The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-28

Vel, = II - LIN "
bia, Second New York. Fifth Maryland.
Third Brigade. General r. II. HAL.
commanding; Third Pennsylvania, 18th
Indiana, First Ohio, First Illinois.
Whether some regiments will be taken
from other divisions cannot be stated
definitely. 1t is known only that General
Snyder's division has been looked upon
by the War Department as the one best
equipped for an immediate start. The
batteries will be designated by General
Randolph, in command of the artillery at
Tampa
If the expedition gets away today. it
will arrive off Santiago next Saturday
The trip doubtless will be to the east
ward around Cape Maysi, along the same
route as that of the Shafter expedition.
This will bring Shafter's force up 10
about 10000 men, made up of the $4,000
men he took with him; General Duffields $
command on the Harvard and Yale; Cen
eral Garretson's command which will go
on the same steamers, and General Sny-
ider,s division from Tampa.
This increases the extent Of the block
ade fully fourfold It having been con-
fined heretofore to stretch Of little
more tHnn ozIe hundred miles on the
north and the single port Of Cienfuegos
on the south coast of the island. The
demands upon the Navy in the way of
ships to patrol the coast, however, will
not be nearly SO heavy in proportion to
the territory to be covered as in the case
of the initial blockade.
The reports which have reaehed the
President as to the exact state Of affairs
{ In Havana are conflicting in some cases
the town was declared to be ON the verge
Eof starvation; in others food supplies were
Std to be Still abundant. AS a matter Of
fact the truth probably lies between these
extremes, and while supplies of certain
character are very scarce in Havana
there is no lack of others.
1t is known for instance that while
flour may be scarce, large quantities of
beef have reached Havana. Most of this
has come from Mexico and it has usually
been brought over to the isle of Pines and
then transhipped into light draft boats
TO Batabano, whence it is carried by rail
into Havana.
The vessels for the additional blockade
service will be supplied almost entirely
from the patrol fleet, which under Com
North Atlantic coast from Maine to South
Carolina. This service has been aban-
doned because the only available Spanish
warships are with Admiral Camarn.
point Oh the Atlantic coast.
The vessels are already on their way
southwark, having been reinforced by
several of the new torpedo boats which
are particularly adopted because of their
light draft for blockade duty in the shall
low waters lying behind the Isle of Pines
and Cuba
The blockade of San Juan proclaimed
today is in reality already in effect, hav-
ing been initiated by Captain Sigsby last
week when he t urnedback from that
port a British steamer laden with sup
plies. The difficulty of maintaining the
blockade at this port, in the face of the
Spanish forts, and three Spanish war YES
sells in the harbor, would be considerable
had not Captain Sigsbee by disabling the
only formidable one of these vessels made
the task easier
AS it is the character of vessels re-
quired to maintain the blockade at San
Juan necessarily must be of a type sill
peror to the hips required for the block
ably some such vessel as the Detroit or
the Montgomery will be assigned to he
task.
It is said at the Navy Department that
1t is the present Intention to start Conn
modore Watson's eastern squadron from
Santiago This, however, is subject to
Admiral Sampson report upon the con
dition of the vessels selected and their
needs in the matter of supplies and equip
ment for the long voyage ahead OF them.
If they need no more than can pc sup
piled from SIMPSONS fleet they will start
further supplies and equipment are ne so-
ed or il the vessels must be cleaned first
then probably they will be sent north %
Hampton Roads. Meanwhile there is no
mistaking the earneStness of the Navy
Department in preparing this squadron
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