Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-06-25

on Cuban soil, and under tropical SKY
and amid Il forest of palms is soon to be
fought the first really grea tb&ttle OF the
war.
Not only official Washington. but the
entire country will wait breathlessly on
the messages that must come before
long over the cCble that connects the
capital with the Cuban shore.
No doubt is felt as to the outcome,
but it is realized that even the least ;e-
sistance by the Spanish must result in
casualties ON the American side. The
Spanish shot and shell will 90 wildly
astray, If they do not find Judgment in
the ranks of $4,000 men, Al the same
time the experiences Of the past week
indicate that the casualties Will not be
numerous. If handful Of marines can
keep at bay and finally dispense IAN army
of several hundred Spanards on the
shore of Guantanamo bay with less men
killed than can be counte d on the fingers
Of one hand. General Skaters army
ought to do fearful execution upon the
enemy and escape with little loss. There
is, indeed, no reason to fear otherwise.
Despite all the alarming talk of IA Span
ish host al Santiago the actual develop
mentS are likely to prove the presence
of only few thousand ill-fed and badly
armed soldiers.
A detachment of the Second Massa-
chusetts volunteers was among the first
to be landed. While the troops We're
passing ashore, Admiral Simpsons fleet
bumbarded the forts both east and west
of Santiago harDor. force of 1000 Gu
bans seemed to spring out of the ground
at just the proper moment and attack
the Spaniards near Daiquiri. The Span
iards had prepared to meet Il disem-
barkation to the west of Santiago and
also to the eastward, but at Daiquiri,
the place chosen, there was only a Span
ish blockhouse on Il nigh cliff to the right
If the landing pier. with small fort and
ear hWorks in the rear.
Froce edings We're begun by the Amer
lean fleet, which, strung out along the
coast, hurled shells at nearly every
fortress. The Notifications at Aqua
dores. Cabanas, SibOrney and uruguay,
as we'll as the blockhouse and fort near
Daiquri. We're all bombarded. Small
wonder is it that the Spaniaris did not
know where the Americans were really
putting their men ashulc, considering
that the line of bombardment was fully
20 miles long.
TIE official informa ton from General
Shafter, for which the secretary of war
had been waiting so anxiously, reached
he war department yesterday afternoon.
1t stated that the army was successfully
disembarking. and that Santiago was to
be attacked at the sides and in the rear.
Washington. June 23.--Official dis
patches received last night by both Sec
rotary Alger and Secretary Long ind!-
Santiago was progressing most favor
ably. The first landing was effected at
Daiquiri Wednesday morning and met
with comparatively slight resistance.
This was stated in a dispatch received
by Secretary Alger, which though brief
was full of news and meaning. 1t was
sent from Playa Del Este, and read as
follows:
"OT Daiquiri. Cuba. June 22.-Landng
at Daiauiri this morning successful
Very little if any resistance.
Secretary Alger expressed himself as
delighted at the expedition with which
the landing was being effected and with
the fact that no serious obstacle was
being offered by the enemy. He con-
strued the text of Skaters message to
mean that the enemy had made merely a
normal and ineffective resistance by
firing from the hills at long range.
Shortly after Secretary Alger received
his dispatch Secretary Long received a
more extended cablegram from Admiral
Sampson. 1t, too, was dated at Playa
Del Este. The text translated from the
navy department cipher is as follows:
Landing of the army is progressing
favorably at Daiquri. There Is very
little if any resistance. The New Or
leans, Detroit. Castine. Wasp and
Suwanee shelled the vicinity before the
landing. We made demonstration at
Cabanas to engage the attention of the
enemy. The Texas engaged the west
battery for some hours She had one
man killed. Ten submarine mines have
Guantanamo. Communication by tele-
graph has been established at Guam
tanamo. (Sig) Sampson"
In both army and navy circles the in
formation contained in the dispatches of
General Shafter and Admiral Sampson
was received with intense satisfaction
The landing of SO large a body of troops
as General Skaters Is task of immense
proportions. a prominent official of the
war department said that the complete
debarkation of the troops, animals, field
guns and supplies within a week after
their arrival off the Cuban coast would
be task we'll accomplished. 1t Is prob
able that only a partial landing of the
troops was effected, and that the land
ing will he continued from day to day
until completed. 1t is not unlikely too
that the troops will be landed at several
places along the coast. of course within
short distance of the headquarters
which General Shafter will esta blish.
Admiral SIMPSONS dispatch indicated
that he was carrying out his instruc-
tons thoroughly to clear a way for the
landing of troops. The demonstration
which he made with the Texas before
Cabanas. which is just east of Guam
tanano. may easily have led the Span
tards to suppose that general landing
Horrible Holocaust OF Horses.
Brockton, June pa 4-story stable.
the property of Everett Hall. was de-
stroyed by fire last night. and 10 horses
were burned. The building was in
spected 10 minutes before the fire, and
out of the ordinary was noticed
by the Waterman. and there Is good
reason to believe that the fire is the
work of an incendiary. Two valuable
horses and a thoroughbred run
ner. Twilight. We're included. The total
loss is estimated at about $1,000.
While training at the track in Walt
ham. Mass, Jimmy Michael was severely