Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-21

under such circumstances, for If the COM
manders of the swift Spanish cruisers and
torpedo boats are willing to incur the risk
they would have every chance in their
favor of destroying a number of the trans
ports with all their troops. If one of the
cruisers should succeed in passing through
the lines of the conveying warships in the
midst of the fleet of transports, they would
be in measure protected by their very
victims, the transports, from the fire of our
warshps, and the possibilities of inf1cting
a tremendous blew upon US would be very
large. All of this has been fully considered
by the military authorities, and they are
consequently locking to the navy to drive
off or destroy Admiral Cervera's fleet be-
fore the soldiers are called upon to cross
the Florida straits.
Insufficient Ammunition.
Another and very serious cause of delay
is the insufficient supply of ammunition of
the army. in which respect it is very much
worse off than the navy. With the best
efforts that the department has put forth,
the total stock of cartridges for the small
rifles now hand is but 100000 rounds.
No military authority regards it safe
III such expedition as is now projected
for the troops to have less ammunition
than 300 rounds per man. for the new
magazine guns Up ammunition very
much more rapidly than the old single load
ers. Many of the National Guard regi-
ments which have been taken into the
service insist that $50 rounds per man is
the minimum allowance of cartridges with
which they are willing to start for Cuba.
OF course the troops remaining at home
and assigned to the important duty OF
nd
the Philippines must all have their quotas.
minimum allowance OF cartridges of 300
per man, the War Department will require
a stock of 52.5O.6oO more than five
times the present supply. By great energy
the ammunition factories have just reached
the point where they can turn out about
100000 cartridges per day, but even at this
rate it will be four months before the sup
ply of ammunition desired can be accumu-
lated. That is another factor in the delay
of the military expedition.
Hammocks and Uniforms.
There are other circumst stances not SO
important. It is true, but still OF enough
consequence to warrant their being consid-
cred in connection with the whole problem,
for instance the matter of footwear, shoes
and underclothes. All these supplies
deficient in quantity to meet the needs even
of the troops already mustered in. Then, a
special uniform made of light canvas or
jean, something heretofore unknown in
military equipment, must be provided for
the troops. and that takes time. To send
a soldier to Cuba in a hot season clad in
the familiar blue flannel uniform worn in
this country would be to condemn him TO
untold suffering and the destruction of his
health. To sleep on the wet ground sub
ject to the attacks of innumerable insect
pests would quickly break the spirit of the
best soldier, SO hammocks are necessary.
Even the insurgents of Cuba, destitute of
everything else, have these. A supply has
been ordered for the army of occupation,
but they cannot be delivered in quantities
for several weeks. There are many other
small things that are almost necessaries
that are yet to be procured, and when these
are considered it will be seen that there is
some reason for the disregard by the army
officers who are laying the plans of cam
paign of the demands of the ''on-to-Ha-
vana'' element of our people.