Evening star., 1898-06-28
TOEXTEND BLOCKADE
Proclamation Issued by President
Mckinley.
TO INCLUDE SOUTHERN CUBAN. COAST
How Supplies Have Been Obtained
From Havana.
CONDITION OF THAT CITY

my proclamation of April %. 1898. block
ade of the ports on the northern coast of
| Cuba, from Cardenas to Bahia Honda, in
elusive, and of the port of Cienfuegos, on
| the south coast of Cuba, was declared to
| have been instituted; and
! Whereas, it has become desirable to eX-
| tend the blockade to other Spanish ports:
Now, therefore, 1, William Mckinley,
| President of the United States, do hereby
declare and proclaim that, in addition to
the blockade of the ports specified in my
| proclamation of April D. 1898, the United
States of America has instituted and will
| maintain an effective blockade of all the
ports on the south coast of Cuba, from
| Cape Frances to Cape Cruz inclusive and
also of the port of San Juan, in the Island
of Porto Rico.
| Neutral vessels lying in any of the ports
| TO which the blockade is by the present
| proclamation extended will be allowed thir-
| ty days to issue therefrom with cargo
In witness whereof l have hereunto set
my hand and caused the seal of the United
| States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington this
| tWenty-seventh day of June, A. ID. 1898
and of the Independence of the United
States the one hundred and twen;y-second
| WILLIAM MCKINLEY
BY the President:
j. b. MOORE,
Acting Secretary of State.
Five Hundred Miles Of Coast.
by mis- proclamation issued today, the
PRESIDENT gave notice Of the intention of
the government to assume the formida bI,,
task OF blockading about 500 miles OF Cuban
coast line, in addition to the sections al
ieauy piochaoed. This increases the extent
oi the blockade fully four-fold, it having
heretofore been connned to a stretch of a
little more than loo miles on the north
coast, with Havana at the center, and the
single port of Cienfuegos on the south coast
Oh the Island. Yet the demands upon the
navy IN the way of ships to patrol the
coast VIII not be nearly SO heavy in propor-
ton to the ter itory to be covered as in the
case OF the initial blockade. The reason is
that the new blockaded coast line lies on
tifely within that great blight on the south
CUBAN coast. in which the water is gener-
any very Shallow and the ports are few
INTO Whlcn vessels of any draft could enter
Inc most important of these ports are on
the east.
Mahzanliio, lying due west of Santiago
only eighty miles, and only a third of that
distance from Bayamo, is an important
strategic point as long as it remains in
Spanish possession. Further west on the
coast lies Trinidad, at the END of a short
railroad running into the interior and A
port into which the Spanish supply shin
Furlsslma Conception is reported to have
recently made her way with a large uuan-
tlty OF food supplies from jamaica Twenty
miles east from Trinidad is Tunas, con-
iiee'eu oifectiy by rail with Sancti Spiritus
the capital OF Santa Clara, also an i'm
he
dad Is Cienfuegos, already b!ockaded yery
effectively, and there Is no other point tn
De biockaded FROM that point westward for
nearly 14U miles dntil Batabano is ra,obe,
inns Is the port distant only about forty
miles from Havana by rail. which is he
leved to have been the principal source of
iood supplies Tor the Spanish capital For
LOU miles west of this, clear over to Cane
FRANCES, the western edge of the bloc kaded
territory, there are no ports for deep yes-
sels OF any considerable draft and even if
tAefe were, the country in the interior
flfiar del Rio, is in the hands of the in
sargents, and supplies could not be sent
through to Havana. The purpose of ex-
tending the blockade westward to Cane
Frances is to command the channel be-
tween the west side of the Isle of Pines and
cape Frances and thus render much easier
the TASK OF the blockading vessels
Condition of Havanm.
The reports which have reached the
President as to the exact state of affairs
In Havana are conflicting In some cases
the town was declared TO be on the verge
OF starvation; in others, food supplies were
SAID TO be still abundant. AS matter of
fact. the truth probably lies between these
extremes, and while supplies of a certain
character are very scarce in Havana there
Is no lack of others. 1t is known. for in
stance, that while flour may be scarce
large quantities of beef have reached ha-
VaIa. MOST of this has come from Mexico
ana 1t has usually been brought over to
lhe Isle OF Plnes and then transhipped into
hsht-draft boats and taken to Batabano
whence 1t is carried by rail into Havana
OAiy day or two ago word reached here
lhal ooo mead Of cattle were rounded I'D at
point on the Mexican coast near yuca-
IAN awaiting transportation to Batabano
ihere mas been no running of the block
aoe py these cattle ships, notwithstanding
'ie Spahlsh stories to the contrary. All OF
the shlps that have entered Cuban norris
Win supplies have done SO at places NOT
withiii the blockade, such as Batabano and
Manzanillo.
'SSSSiS 1eT tnlS additional Seryioe
VIII oe supphed almost entirely from the
patrol neet which, under Commodore
Howell, has been guarding the north At
iantic coast from Maine to South Carolina
this service having been abandoned be-
cause the only available Spanish warships
are with Admiral Camara, thousands OF
miles away from the nearest point on the
Atlantic coast. The vessels are already on
their way southwark. having been REIN
forced by several of the new torpedo boats,
which are particularly adapted because OF
their light draft for blockade duty in the
shallow waters lying behind the Isle OF
Pines and Cuba.
blockade of Sam Juan.
The blockade of San Juan, Porto Rico,
proclaimed today, is in reality already in
effect, having been initiated by Captain
Sigsbee last week when he turned back
from that port a British vessel with sup-
plies. The difficulty of maintaining the