The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-25
TO At TACK SPAIN
Our War Officials Consider
ing Bombardment Of
Ports in the
Peninsula.
PLENTY OF SHIPS TO SPARE.
Washington Plans for the
Cuban Campaign-.-Peace-
ful Siege Of Havana.
HARD TO CUT THE CABLES
Reasons Why Santiago Has
Not Yet Been Entirely Cut
Off From the World.

WASHINGTON, June 2s 1898 The
proposition to attack the coast of Spain
Itself, while not having progressed to any
definite stage. has not been abandoned by
the Administration. On she contrary, it
has been the subject of some earnest dis
cussion in administration circles, though. it
has gained no serious attention in the de-
liberations of the Cabinet as body.
The plan as informally discussed, looks
ITO taking a number of our first class bat
tleships with . sufficient fiotilla of col
liers and supply vessels and making war
on the large cities along the Spanish coast.
In this connection the statement of a
cabinet official today that he favors an
early ordering of about ten of our ves-
ry what will be needed in the course of
so long Journey, to be taken away from
our fleet in Cuba and sent direct on this
mission is significant.
He said he believed that until some such
work as that is done by our force, the
government of Spain will fail to appreciate
the resources of the government with
which she is at war. 1t should be dis
tinctly understood, however, that there is
no semblance of a conclusion as yet to
take any such step in the future, and
while earnestly discussed no project of
this nature has been laid before the Of
hcial family of the President. This ac-
si3sl4sif it spere zeTr at all would involve
the view that the vessels could easily be
spared from the Cuban waters, and some
members of the administration have no
hesitation in saying that they might be
easily spared before long without detri-
ment to our campaign in Cuba
With reference to Havana it has been
suggested that our troops surround the
city and take possession of the highlands
so as to cover every point of approach
and conduct a peaceful siege. The plan
dinarily with the large fatalities tha-
must necessarily follow an attempted i'm
| mediate capture of the Spanish citadel,
and also would locate our troops N
| healthful regions. Probably not less
than IS 600 men would be needed should
this plan be adopted. While the Admin
:, ~ ,,x,e,,,,,,.l, oopfidanca m
getting great assistance from the Cuban
forces they could be counted on to some
extent.
The Island of Cuba is, to the best know
ledge of the officials here, still connected
| with the outside world with only one
| cable save those crossing to Key West,
and the War Department. through Gea.
| Greely, is not relaxing its efforts to cut
! that last link. This runs into the island
at Santiago, crossing from Kingston.
| Jam, and belongs to an English company.
For several weeks past it has been
! known that this cable was in working or
| der and the ST. Louis has been trying
desperately to cut it. In addition, the
cable steamer Mancel is to be assigned 10
| the task, and between the two it IL
hoped that the cable will soon be cut.
The difficulties in the way of accomp-
| fishing this are very much greater than
in the case Of any of the other Cuban
/ cables. The Kingston cable was laid
fully twenty years ago and has become
covered with barnacles and marine de-
posits until It's original size has been IN
creased to HAT of mans leg. In adj
/ dition to that, the cable is completely
/ covered with slit and seaweed SO that
/ it is almost impossible for the ordinary
| graphing irons used by steamers to
catch hold of 1t unless they should strike
the cable at some point where 1t hung
! over depression in the bottom.
Even when caught in the graphing
irons, the cable is Of such weight, ow-
ing TO the marine deposits upon its sur
face that it would be almost beyond the
power OF any lifting apparatus on board
! an ordinary ship to hoist 1t to the sur
face from the vast depth In which It lies.
| On the south coast Of Cuba, within a
mile OF the shore. the bottom pitches
suddenly downward to the depth Of more
than a mile and IT is exceedingly difficult
to pick up a cable in such water.
General Greeley's boat has done this
on at least one occasion and thereby
earned the admiration Of the professional
cable layers who are often engaged for
weelss at a time IN the Atlantic trying 70
raise an injured cable. The last cable
! pulled up lay a. i depth of one and one