Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1898-07-15
The Government Does Not Propose to
Have the Army Decimated by
That Disease In Cuba.
ACTIVITY MAY CEASE
UNTIL IN THE FALL
The Final Struggle to Defeat the Span
ish WIN Begin at Noon To-day.
General Miles With shafter
At the Front

Washington, July i4.-Among the I
best informed administration officers U
the opinion Is universal that the crisis Of
the Santiago campaign Is at hand. IL
Is deemed certain that today viii wit
ness either desperate fight or an un.
conditional surrender on the part Of the
Spanish forces, with the chances Of both
30 evenly divided that there is scarcely :
a toss up between them.
Tho war officials aro hoping for a sur
render Of the city and they generally
believe that General Toral, the Spanish
commander, will yield at the last mo. !
moment rather than subject his men TO
what inevitably will b. losing fight,
He Is evidently hesitating as 20 what
course he viii pursue.
Up 20 ! 100 o'clock this morning not
word Of information that would throw
any light upon the situation at Santiago |
had been received by the war depart
ment Both Secretary Alger and Adju-
tant General Corbin expressed the opin'
ion that nothing tangible would be re-
ceived before this afternoon.
General Skaters command Is in fne
spirits. Strong endorsements have
arrived and are at the front. General
shaftcr has now under him an available
fighting force Of 81 ,s73 men.
II u believed that unless there Is a
material improvement in the climatic
conditions that the fall Of Santiago and
the surrender OF the Spanish army viii
close the campaign against Cuba until
the rainy season shall have passed.
Whether this will involve tho return Of
tho army 70 the United States is not now
known, but the presumption Is that
with the fall Of Santiago the army win
be reembarked on transports and sent TO
The erHfryrSStAtes where the troops win
rrnain until October or even later before
making general movement ON Porto
Rico and Havana In the meantime
our fleets viii maintain strong block
.de OF all the important Cuban ports
and thus render their occupation much
easier than now.
Itrnot thought that this plan has
been fully decided upon and later events
NAV make il inadvisable to carry IL out,
hut II Is known to have been under con-
sideratisn.
The press reports OF the burning OF
slboncy by the medical officers OF the
United States army had depressing ef-
feet here upon the friends Of the soldier.
AZ tho front in Cuba. For n long time
I, was impossible TO learn anything from
any official source as to tho exact state
nf affairs al the headquarters OF the
Fifth army corps, and this reticcnce OF
mart Of the officials had the natural et
feet 10 increase the apprehension. Fin
aIlv tho fact was reluctantly admitie'
that /, was not certain that yellow fevc
ex,s,ed AZ siboney. but the report re
ceived over night from the medical OF
scers did state that there were IL su'
picious cases OF fever
The fac, that these cases were almo'
entirely confined to members oil IN
ouartermaster's department encourage
the officials here to believe that the maj
body Of tho army is not In danger froI
the disease II Il should turn out to !
voIlow fever Il cannot be said thi
Inc aupeannce Of fever at this stal
would surprise the medical officers
,ho deoartment. They made ever
,,.r,r,,ion that science can suggest
n,o,.ct tho American troops IN the
fewer country, bu' it is realized TN
mon working in trenches half ful
nud and water for a hours at a time
,r,,,,,,I rains recklessly regardless
the advice Of tho medical corps IN u
nett, ~ drinking unboiled water al
o,,ng l,rgo ouantlties Of tropical iru
were certainly IN some danger o. 80
tr,otlng disease If the same shouiu
eT,.,ent in their neighborhood.
rhs,,ba disease does exist in SAINT
90. though never officially admit ~,
- -. noun through private letters Ire
oe,.sr.,, ,be front to their friends a
the erosus from the city 70 the i.. yl,,n'
~ sss,,sy,. camp Of $1,000 inhaoi'an
presumably for the most part N " ' ~,
tute and filthy condition, v w n~,ca,io ion,
ample chance for the comm mum no,
~, .ro a measures r adopted to prevent mt
oourse