The record-union., 1898-07-24
War Department Will Not State
Where That Is.
Doubt Cast on the Report Of the Recent
Exciting Events Among Cubans
at or Near San
tiago.

WASHINGTON, July 23.-General
Miles expedition, in all probability, is
now in the Mona Passage, between
Hayti and Porto Rico, and will be in
sight of the landing point in the morn
| ing. While this is the expectation of
Secretary Alger. for prudential reasons
the War Department declines to make
any comment as to the accuracy of the
various guesses that have been made
in the effort to ascertain just what
point has been selected for the landing
place. There is likely to be a lapse of
a day or two between the arrival of
the expedition and the notification of
the fact to the department unless some
merchant vessel crossing to St Thomas
should sight the American f1otilla
After that, however, the department
will be in the closest communication
with General Miles, for Ut will possess
itself of a cable connecting General
Miles headquarters directly with the
department. Some parts of the Porto
Rico expedition have been delayed for
their departure, but in view of the diff
culties of handling large bodies of men
and the supplies for them, this is not
surprising. Thus Schwan's troops got
away only to-day from Tampa, though
it was believed they started yesterday,
While the most numerous detachment
of the whole expedition, the First Di-
vision, under General Brooke, will not
be able to clear from Newport News
before Monday. Still it is believed that
they will arrive at Porto Rico in good
season, and it will certainly facilitate
an orderly and comfortable landing of
the troops to have them land in detach-
ments instead Of in one vast army, as
in the case of Skaters army at San
tiago.
Doubt is cast upon reports of recent
exciting events among the Cubans at
or near Santiago, owing to the failure
of General Shafter to make any report
upon them, and inasmuch as he has
made less important subjects matter Of
dispatches, it is hard to understand
of such Importance as the reported at
tack by Garcia upon Spanish troops
on their way to surrender to Shafter.
There was no health report received
from Shafter to-day, but SO far from
being discouraging, this is believed to
indicate the continuance of the improv-
ed condition reported yesterday and
the day before as to the health of the
camp.
The War Department is now, while
keeping close eye upon General Miles
expedition, looking with interest for de-
tailed reports from General Shafter,
telling of the engagement preceding
and leading up to the surrender of
Santiago. 1t was reported to-day that
Colonel j. j. Astor of Skaters staff
was due in Washington, bringing with
him the full capitulations signed by the
Commissioners, and it was expected
that Skaters preceding reports would
accompany them. However, up to the
close of official hours, which to-day, to
the relief of the hard worked clerks,
was o'clock for the first time in many
months, the officer did not appear and
the department does not know where
he is.
Some of the papers have come from
Sampson, but to the great disappoint-
ment of the Navy Department, the re-
ports closed on the day before the IA
nous naval battle. Some points of in
terest contained in them will be given
to the public in the course of a day
or two, but they will only relate to the
several fights between the squadron
and the shore batteries.
1t is now the purpose Of the War De-
partment to begin at once the execu-
tion Of the plans devised by Secretary
Alger for the creation of reserve camps
and boards of staff officers are now
engaged in various localities looking
after such camp sites and making pre-
liminary arrangements for acquiring
the right to use those places and ar
ranging for water supplies. The in
tention is not to be caught through
any contingency with large numbers of
troops at central points in the midst
Of an epidemic of any kind, with no
place to remove them. 1t was for this
reason that Fernandina was selected
some time ago as one of these reserve
camps and within the last two days
the value Of this policy has been amply
justified, as otherwise there would
have been no suitable place to which
TO remove the troops from Tampa. One
of the reserve camps is likely to be To-
Gated in the valley Of the Potomac,
about forty miles above Washington,
and will be very convenient for the re-
ception of troops from Camp Alger in