The San Francisco call., 1898-04-23
How Sampson's Fleet Will Shut Out Supp
 plies From Havana.
While the Blockade Is Being Ex= tended to Porto Rico Fly ing Squadron Will Battle
 With Enemy's Ships.

NEW YORK, April 22.--A Washing ton special to the Herald says: Appre- ciating that Havana Is the key to the military situation in Cuba. Rear Ad- mlral Sampson, commander -in-chief of the North Atlantic squadron, has con- fined the blockade he instituted to ports connecting by railroal with that city. Sampson has also taken measures to blockade the port of San Juan, Porto Rico, and within the next few days an official announcement of this blockade will be made. Naturally the officials will not say that Rear Admiral Samp son has moved against Porto Rico, but there is reason to believe that some of the ships have been sent to San Juan and the American flying squadron has been held in reserve for the difficult work of placing horS de combat Spain'S s fleet now at Cape Verde Islands.
 Secretary Long was in conference to- day with the naval war board discuss ing the next move this Government should make. This was the first time Secretary Long has been present at the meeting of the board. He listened at tentively to the discussion of ~~---' ex- perts and entered into it with decision and judgment that was well apDre- ciated by the officers with whom he conferred. As soon as war is formally declared by Congress, it is confident ly expected that orders will be sent to the flying squadron to proceed to sea for the purpose of giving batt'" to Spain's squadron now at St. Vincent.
 Before the battle takes place, how ever Commodore Schley's fleet ~-.'1 be reinforced. The efforts of the vessels of the North Atlantic squadron, now in Cuban waters, will be confined to pre- venting any supplies reaching Spain's force in the city of Havana An off, cial with whom I talked pointed out that Havana is the terminus of net work of railways, which connect with Cardenas and Matanzas on the east, and Bahia Honda, Port Cabanas and Mariel on the west. Cienfuegos is also a railroad ter minus and if the blockade runners could get SunDlies in that port, they could be sent to Havana. It will be the duty of American vessels to warn neutral vessels away from these ports, and should they then attempt to vio- late the blockade, they will be seized and condemned as blockade runners and will be taken before a prize court, which will be held at Key West, and will undoubtedly be condemned by that judicial body.
 T can appreciate why no attempt is being made by the department to block ade the entire coast of Cuba" said a well known naval officer to me to-day. 'Rear-Admiral Sampson has not suf- ficient vessels to make such a blockade effective, and it would do no good to blockade a great many ports which are held by small Spanish garrisons and which cannot communicate with Ha- vana except by road Sampsons plan Is to prevent supplies from reaching the Spanish force in Havana, so as to StarVe it into submission or at least into such a state that it will not be able to give any great resistance to the military expedition which will be organized next week. The insurgents are expected to prevent any supplies reaching Havana by interior communi- cation. l have no doubt that the in surgentS are actively engaged at this moment in destroying every means of communication between the interior and Havana that it is possible to do'
 Immediate with the issuance of the Presidents proclamation declaring a blockade of Cuban ports instructions went to diplomatic representatives of the United States, directing them to in form the governments to which they are accredited of the action taken by the Government and the character of the proclamation issued This noti- fication to governments of the institu- tion of the blockade will be considered as notification to citizens and to any neutral vessels leaving port after to- day for blockaded ports that such yes sels will be liable to capture by Ameri- can men-of-war engaged in patrol work.
 Just how many vessels Rear-Admiral