Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-14
WHAT IT INTENDED TO DO.
Purpose Had Been 10 Attack Boston, Portland
and Newport,
IN THE ABSENCE OF A U. s,flEfT THERE


Washington, May 1.-THE Spanish
feet has been sighted agasn. this time
about hundred miles OF sthe coast of
Venezuela. going west. THIS movement
is surprise to the navy department
officials here who can only surmise that
the Spanish admiral desires to avoid an
engagement and is waiting an oppor
tnuity to make dash for Cienfuegos o.
Havana. The fleet when sighted was
going at full speed and had steamed
about $50 miles since last heard from
off the west coast of Martinique, two
days ago.
st. Pierre, Island of Martinique, May
H,-oNthing has been seen of the Span
ish fleet from here.
st. Pierre, Island of Martinique, May
1i.-tCoqyrlght 1898 by the Associated
Press.)-The Spanish torpedo gunboat
Terror, of the Cape Verde fleet. is still
at Fort de France, capital of the is
land. but nothing can be seen of the
other vessels from here.
The United States auxiliary cruiser
Harvard, formerly the American line
steamer New York, is at this port.
WHAT HAS ATTEMPTED, MAY BE.
London, May 1.-THE Star says
Madrid dispatch via Paris throws in
terestinS light. gathered from an Of
! ficial source, on Admiral Cerverass
/ movements since he left theCape Verde
Islands 1t appears that he headed
from st. Pierre Miquelon. on the coast
or Newfoundland. where sealed in
structlons awaited him. There golfers
from sydney were met and the Span
ish fleet coaled.
Admiral Cerverns's instsSctsors then
were to raid Portland. Boston and New
port, and II Rear Admiral Sampson
bombarded Havana, to draw him Off
The news from Manila seems to have
changed the plans. The next proposed
movement was to decoy Rear Admiral
Sampson to Porto Rico and then sail
rapidly for Havana and destroy the
few ships left there.
Finally should Admiral Cervera sue
coed in reaching Santiago de Cuba,
learn that two American squadrons
We're coming to meet him thus leaving
the sea free, his plan would be to avoid
them, sail straight for Charleston and
lombard that city.
SITUATION OF THE HARVARD.
Washington, May 1.-THE officials of
the state and navy departments
strongly deprecate as mischievous and
dangerous the efforts to create the i'm
preston that France is not acting up
to the rule in the observance of strict
neutrality between the United States
and Spain. They say that even We're
there some slight foundation for the
statement the time is very inopportune
for newspaper attacks that might even
involve France in the present. hostllI-
ties. AS matter of fact they saw there
is no evidence of disposition on the part
of the French colonies In the West
Indies to discriminate against the
United States. On the reverse direction
our government is not in possession of
any evidence tending in the slightest
degree to show that obstacles were
purposely interposed.
As far as the matter of coaling is
concerned there Is also an entire all
sence, as yet at least. of any evidence
that the Spanish fleet was accorded
any undue advantage. If they took
coal at Martinique, and even this is
not certainly known, much would de-
pend upon the quantity allowed. The
practice is to give ship In such cir
cumstances just enough to carry it to
the next home port, which might be
Porto Rico OF Cuba II the Spaniards
replenished their coal bunkers from
golfers lying in the port another In
terestlng question would be raised.
In fact the application Of neutrality
laws to such cases as are now pre-
scented by the frequent movements of
both American and Spanish warships
is very much beclouded. A distin-
guished official, one OF the leading
lights of the construction of interna-
tional law, pointed to the fact that
there are few presidents Of value to
guide neutral government just now
and the probabilities are that by the
time the present war Is at an end, the
United States, Just as IT did in the war
of the rebellion, will make good many
presidents and good deal OF internal
tional law for the guidance * the
family of nations hereafter. Such a
question as that presented by the ac-
ton of the French authorities in de.
tanning the United States steamship
Harvard at st. Pierre for "a hours ar
ter the departure of the Spanish tor
pedo boat destroyer Terror which she
found in that port, raises in itself u
host of interesting questions and re-
veals the fact that there Is absolutely
nothing like uniform rule In the mat
ter. Some nttions require, when two
belligerent vessels meet in their ports
that the first conner shall depart first,
while the other shall be detained "a
hours.
Another rule Is that the weaker ves-
sci shall be allowed to depart first in
order to prevent the stronger laying
In walt for her outside. In other cases
still, the second boat is not detained In
port "a hours. but the neutral contents
itself with pledge from the COM
manding officer of the belligerent ship
that he Will not engage In hostllltles
with the other ship until "a hours shall
have elapsed after his departure from
port.
Generally these rules were founded
on the old practice that obtained In the
days OF sailing ships and they have not
been modified to meet the needs OF
modern naval service. The matter of
coal supply is also obscured by doubt
full interpretations In construction.
As far as the Harvard is concerned,
the rule has not worked to our hard
ship. On the contrary the officials
here are rather inclined to be grateful