The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-11
But Transports viii Not Sail Without
Strong Convoy,
NOTHING TO BE GAINED BY HASTE
Government Will Take No Chances
Sampson Confirms Tuesdays En-
Gagcment-Little Truth in the
Ladrone Report-Self-Sacri
fcing Ladies Who VIII
Goas Military Nurses.

10 Cuba, one thing stands out clearly
namely. that tho government feeling
strong in its present position and plan'
IS moving cautiously and with the delibe-
ration which it believes will secure sue
cess unattended with disasters.
with this main purpose in view, the
army ana navy are cooperating toward
the despatch Of the troops, some 5000
in number. under escort Of n strong feet
Of naval conveys made up Of sixteen
warshlps, headed by the battleship In
! diana.
Unattended by this strong feet the
troops might have left last Friday when
one strong naval convoy was ready for
! this service Since then, however, re-
ports have come as 10 the presence Of
Spanish ships in the North Atlantic.
NOTHING GAINED BY HASTE.
Realizing that nothing was to be gain
! cd by haste and that the war was pro-
| crossing steadily toward success, IL was
| determined not TO take one small chance
! Of having our troops menaced by some
| scouting ship Of the enemy's fleet As
! result the troop transport have not pro-
! ceeded TO Cuba, either yesterday or the
/ day before, as had been reported yester-
/ ay Tney are I'm readiness 10 go, but
/ viii not move until the navai convoy IS
\ ready 10 accompany them. assuring safe
/ conduct from Florida to the point Of des-
/ tination. Whether that will be to-day or
| tomorrow the War Department positive
| ly declines TO say.
! STRICT CENSORSHIP.
! The administration feels that the time
! has come when il is OF the utmost i'm
| pOrtance that the precise movements Of
] this invading fleet should not be publish
I ed I'm this country and thus heralded TO
| the enemy.
/ The completeness with which tho
| transport Of the troops has been planned,
/ is shown in the official list Of transport
vessels given out at the War Depart
mcnt to-day. OF this list thirty-fOur
I large steamers. varying from 400 tons
down 10 COO tons are at Florida ports
ready TO carry our troops 20 the point
/ Of invasion. There are some fifteen other
craft. including vessels suitable for car
/ rying fresh water stores. etc. and for
| lightering the troops and stores from the
/ ships 10 The beach when the debarkation
/ begins.
/ The entire transport fleet Of about fifty
steamships augmented by the fleet OF
/ naval convoys sixteen In number. win
make a formidable mrine procession, ex-
ceeding I'm magnitude the notable spccta-
Gle Of the naval review during tho
Worlds Fair year
OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION.
/ The first official confirmation OF the
engagement al Guantanamo last Tuesday
+ came to the Navy Department to-day
and was made the subject Of a bulletin.
/ The terms I'm which the admiral, Samp-
D az ffnfV tended efr.frclV
/ TO confirm the tone that had been given
/ it I'm the official dispatches.
There was a. notable failure on the
/ part of the administration TO mention
anything Ike landing. although the
statement that the Marblehead now holds
the lower bay by implication nay cary
with IL the idea that her marines He
ashore
/ Elderly naval officers. who nave hcen
in Guantanamo Bay. describe It MS adj
mirably suited for tho reception Il trans
ports with plenty of water for the big
gost Of the transports and enough for
/ the smaller class Of Warships that might
be used TO convoy them.
BASE OF OPERATIONS.
The locality is one that would make
GOOD base for operations agaist Santiago
itself should IT be decided to attack the
latter town by troops from the rear IN
stead Of by the warships.
The statement coming from San Fran
cisco To the effect that the real object of
the CharlestOns voyage was the seizure
Of the Spanish Iadrone Islands has small
basis of truth IN il.
When Il was decided 10 send the moni-
tors Monterey and MonadnOck clear
across the Pacific from Mare Island 10
Manila IL was known that this could not
be done without sending cOlliers because
a the insufficient coal supply of the moni-
tors.
FOR \ COALING STATION
II was not deemed practicable TO tow
| the big ironclads the four thousand miles
/ Of the voyage that would have TO be ira
yersed by them without coal, so il was
necessary 10 find places Ia the Pacihc
where they could replenish their bunkers
A study Of the charts showed that there
were several groups of Islands lying be-
tween Hawaii and the Philippines which
might afford "a harbor In which the col
/ diers could lay alongside the monitors
and nm up their coal bunkers The Of
| ncials DO not deem IL prudent to name
the particular Islands chosen for the
purpOse but II is obvious that. being
I barred by neutrality laws from the pos
session OF neutral countries. the first re-
course Of the Navy Department would
be 10 seize some of the Spanish Islands
such az the Ladrones or the CarOlines;
/ therefore it IS assumed that If the
Charleston really goes 10 one Of the form
| er islands IL will be with the purpose OF
securing in advance suitable harbor
| for the use OF the monitors
FOR COUNTRY'S SAKE.
A very substantial evidence Of seif-sac-
rigre Cor the sake Of their country is
recorded By the taking up Of a military
( nurses duties by the daughter OF Secre-
/ tarv Long Miss Margaret Long. with
1 some OF her chums at the Johns Hopkins
| Medical School. of Baltimore The young
ladies who go with Miss Long are Doro-
! thy Reid. Mabel Austin. daughter Of eX-
I Governor Austin OF Minnesota, and Mabel
/ slmis. They have already reported 20 the
Naval Hospital at Brooklyn 10 nurse the
| wounded and sick sailors who were sent
| up from SIMPSONS feet on the solace.