The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-18
MILES AND SAMPSON.
They Meet and Talk Over the situa-
ton.

go, Saturday, July 16, by way of Kings
ton. Jamaica, July 1S.SThe news that
the surrender of Santiago was an ac-
compIished fact was wigwagged from
the army signal station at Aguadores
to the flagship New York.
Acting on Gen. Skaters message of
Thursday, which stated absolutely that
Santiago had already surrendered.
Rear Admiral Sampson abandoned all
preparations for entering Santiago har-
Dor and q further bombardment. When
Gen. Shafter said that a hitch had oc-
Cured, and the city might have to be
taken by force of arms, it was believed
that the navy work would have to be
continued, and the harbor forced. and
the arrangements already in progress
for further campaigning would be Sc
riously interfered with. The removal
of this contingency rendered the news
of final victory dOubly welcome
Gen. Miles and his staff went aboard
the New York. For an hour Gen.
Miles sat upon the quarterback Of the
flagship explaining the situation ashore
to Admiral Sampson and discussing de-
tails for the future cooperation of the
navy and army Admiral Sampson
declined to send an officer ashore to
see that the Spaniards lived up to their
promise to remove all the mines from
the harbor He has promised Miss
Clara Barton of the Red Cross society,
that the Red Cross ship State of Texas
shall be the first vessel to enter the
harbOr after he is satisfied that the
mines have been removed.
Gen. Miles said to a representative
of the Associated Press: 4 am most
gratif1ed over the surrender of Santia-
60 The terms are just as good as an
unconditional surrender. The Span
ish troops would eventually have to be
sent to Spain; by sending them at once
we feed and keep them for only a
month or SO instead of perhaps a year.
1t would be hard to keep them in Cuba
where, it must be rememb ered, they
would be a constant agency for the
spread of yellow fever.
In Spain they will have no chance to
break their oaths nor to fight against
US. They will never get back to Gu
ba, that's certain
Asked as to the yellow fever among
the American troops, Gen Miles said:
THE doctors report 237 cases. OF course
it is a serious matter, but I hope by
camping on the hills to stamp it out
as it is a mild form of the fever and
only a few deaths have yet occurred.
''Our troops fought spIendidIy. nobly.
The entire campaign was a complete
success"
Rear Admiral Sampson said to the
cores pOndent: Il am delighted at the
successful termination of the campaign
The question of transporting the Span
ish troops to Spain will undoubtedly be
settled by the Washington authorities
without delay. If the troops go on the
transports now off Santiago, or in 9TH
er American transports sent for that
purpose, they will need no convoy the
safety of our transports on their arrival
in Spain naturally being guaranteed
All the American troops now on the
south side of Cuba will remain ashore
probably for some time, until the Span
ish troops are on the transports. Their
task is likely to be an arduous one
The marines will keep the camp at
Guantanamo, where they have done
such excellent work and which has
proved such an invaluable harbor and
base.
FOR the force employed and the lives
lost, it is doubtful whether in the his
tory of all wars so much benefit has
been derived as from the work done by
this handful of marine, backed up by
the ships at Guantanamo. Admiral
Sampson is inclined to believe now that
it would be advisable for Guantanamo
to be made an open port. AS far as the
navy is concerned, it's work off Santiago
has been done we'll and the unbrOken
blockade by the fleet and the conse-
Quent hunger and distress among the
Spanish troops had much to do with
their surrender. These are the negative
causes that contributed to the victory.
Throughout the campaign before San
tiagO, owing to poor facilities of COM
munication and utter inability to see
from the ships what was going on
ashore behind the hills, there has been
some lack of cooperation between the
army and navy. 1t is now known that
twice since SIMPSONS pennaut has
flown outside MORO castle, an expecta-
ton to blow up the mines in Santiago
harbor has been almost ready to add
another chapter to the annals of Amer
1Can naval n0TOlSIl- L ne IESl lIlu0 InIS
was frustrated by Admiral Cervera's
DASH and the second by the truce which
General Shafter arranged with General
Linares.
Naval officers and surgeons with
years of experience in tropical countries
and with their fevers, suggested strong
" the burning of all the houses at Sib-
oney the moment the troops landed.
Their advice was not acted upon, how
ever, until three weeks later, when the
yellow fever had already broken out in
one of these houses. At Guantanamo
the first thing Commander McCalla did
was to burn everything, and there has
been no fever there
The blockade of Southern Cuban
ports will be maintained more strictly
than ever. Santiago will have only a
small force for an emergency, and no
blockade will exist there. The armOred
ships are coaIing at Guantanamo and
preparing for more serious work.
If the president intends sending a fleet
to Spain the opinion of naval officers here
docIted ana renaired before going
1t is not treason to say that one of the
mo1fhs ana hat other ships are corroded
by the southern waters and have been
cruising and in frequent action with
out the rest that modern men-of-war re-
quire even in times of peace.
AS one distinguished naval officer said:
eff the thing is worth doing it is worth
doing well. Without the few ships that
need docking the squadron would not be
greatly Impaired To clean them would
take only a short time. If hurried off to
Spain-although. of course, don't know
if that is intended-they may break down.
enbarrass the whole fleet and greatly re
duce the speed of the ships which are in
ITO my mind. the time spent in getting
the fleet into proper shape for such an
important Undertaking would be doubly
repaid by the results
Lieutenant Hobson last night went to
Rio Tarquino to again inspect the Cristo-
bal Colon The Merritt Wrec<ing COM
pany reports that it is impossible to float
her Naval officers are inclined to be
Iieve that there is a chance of saving this
sDIendid ship, and effort should be
spared to do so. Lieutenant Hobson. in
his capacity as an expert on naval con
struction, may be able to suggest some