The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-04
SAMPSON IS AT SANTIAGO
4RRIVED WITH HIS SQUADRON ON
WEDNESDAY MORNING.

vessels-The Last Cable That Binds
Cuba to Madrid is Cut-Insurgents
Hold the HiI1s-Three New Batteries
on the West Side of the Channel.
copyright, 1898, The Associated Press
Off Santiago de Cuba, June 3.-By the
Associated Press dispatch boat Wan
da, via Kingston, Jamaica, June g.
Rear Admiral Sampson with the Unit
ed States cruiser New York, his flag
ship, accompanied by the battleship
| Oregon, the cruiser Mayfower and the
| torpedo boat Porter, Joined Commodore
| Schley's squadron off Santiago We'd
| nesday morning and their combined
| commands have the Spanish fleet Sc
curely locked in the harbor
| Admiral Sampson left the heavy
monitors and light gunboats off Car
denas Monday morning, all danger Of
the appearance Of the Spaniards from
the eastward having been removed
with the definite information that Com
modore Schley had hunted them to
their hole, and, under command of
Commodore Watson, the monitors and
gunboats returned to reinforce the
! blockade on the north coast of Cuba.
Admiral Sampson did not assume
| command and amalgamate the squad
rons upon his arrival Each squadron
retains it's separate entity and Como
dore Schley his single starred pen
nant on the Brooklyn. The American
fleet off Santiago now numbers twelve
fighting ships, two Golfers and cable
cutting ship. Neither the Solace, the
hospital ship, nor the Red Cross ship
State of Texas, which the Associated
Press dispatch boat Dauntless passed
on her way here, has yet put in an ap-
pearance.
The fighting ships include the New
York, Brooklyn, Iowa, Oregon, Massa-
chusetts, Texas, New Orleans, Marble
head, Dolphin, Mayflower and Vixen,
and the torpedo boat Porter There is
every indication that an active opera
tion will begin at once. The last cable
which binds Cuba to Madrid was cut
to-day.
Pending the execution of Admiral
SIMPSONS plan of campaign the ships
form a Gordon about the entrance OF
Santiago harbor to prevent the possible
egress of the Spaniards should Admiral
Cervera be foolhardy enough to at
tempt to cut his way out. Communi-
cation has also been had with the shore.
The mountains and hills which sur
round Santiago are in full possession OF
the Cuban insurgents and in certain
contingencies the latter might be en-
abled to render effective aid.
sAcross the narrow neck Of the chan
mel, which at the entrance Is scarcely
more than hundred yards wide, have
been placed three rows of mines, mark
ed by wooden buoys. So far as has
| been ascertained there are three new
batteries on the west side of the en-
trance. These appear to be formed en-.
| tirely of earthworks. The embrasures
for the guns can easily be discerne6
with the glasses. Cayo Smith, the
small island which lies directly beyond
the throat of the island, Is fortified
and back of Moro, which sits on the
rocky eminences at the right of the en-
trance, are Estella battery and st
Carolina fort. Further up the Bag
guarding the last approach to the city
of Santiago is Blanco battery.
The forts are Of stone and were con
structed in the early sixties. st. Caro-
lima fort is partly in ruins. The gun
in both Morro Castle and Estella bat
terry are of old pattern eighteen an
twenty ty-four-pounders, and would no
even be considered were it not for th
great height of the Notifications, whicl
would enable these weapons to delive
a plunging fire. Modern guns ar
mounted on the batteries to the left o
the entrance. On Cayo Smith and a
Blanco batteries there are also fOu
modern guns. The mines in the mar
row, tortous channel and the elevation
of the forts and batteries, which mus
increase the effectiveness of the enem
and at the same time decrease that o
our own, reinforced by the guns of tn
Spanish fleet inside, make the harbo
as it now appears almost impregnable
Unless the entrance Is countermined
| would be fOlly TO attempt TO force III
: passage with our ships. But the Span
ish fleet is bottled up and a plan is be
ing considered to drive in the cork.
that is done the next news may be
brilliant story Of closing the harbor.
would release a part of our fleet an
, leave the Spaniards to stay until the
. were ready to hoist the flag of peace
. The Spanish fleet which lay near tn
mouth of the harbor has withdrawn t
, a safer anchorage farther in, probabl
. behind Cayo Smith, and not glin1ps
, of it has been seen to-day.
TIL YALE CREW