The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-05-11
War Talk in Washington.


far from being day of rest at the
State, war and navy departments, and
so many officials and clerks were en-
gagged at their desks that one Of the
officers was compelled to remark apol-
ogctically: eve are not working on
Sunday; this is simply an extension
of the executive day of Saturday
Secretary Day spent good part of
the day in his Office going over tele-
grams and mail dispatches and con-
sulting with Second Assistant Adee,
so that the department might be fully
prepared to deal with any advices that
mig ht come by cable and require i'm
mediate action.
In the navy department Col. Roosc-
velt was at his desk, while the naviga-
tion bureau had almost full force at
work. The bureau Of yards and docks
was also open, and Capt. 0 Neil, chief
of the ordnance bureau, had good
deal of business on hand No word
came during the day by cable or other
wise to supplement- the account re-
ceived of the engagement at Manila,
but the officials are perfecting all
arrangements for sending Dewey the
supplies and repair outfit he may
need.
If any news has been received from
Admiral Sampson it is not Of char
acter that could be made public with
out endangering the successful work
Ing of the plans Of the strategy board.
1t may be stated positively, however,
that so far the department has heard
nothing of an engagement or of any
thing approaching one between the
feet and the Spanish forces. 1t is
expected by the officials that there
will be nothing like the delay expert
enced in the case of the Philippine
fight in hearing from Admiral Samp-
son in case of an engagement in the
West Indies. Without in any wise
admitting that Porto Rico is Sampson s
objective point, it is pointed out that
even allowing the SpaDiards the re-
tention of cable communication from
that island to the outside world, there
is an independent cable connection
from St. Thomas that cannot come
under Spanish control, running as it
does through the chain of French and
British islands southwark from St.
Thomas and thence to Hayti, where
direct cable connection can be had
with New York.
From the character of the ships
under Sampson direct command the
officials feel little doubt of the sue
cessful outcome of fight between his
force and the Spanish flying squadron.
Outside the Aap ship New York,
which is partly armored, all of the
vessels with Admiral Sampson, with
one exception, are full ironclads, aud
moreover their armor being full nickel
steel, Harveyized, is SO superior to
the armor of the Spanish cruisers that
it is calculated that nine inches of it
is fully eqaal in resisting power to
twelve inches of the unhardened and
older armor of the Spanish ships.
In the war department. both Gen.
Miles and Adjt. Gen. Corbin were
hard at work. There are outward
evidences Of change of plan for the
Cuban campaign that cannot be de-
scribed at present, but they promise
to be very acceptable to the thousands
of people who are waiting for develop
ments. Major Gen. Wilson spent
some time in conference with Gen.
Miles going over the ground. A lot
of pins, capped with bits of paper to
represent the different arms Of the
service, are lying in readiness in the
general ante-room, to be used to pin
to maps in following out the progress
of the troops in Cuba.
Adjt. Gen. Corbin was one Of the
busiest men in the city to-day. Tele-
grams were pouring in on him every
part of the country, mostly in reference
to the assembling of the great volun-
tecr army now in progress in every
State and Territory. The Adjutaut
General is highly gratiGed with the
splendid response that has cone 10
the Presidents call for volunteers,
and at the good work being done by
the army mastering officers, as evi-
denced by telegrams he was receiving
from them.