Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-06-19
TAESTART ToCuBA.
HENRY J. ALLEN WRITES OF THE
FLEETS DEPARTURE.
IMPOSING BEYOND DESCRIPTION.
cline OF MARCH" Is FIVE. MILES
LONG AND A MILE WIDE.
Clara Barfon's Red Cross Ship Part
of the Expedition-Mr. Allen
Says That the Expedition
Comprises Only About
12,OOO Men.

1900 Men.
Especial Correspondence OF The Journal)
ON BOARD THE u. S. TRANSPORT
SARATOGA, OFF EGGMONT KEYS
FLA, June H.-The fiotilla carrying the
first army of invasion started at $3.50 last
night, and dropped twenty-five miles down
the bay to this point, where we anchored
for the night. As i write this the vessels
are taking their positions in the fleet and
we are now only awaiting the arrival Of the
headquarters ship to begin the regular voy.
age. The fleet sails three abreast with
400 yards interval between, and each set
of '.threes'' is separated by 500 yards. De-
sent a noble line of march, covering many
acres of water. 1t is fully FIVE miles from
the first rank of .threes to the last, and the
column of march Is mile wide. The spec
tacle Is formidable beyond anything ever
seen upon American waters. The scenes
incident to our departure from the port OF
Tampa last night will be long remembered;
they cannot be rendered justice by any OF
the stock language Of description. The hour
was full Of SUCH emotion as men feel in
the presence of q great event. New and
important history was just beginning. The
first army Of invasion was sailing; a band
was playing on board every transport and
something was beating a martial measure
in every mans heart" In q few hours we
Will come upon our convoy Of battleships.
headed by the Indiana, and the thirty-five
ships now in the fleet will grow, to forty.
At Key West we will be joined by. our
lighters, pontoons, waterships, etc. ard our
fleet will be still greater. The convoy has
on board about 12,0N men and Officers.
Many silly estimates are being made, some
claiming 1900, some 10000. and some $1,000.
but the fact is, we have simply two divi-
sions of the Fifth corps, the third division,
consisting of volunteers, being left behind
until the transports can return, when they
will probably be Joined to the Fourth corps
and make up part of the second expedi-
ton, to 60. 1t is believed, to Porto Rico.
and is based upon the supposition that the
present expedition is going to Santiago de
Cuba.
The 1900 men with US comprise the most
effective fighting force of the army. With
the exception Of two regiments Of volunteer
infantry fthe Seventy-first New York and
Second Massachusetts, and 500 Rough Rid
ers) they are the regulars, splendidly arm
ed, splendidly drilled and in perfect fight
ing trim. The most important part of. our
equipment is two eight-gun batteries Of
heavy siege artillery. 1t is presumed that
they are for use on the land side Of San
tiago. Another significant fact is that all
cavalry has been dismounted and no horses
go on the expedition, except those of the
staff, and the animals of the wagon train.
To Sv1Hs1 toe Ak,1x - a-Ax
at close quarters behind breastworks. We
will sail eight and half miles an hour and
will be four and half days en- route to
Santiago.
The transports are numbered, named and
loaded as follows: No. l, Miami. Sixth
infantry, Ninth cavalry, no horses; No. 2,
Santiago. Ninth infantry, one battalion
Tenth infantry, division headquarters and
division hospital; No. 3, Gussie, mules and
teamsters; No. 4, Cherokee, part of Twelfth
and part of Seventeenth infantry; No. 5,
Seneca, Eighth infantry; No. 6, Alamo, en-
gineer battalion. two troops Tenth cay
airy. dismounted; No. Z. Comal, four bat
teries First artillery. division hospital; No.
s. .Yucatan, eight troops First o. s. volunteer
cavalry trough riders), headquarters, and
one battalion Second United States infant
ry; No. 8, Berkshire, two batteries Bee
ond artillery. two companies Twenty-hrst
infantry; No. 10. Whitney, mules. team
sters end wagons: No. II, Oiivette, feet
hospital and cargo of water; No. II. Sc
guranca, General Skaters headquarters
and headquarters First infantry; No. IA,
Concho. Fourth and Twenty-fifth infantry:
No. l6 Is the Florida, which was disabled
a few nights ago in collision, and cannot
be repaired In time for the first expedition:
No. 16, City of Washington, Twenty-fourth
and one battalion Twentyfirst in
fantry: No. II. Allegheny, General Wheel
er's headquarters and detachment head
quarters guard; No. 49, San Marcos. Six
teenth infantry and one battalion Of Sec
ond infantry: No. 10. D. H. Miller, part Of
Seventeenth infantry and 900 animals; No.
20, Saratoga, Thirteenth infantry, head
quarters brigade commander, headquarters
and one battalion Twenty-irst infantry,
division hospital: No. q, Leona, First
United States cavalry, Tenth United States
cavalry, dismounted. and General Young's
No. q, Rio Grande. Third
and Sixth United States cavalry. dismount-
ed; No. 2s, Vigilance. Seventy-first New
York volunteer infantry; No. "a. OriZaba,
Twenty second infantry, u. 8. A., two bat
teries heavy artillery. and 1a5 mules; No. 25.
Itoquois. Seventeenth infantry. part of
Seventh infantry, headquarters second di-
Twentieth infantry four troops Second cav.
airy, tllsmounted; No. q, Aransas. stores.
wagon train, etc; No. e. Saltwater. one
troop cavalry. horses, mules. wagons and
stores; No. g. Breakwater, Third infantry;
No. 30. Morgan. three troops Second cav.
AIRY; kanteo, not numbered. four compa-
1Ies Second Massachusetts volunteer in
fantry; (nickerbocker. headquarters and
Two hattalions Second Massachusetts,; Clin-
.on. two companies Second infantry; State
IF Texas. Clara Bartons Red Cross ship.
There is no mo. 1S.''
lao a. fn.-Gene:aI Skaters ship has just
arrived. He flies the old badge of the
Fifth army corps made SO famous in the
.ivil war. 1t is blue field, with white
maltese cross, and in the civil war was
worn on the hat of every member of this
corps. His ship is now passing in review
around the fleet, and we are all getting
ready to follow him out to the blue waters
u the ocean. HENRY ]. ALLEN.
Rubens Says It Ia Isnncombe.
NEW YORK. June 1s.-Hotatio W. Rub
ms, counsel for the Cuban junta. In an In
erview to-day. characterized the report
hat Maxine Gomez was protesting against
he Intervention of the United States as a
(. "a