New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-03
SPANS FLOTILLA HALTS.
VOYAGE OF THE TORPEDO BOATS
THOUGHT TO BE ENDED.


70 MEAN THAT THEY ARE NOT DESTINED
FOR WEST INDIAN WATERS RELIEF
BELT n TFF NAVY DEPARTMENT.
faT TELEGRAPH TO THE rrrprNsI
/ Washington April 2-The arrival ~ the
/ Spanish torpedo fotilla az 81 Vincent Cape
/ Verde Islands yesrerdar instead ., a, san Juan
I % Porto Rico was made known Officially a. rhe
! Nav Department to-day through cable dis
patch from Lieutenant g l. Dyer. tho United
| states naval attacha al Madrid As the torpedo
/ rotilla has consumed fully nine DAYS IN covering
/ Sno miles between near bases it appears tina, il
/ could not ne looked FOR 4, Porto Rico before
J April - at least y II started again to-day.
! Whether the ro,illa over ordered the
West indies 10 matter NJ doubt Most naval
officers are inclined 70 think that n would never
! have been sent on such a long cruise with con-
| fessedly menacng intent without adequate ar
! mored protection. for II might otherwise have
been snapped Up At any moment by any ~ the
American cruisers in the Flying Squadron for
nation
That - was unaccompanied nv a powerful
! consort Is now taken as the est 81 reasons for
! thinking that the fOtl.a has reached the des
| tiration Il always had in View. and that instead
! oS having been driven back by storms from the
! mid-Atiantic II had been simply on a practice
cruise. and Will now return 10 Spain after having
| lrnoccrtlv created considerable excitement in
| the United States A. any rate. the sudden
] appearance o, the NOtilla nearly three thou
sand miles from the nearest point ~ the United
! states has many amusing features. which serve
70 relieve -nuca the intense strain under
which the Navy Il. now working
There il a great feeling 81 relief that the
comprehensive stra,egica plan FOR orsettng the
approach OF six little boats may now he aban-
doned and the tactical Board ~ War can d.
vert a number ~ excellent vessels FOR other
purposes
PLANS TO MEET THEM ABANDONED.
Early this morning when il learned tina,
| the Vizcaya and the Almirante Oquendo had
actually left Havana presumably FOR Porto
| Rico 70 Join the expected notilla there was
bastv gathering Of the War Board. and the
/ force aaoat practically thrown on the de-
| eaps,va There was no concealment ~ tho
| gravity ~ the situation. According 10 the data
| before the Board. II would now he necessary 10
meet the hotilla. II AT all with armored cruisers
% which the United States possessed only two
while Yesterday. with the Two Spanish amor
| clads bottled up in Havana. the flying squadron
| 10 intercept the fotilla might have been conf
rosod ~, the unprotected Columbia and the
| Minneapolis
This afternoon. however. the anxiety had dis
| anneared and the Navy Is again studying Of
! fensive campaigns This change Of conditions
,ras extremely suspicious. for constructor
| Ro,vles at New-York. had sent report 10 the
Navy Department that the mosquito leet.
| mon which great reliance has been placed 10
~frset the Spanish hotilia. is getting ready ar
| Its,nroint inglv deliberate rate. and from the
,resent outlook the battle-shp fleet at Key
| VS. would be without mosquito watchrulness
| Tor some time He said the tugs Algonquin and
xagins,ot the latter water-tender. would pe
rsadv to-day the Hawk the Sioux and the
rorrmseh on the 18th. the Mayfiower on the 9th
,bo T-ncas the Osceola and the Nompatuck on
Tho 13th. while the yachts Eagle and Hornet
,.,,,ld no DELAYED until the 10Th. and the Wasp
,'r,u tho Dist The delay on the last three was
a,,sed bv the difficulty OF fitting light armor
o,er the machinery spaces
This made Il apparent that not much or
,,snuito fleet would be assembled at Iortugas
~ ~, West for several weeks. and IN the mean
,i,rs according to Captain Rooley d. Evans.
nohodv on a battle-shp could be permitted 10
-, while there was hostile torpedo-hoat
Thin a thousand miles The departure OK the
y;,nova and the OQuendo will also contribute
,a,orially TO the security OF Captain sampson
soradron and the change or the situation Is
aIrnactsd to lead TO a revocation or the orders
- Commodore Schley at Hampton Roads 70 nold
81 Ocor,rand in readiness 10 sail on an hours
ntfC