The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-21

result, as General Wilson's ships are alb
solutely without protection.
The ditance from Charleston to Porto
Rico is a trifie over ], 300 miles, while from
Playa del Este to Porto Rico it is abou
700 miles. The comparative distances
which General Wilson and General Mile
have to travel to reach the point Of ren
devious are rendered the more nearl.
equal. however, by reason of the fact tina
the former has more than full days
start
Fully appreciating these facts and real
izing the necessity for prompt action in
getting General Miles and his Cuban ex-
petition started, President Mckinley this
morning issued personal orders through
the Secretary of the Navy to Admiral
Sampson that he should proceed imne-
diately to Porto Rico with General Miles.
The Presidents orders are susceptible
of no misconstruction. They are imper-
ative to a degree seldom employed ex-
cept in eases of extreme emergency.
They are of the sort that will brook no
delay in their execution. Admiral Samp-
SON must start at once or the President
himself will know the reason why. No
excuses of an ordinary nature will be
accepted by the President for further de-
lay.
While no official information that the
fleet has sailed had been received at the
War Department up to $50 o'clock this
morning it is believed that General Miles
and his troops under convoy of the navy
have departed from Cuba.
Sampson was told to send a battleship
and a cruiser as a convoy, but it was left
to him to select these from among the yes
sells of his fleet The navy was disposed
to regard 1t as unnecessary to send a
special convoy, on the ground that the
Columbia and the Yale were both armed
sufficiently to serve as protection for the
feet of transports, as. according to the
information in possession of the Navy De-
partment, there are no Spanish warships
anywhere in the neighborhood of the
West indies that might be expected to
molest the expedition.
However. acting on the Presidents re-
solve to run no unnecessary risk of dis
aster to this expedition, the decision was
reached last night to send the convoy re-
quested by the War Department It is
said at the War Department that some
of the soldiers. including Garretson's bri-
gade, have been eighteen days aboard
ship since they embarked at Newport
News, but most of the time lying off San
tiago in sight of shore but unable to
land
They arrived just before the surrender
Of Santiago and it having been decided to
use them In the Porto Rican expedition
the troops We're kept aboard to prevent
exposure to yellow fever.
If Gen. Miles gets away today he may
still reach the base selected for operations
at Porto Rico before the other sections of
hi expedition. though the latter have been
moving for a couple of days past. News
came to the Department today from Char
lesion that Gen. Wilson'S brigade was
successfully embarked there yesterday
and sailed last evening.
That is, all but one of the transports,
and as told in the official report. this
was detained over night and until the next
high tide, owing to the obstinacy of the
army mules which it was necessary to
embark on her. This was transport No.
q.
? Unless other unforeseen obstacles oc-
cur it is therefore regarded by the War
Department officials as probable that by
the early part of next week a landing
will have been made on Porto Rican soil
and the invasion of that island begun.
1t is not contemplated that the navy
shall initiate the attack on the island
further than may be necessary to pror-
tect the landing of the United States
troops. It's part will begin when the
American forces draw near the town of
San Juan from the rear.
Secretary Long had long conference
with the President today, presumably
relating TO the departure of the Porto
Rican expedition. The Secretary said
that the time of departure of Commo-
dorer Watson's squadron had not been
finally fixed Tt would depend. he said,
on the movement on Porto Rico Wat
son not starting until after the Porto
Rico expedition had gotten off. Referring
to Wafson's visit to the Spanish coast,
Secretary Long added in response to in
quiries, that there was no fear of its
bringing about any protests from or
complications with any of the Powers.
He ridiculed as absurd certain reports
that some of the Powers might trouble
if Watson goes to the Peninsula.
Secretary Alger said today that the
troops which were in the engagement at
Santiago would not be sent to Porto Rico
and there was no desire to send them
there. Thy will remain in Cuba until
yellow fever has been entirely stamped