The Red Cloud chief., 1898-07-01
BLOCKADE EXTENDED
SAN JUAN AND SOUTHERN
COAST OF CUBA CLOSED.
The New order VIII Prevent the Use of
Porto Rico as u Base and VIII shut ON
Supplies for Havana From the south
d Porto Rico Expedition.

WAsmNGToS, June 2o.-The Presi-
acut has issued q proclamation extend
ing the blockade Of Cuba TO the south.
crn coast from Cape Francis TO Cape
Cruz, inclusive, and also ~blockading
San Juan, Porto Rico.
The proclamation has been nntici.
pated for several days. Its formal pro-
mitigation nevertheless caused a fiuttcr
Of excitement in naval circles and dem
onstratcs that the navy does not pro-
pose to remain idle while General
Shaftcr is attacking Santiago. Indeed
the blockade has practically been cx-
tended for more than a week under di-
rcction from the Secretary of the
Navy. As soon as General Shaft
cr's troops arrived at Santiago
and formed n junction with Admit
raj Sampson, orders were issued to
distribute the vessels OF the flcct along
the Southern coast of Cubn to prevent
supply ships reaching the Spanish
ports not specifically mentioned in the
Presidents proclamation of April %.
Several ships were also sent over to
Porto Rico to blockade San Juan, and
the effectiveness of that blockade has
been demonstrated by the reported
disabling of the torpedo boat destroyer
Terror by Captain Sigsbee in command
OF the st. Paul.
Accompanying the proclamation cx.
tending the blockade to Porto Rico
comes the report that General
Royal Il Frank, commanding the de-
partmcnt Of the East Is to be assigned
10 duty in command of the new corps
being established to invade Porto Rico.
The invasion of Porto Rico is not to be
attempted until after the battle of
Santiago is decided, but it liz under.
stood that General Frank is destined
20 be promoted to the rank of major
general and placed in command of the
Porto Rico expedition as soon AS the
time shall have arrived for action in
that direction.
The proclamation increases the lin.
its Of the blockade four-fold, IL having
been confined heretofore TO a stretch
of n little more than 100 miles on tho
north and the single port Of Cicnfuegos
on the south coast of the island. The
demands upon the navy will not bc
nearly so heavy in proportion
TO the territory TO be covered
as in the ease of the initial block.
adc for the reason that the new
blockadcd coast line lies entirely
within the great blight on the soutl
Cuban coast, in which the water i,
generally very shallow and the port
r few into which "A vessel Of any
tant of these ports are Manzanillo
Trinidad and Tunas.
West of Trinidad is Cicnfucgos
which is already blockadcd effectively
From that point westward for ncarl,
40 miles there is no point to he block
AIDED until Batabano is reached. Thi
port is distant only about forty mile
from Havana by rail and is believed t.
have been the principal source of foo'
supplies for the Spanish capital. For
$50 miles west of this, clea
over To Cape Frances, tn,
western edge OF the block
AIDED territory, there are no ports fo
deep vessels of any considerable draft
and even if there were the country il
tho interior, pinar del Rio, is in tn
hands OF the insurgents and supple
corld not be sent through to Havana
The purpose of extending the blocl<ad
westward to Cape Frances was To con
mand the channel between the WIS
side of the Isle of Pines and Cap
Frances and thus render much casio
the task of blockading the vessels.
The vessels for the additional block
ade rvice will be supplied almos, en-
tircly from the patrol fleet which, un
der Commodore Howell, has bee
guarding the North Atlantic coas
from Maine to South Carolina. Thi
service has been abandoned. becaus
the only available Spanish warshir
are with Admiral Camara, thousand
of miles away from the nearest poin
upon the Atlantic coast. The vessel
nre already on their way southwark.
TEQMC OE pEhCE