Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-05-19
SPANS FLEET ARRIVES.
The Cape Verde Squadron Reported on
the Island of Martinique.


the Island of Martinique.
st. Pierre, Martinique, via Hayti:
The Spanish torpedo boat destroyer
Furor arrived at this point late at
night, but Immediately put to sea. Her
arrival caused great excitement. The
next afternoon the Spanish destroyer
Terror arrived. AS this dispatch is
sent five Spanish war vessels are in
sight, bound northward, apparently in
the direction of Cuba. st. Pierre is
400 miles from Porto Rico.
Madrid: Admiral Bermeio has adj
mitted that the Cape Verde squadron
was at Fort de France. The govern
ment has received information that
Admiral Cergera's voyage to Martin
ique was uneventful The route to be
taken To Porto Rico is not known here,
but it was eI0bodied in Admiral Ger
vera's secret instructions. He was in
structed to coal at a neutral port, and
probably selected Fort de France for
that purpose.
The fleet that left Cape Verde con-
sisted of the first-class cruisers Viz
caya, Almirante Oquendo, Infanta
Maria Teresa and Cristobal Colon and
three torpedo boat destroyers-Te
Furor and Pluton. The distance from
Cape Verde to Porto Rico is approx
imately 2.4s6 miles, and, according to
the above dispatches the squadron pro-
ceeded across the Atlantic at the rate
of about IA knots an hour.
Martinique is one of the French
West India islands. of which Fort de
France is the capital and ST. Pierre the
principal town. The latter is on the
northwest coast of the island.
There was much resentment aroused
against France when it became known
that the French officers at st. Pierre
had delayed for "a hours an official
telegram from the u. S. consul to
Washington notifying the government
of the arrival of the fleet. There was
better feeling later however, when
the French authorities granted the
L. S. cruiser Harvard seven days in
harbor at Martinique while making re-
pairs, as there were Spanish vessels
waiting outside to capture the Har-
ward, which under ordinary circum-
stances could not remain in a neutral
harbor over "a hours. Spain made
protest, but TO no avail, and then the
fast Spanish torpedo boat destroyer
Terror entered the harbor under an ex-
cuse of being in need of repairs. 1t
was believed that she was merely
watching the Harvard and the French
officers notified the Terror that if the
Harvard left first the Terror could not
leave for "a hours thereafter. This in
sured the salty of the Harvard if there
were no other Spanish waships about
as she IS very fast.
by the time the news of the presence
of the Spanish feet at Martinique had
been published in the United States
the fleet had again sailed and was next
heard from off the island of Curacao,
off Venezula. This Information was
regarded as OF WI Importance at
Washington, as it not only fixed the posi-
ton of the enemy, but disclosed the
purpose of the Spanish admiral to
elude Admiral SIMPSONS fleet and
make his way through the Caribbean
sea. probably TO Cuba. The Spanish
admiral's course was influenced by the
fact that the French cable, starting from
Curaco. Nenezula, touches at the island
of Curacao, then proceeds northward
through the Caribbean to Haiti, with
spurs running east and west to Porto
Rico and Cuba respectively. He is
thus enabled to get in touch from
Curacao with the Spanish authorities
in Cuba and Porto Rico, and through
them directly with the Spanish admi-
rally at Madrid.
The island Of Curacao was originally
Spanish and is peopld mainly by de-
scendants of Spaniads, though it is
now one of the DutChpossessions.
Reports from Wiltmsted, Curacao,
states that after taking small guam
THY of coal, provisions and medicines
the Spanish feet SAILED. the destination
beng unknown. of course. Their de-
parturc was due to the Holland gov
crnments requesting them to leave as
provided in the decree of neutrality.