The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-30


he can take Santiago in As hours. but
indicates that the undertaking might
involve considerable loss He is fully
aware of the approach of Spain's rein
forcements and it is believed here that
he intends to take the town immediate
~, and that news of a battle might be
expected any time.
The opinion prevails here that with
in a Gay or two at most General Shsf-
ter Will have begun his attack uDoa the
city OF Santiago proper. The import
/ ant event of the day was the generals
announcement that he could take the
| city in As hours, but at considerable
/ loss. Taken in connection with the
| announcement contained in another
/ dispatch, that he is going TO attack
without awaiting reinfOrcementS, it
will he seem that the officials have
| ground for their expectation that the
first general engagement Of the war
/ will begin in q very short time. NJ
merically the opposing armies are not
very different, the estimate of the
/ Spanish force being placed at Il, 900 men
/ thoroughly entrenched and behind
| barbed wire fences, and block houses,
as against about Is, 600 men under Shat
ter's command, aided by 1000 Cubsns.
/ One of the gTayest elements in the
| problem, however, is the Spanish war
ships. for unless Shafter is materially
assisted by Sampson, who might en-
gage the full attention of the Spanish
ships, their fire upon the American ad-
vance would be very hard to meet.
The military authorities here say that
General Linares has shown great mill
! tary tact in slowly retiring during the
! last few days, as he has gradually
drawn our troops from the protection
] Of the American ships and brought
them close to the fire Of the Spanish
ships in Santiago haTbor. For this rea-
son it was with relief that the an
nOuncement was received here that
Shafter had succeeded liz landing all Of
his artillery, including his siege train,
for unless Sampson can be relied upon
to force his way into the h3rbOr and
attack the Spanish ships, the siege guns
f, planted in heights commanding the bay
will be the main reliance of General
Shafter in Offsetting the presence of the
Spanish irOnciadS.
SPANISH REINFORCEMENTS
Undoubtedly Shafter is animated to
attack as soon as possible by his knOwl-
edge of the approach of the reinforce
ments for Linares from Manzanillo, for,
with his additional force, Skaters po-
sition would be disagreeable, if not per.
ilOuS at least until he had received re-
Inducements.
The war department received the first
definite news today as to the approach
of the Spanish reinfOrcements- This
was in an official dispatch stating that
5000 men with pack trains and drOves
of animals, were advancing from Man
zanillo and were 81 miles from Santi-
ago It has been known through re-
ports from Lieutenant Joyce, made at
General tiiles, that the SpaniardS have
$4,000 men at ManZanillO ana 10000 at
Holguin and every precautiOn has been
taken to guard against their advance
from either quarter. The official report
today showed that 5000 of those at
ManzaniIlo had covered half the dis
lance to Santiago. and it is the belief
of military officials here that General
PandO is making similar advance with
his 10000 men from HOlguin. These
advances. now practically unoppoSed,
are regarded as one of the most serious
phases of the situation There is the
further element of which the military
authorities are giving CAREFUL attention,
that one man intrenched tbehind earth
works or in rifle pits, il worth three
men in the open. 1t is said that the
battles of Charlottesville and SpOtt-
sylvania afforded the most Greet PROOF
on this point.
1t was announced at the war depart
ment that by their reports 5000 soldiers
should be leaving Tampa today to join
Shafter. They viii be three or four
DAYS on the voyage, and it is probable
that it is this force that General Shat
ter refers TO as likely to arrive too
late for his action
HORSES NEEDED.
General Shafter emphasizes the need
of horses In particular he wants
horses for the Third battalion of the
First cavalry and for Colonel WOODS
rough riders. He says the horses he
carried on the expedition stood the
voyage we'll.
One of the most satisfactory points
reported by General Shafter is that the
last of the artillery has been landed
This means a great deal, as it was
feared the loss of the lighter would Sc
riously delay the landing of the heavy
artillery. He does not specify that
the heavy guns as we'll as the light ar
tillery were landed, but his statement
that the last of the artillery was landed
yesterday is taken to cover all OF the
ordnance.
With these siege guns on shore. Gen
eraI Shafter is now in a position to
support a troop of cavalry with the big
guns of the heavy artillery as well as
the light field guns
General Skaters dispatches speak Of
the spirits of the troops and of their
excellent health. They bring out also
that the commander is not less in high
spirits than his men, for he concludes
one of his dispatches with the laconic
fI,ot "a hOnpS RI send faVOr-