Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-18
THEY MAY RUSH TO HAVANA
Blanco Evidently is Expecting Assistance to
.Come 10 Him Soon.
MOVEMENTS OF SAMPSON AND SCHLEY.
They are Kept Informed of Events, and
VIII Make Every Effort to Bring
Matters to "a elimination.

New York, May IA dispatch to the
Herald from Porto Plata, San Domingo
says:
1t Is reported here that the Spanish |
spuadronof four cruisers and two tor
pedo boat destroyers, commanded by Ad
miral Cervera, is at Porto Rico. The
report appears to he accepted here as
true.
The Hera,d's correspondent in Bar
ranquila, United States of Colombia
telegraphs that Admiral Cervera's
squadron has not come to that port. 1t
is reported there that the Spanish ships
which left Willemstad, Island Of Cura-
Goa, on Sunday evening, have been
sighted by incoming vessels, head
ing towards Martinique.
BLANCO LOOKING FOR AID.
The Herald this morning publishes
the following Cuban advices sent via
Key West:
The Spanish fleet Is expected in Ha-
vana. For the last two nights MORO
caste light, which has not been burning
since the blockade commenced, has
blazed "a red signal to guide the Spanish
warships into the harbor.
Some information regarding the
movements of the fleet has reached
General Blanso. This information must
have come from Madrid, for news of
the sighting of the Cape Verde fleet of
the coast of Venezuela could scarcely
have penetrated Havana by last Sun
day, yet on that day General Blanco
caused 1t to be officially announced to
his soldiers and to the people of Ha-
vana that a powerful fleet, with REIN
| forcements and SUPPLIES, had eluded the
American fleet and was approaching.
| This news was brought by Cuban
| scout picked up in row boat near
| Cojimar on Sunday who brought out
the information to the blockading
| squadron under cover Of darkness and
then returned to land.
| General Blanco evidently expects the
| Spanish fleet to round the western end
of the Island and enter Havana in the
night, there to land supplies and troops
and prepare for the battle with the
| blockading squadron.
| Reports of the presence of theSpanish
| fleet in these waters have
| greatly strengthened the courage of
Blanco's soldiers whose spirits Were be-
| ginning to droop under the conviction
| that Spain had abandoned them to their
fate. Increased activity and prepara-
lions for desperate defense are notable
| along the coast.
KEEPING SAMPSON INFORMED.
A special to the Times from Wash
| ington says
Every exertion will be made by the
navy department to inform Admiral
| Sampson of the location of the Spanish
squadron and every possible precau-
tion has been taken, II Is believed, to
! prevent information about the moves
| of the United States fleets from falling
| into the hands of the Spanish. That 1t
is possible absolutely to prevent such
| information from getting into the pos
session of the Spanish Is doubted. for
there are many ways of getting mes
| sages to Spain and then to the shores
| of the Caribbean sea besides sendlng
them to New York or Boston to be
| transmitted thence by cable. The re-
strictlons imposed by the United States,
however. make communication more
difficult than 1t would be otherwise.
Only a few naval officers could be
found who dared to talk about the
affairs in which everybody is inter-
ested. One of these officers, n man of
excellent judgment on war matters. ex-
| pressed the opinion that the discovery
of the order to put the monitors ON
| guard before Havana pointed very
clearly to the determination of the sec
rotary Of the navy and the war board
| to relieve the fleet of Admiral Samp-
| son of the slowest vessels SO as to en-
| able him to move with greater rapidity
| in search of Admiral Cervera and his
ships. For the same reason Commo-
dore Schley 1t is assumed. will not
be detained on blockading service
| while the Spanish fleet Is less than 600
| miles away from Admiral Sampson and
| Commodore Schley is about twice as
| far away.
here, Admiral Sampson may be much
nearer to Admiral Cervera than is sup
| posed 1t is still felt to be possible for
the Spanish admiral, IL he be so In
clined. to get out of the Caribbean sea
without fighting. To do that, however,
| he must get out before Commodore
Schley can meet with Sampson and
| push on to the eastward of the point
| where Admiral Cervera was last seen
| in order to be able to occupy him II
| he is met until Admiral Sampson can
be brought up with his ships to make
| the battle that Is expected not so UNI
equal as 1t would be II the force was
only Commodore Schley's fleet that he
| commanded when he left Hampton
| Roads
This plan, as suggested by one navy
officer, lacks some element OF security,
| TT Is all right" he said. "if the Span
| ish admiral is prepared to stand and
meet our fleet. 1t is all right il the
| Spanish fleet II so short OF coal as TO
nc unaDie 10 make lonE ana quick
voyage. The mere fact that coal was
| purchased at Curacao does not surely
indicate that Admiral Cervera was out
OF coal, or that he was short of 1t. He
may have sought to give the impress
sion that he is short so as to urge Adj
mlral Sampson to look for him at the
most distant point from the United
| States.
What our war board is not forget
| ting is that, having urged Sampson
and Schley away from Cuba and Key
| West, leaving the coast of the United
| States exposed, he may start his ships
under forced draft. reach some city,
| say New York or Boston, in four or
| five days and be able to do considera-