The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-29
SKATER GIVES SATISFACTION
WAR DEPARTMENT PLEASED WITH
HIS PROGRESS.

The American Army Now mt the
Point Where the Road Branches to
Santiago and MORO Cnstle-The e
Army Provided With Device for
Cutting Wire Fences-Army Also
Supplied with Wire Fencing TO BE
Used in It's own Defense.
Washington, June 2S.-It was very late
In the day when the first dispatch within
two days came to the war department
from Gen. Shafter, but the news was re-
garded as so good that there was no as
position to complain.
1t disclosed a very satisfactory rate of
progress ON the part of Gen. Shafter to-
wards the town of Santiago ITSELF ana
apparently he has gained AL this ground
and has come within three miles of Santa
go without suffering any losses since the
bloody skirmish of Friday last.
Altogether the performance is regarded
as very gratifying by the department Of
ficials here.
AS near as can be gathered from the
brief dispatch. the American army is now
at the fork of the road, one branch OF
Wiktl itd0S " EocAAithoSOS HAAN NA'~
Moro Castle at the entrance to the har-
Dor. Gen. shafter is thus free to move in
either direction according to the demands
of the campaign.
With the 300 men who reinforced him
yesterday on the Yale, and the additional
brigade that will reach him by tomorrow,
it may be possible to make even more
H.. 7 or,aa
ago. as those men can be relied upon to
relieve the main body of troops from the
necessity of keeping open the line Of COM
municat.on between Gen. Shafter and his
base at Baiquiri.
Meanwhile further reinforcements are
being prepared and despatched as rapidly
as the best energies of the department can
direct and it is believed that several
thousand men sailed from Tampa to-day
directly for Santiago. The department
has had in mind the difficulties OF the
campaign that are just developing to the
public eye, such as the use for the hrst
time in civilized warfare of barbed wire
fencing as means of defense and acting
upon the advice of some of our army orl-
GERS. who were in Cuba while the fighting
was confined to the Spaniards and the
insurgents a certain number in each reSl-
mentl lhave been provided with wire cut
ters and charged with the duty of cutting
down these fences so as to permit the ad-
vance of the troops
1t probably will be necessary to shell
out the force defending these wire che
vaux de frese before they can be cut un-
less the men in charge of that duty are to
be unduly exposed to danger. This Will
involve larger use of field artillery than
would be required in ordinary warfare
rvl.a oioJ- hapu fnFnhandp6
as to these details and In fact have pro-
vided for the use of barbed wire by our
own forces having sent about 15O tons or
this wire with Gen Merritt's expedition.
The lines are being frightened around
Cuba and it will soon be impossible for
even small quantities of food or war sup
plies to reach the Spaniards there. The
proclamation issued to-day extending the
blockade to the south coast and to San
Juan it is believed, will accomplish this
result. On the south coast the Isle of
Pines will be cut off as transfer depot
for cattle and food supplies coming from
Jamaica and Central America BY clos
ing 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 establish
ment of a successful blockade.
There was no further word from the
Cadiz feet to-day though It is known to
be stil lying at Port Said under pretext
of repairing one of the torpedo boat de-
stroyers The delay on the part of the
Spanish fleet has not stopped the prepara-
tions for the sending of the eastern squad
ron under Commodore Watson to the
Spanish shores.
The commodore is hastening with all
speed southwark on the Newark 10 join
and confer with Admiral Sampson, off
Santiago.
1t has been known to our government
for some time past that the Spanish gov
ernment was trying to obtain possession
of the splendid modern armored cruiser
O'Higgins. Our agents, however, have
watched these negotiations carefully and
our government has been finally satisfied
that they have failed. 1t is needless to
say that the result was agreeably received
here, as the gravest complications might
have resulted from the sale of a warship
by neutral power TO Spain.