
department had nothing more than
belief, founded on unofficial advices
that the Spanish squadron was lying
in Santiago harbor, and no news as to
Commodore Schley's whereabouts.
However, the great majority of the Of
tlcials of the navy department enter.
tain no doubt that Cervera is within
Santiago harbor, and they have sue
cceded In impressing this belief upon
the president and the members of the
cabinet
1t was announced last night that Hol-
land, the inventor of the submarine
boat of that name, was expected here
this afternoon to discuss with Captain
O'Neil, chief of ordinance. the FEAST
biity of using that novel craft in an
attack upon the Spanish squadron at
Santiago, if the vessels are still there
The officials are disposed to receive in
a kindly spirit any suggestion that
might prove to be valuable in this line,
and they will talk with Mr.. Holland
over the details of his scheme, prob
ably on the basis of a compensation to
be paid to him for each Spanish ves-
sci destroyed.
An important phase to the military
program is a decision not to take up
the details of organizing the new force
of 5000 volunteers for at least a week
or ten days. In the meantime no con-
clusion has been reached as to whether
portion of the 5000 volunteers will
be used to recruit the regiments still
remaining untitled under the first call
for $4,000 volunteers. If the regiments
under the first are to be brought up to
their maximum strength it will take
about 10000 men from the second call
to complete the 125 regiments under
the first call. This will leave 35, 900 men
to be organized in distinctly new regi-
ments. The war department Is anxious
to obtain the views of the governors of
the states and territories in regard to ,,
the filling to their mximum strength
of the regiments already furnished by
them under the first call.
There Is abundant reason to believe |
that the naval officials last night re-
ceived dispatches from Admiral samp-
son. The press dispatches had already
announced that the dispatch boat Dol
phin, of Commodore Schey's squadron,
ran alongside the flagship New York,
which was then off Havana, and in
formed her that she bore dispatches
for Admiral Sampson from Commodore
Schey. 1t Is considered probable that
these dispatches contain Information of |
the precise whereabouts of the Cape
Verde squadron, and quite naturally |
the information would be sent to the
naval authorities here at once.