The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-11
Cruisers
Bottled Up
InCuba

midable. Forty-one Of the 50 are gun
boats. II is only when one comes to
know what the Spaniards call ''oan-
nonero," or gunboat. that the real sit
uation can be appreciated. Twenty mine
Of the Spanish gunboats now hiding in
the harbors and rivers Of Cuba are Of
less than 100 tons displacement The
Cen.inela fairly represents the smaller
gunbcats, while the governors gunboat
Is the crack craft Of the lot. The yachts
and tugs which the United States has
been buying and arming for scout and
patrol service are larger and better in
every way than Spain's pretentiously
named gunboats.
The Spanish gupboats have been ef-
fective only because the insurgents have
been without artillery. They could pa.
troll the shallow waters Of the coast and
make filibustering difficult. Any kind
of an armament was Of service against
no armament. And so these gunboats
with theif little pieces Of artillery have
helped to hold the ports Of the island
against capture by The insurgents. They
have no place In the calculations Of sea
fighting between the United States and
Spain. Few of them will fire a shot.
Admiral Sampson will gather in these
gunboats as he makes the circuit Of the
island. Only ten Of the Spanish gun
boats are over 900 tons displacement,
and the largest is but 500 tons. Not
one Of the Spanish gunboats is to be
mentioned in the same class as the Hell
ena or the Nashville. the similarly
named craft Of the American navy.
Spain has six cruisers IN Cuban wa
ters, and four Of them. according to
official information received In Wash
ington, are now shut up in Havana har-
bor. Here the Spanish characteristics Of
unreadiness again shows itself. Alfonso
XII Is the largest Of the six. 1t has been
IN the harbor, within sight of the navy
yard. for over a year. II it is in condi-
tion to turn 4orew, the fact has been
kept secret. After the blockade began
the work Of stripping the Alfonso XII
for lighting began. The big cruiser is
nothing more than floating battery in
the harbor. She will never come out
side to do any sec fighting. Bottled up
In Havana harbor with the Alfonso XII
are the cruisers MARQUES de Ensenada,
Infanth Isabel and Copde do venadito.
These are craft Of only l, 100 tons dis
PLACEMENT. II In the United States navy,
they would be classed a. gunboats. No
ono Of them would be more than match
for the smallest of the sunboats Of Ad-
miral Sampson. Why the Spanish ad-
miraL Mantefola. permitted the block
ade to close with all but two of the
Spanish cruisers shat up in the harbor
Is only another Of tho mysteries of
Spain's seemingly inefficient policy Of
defense. The two cruisers in Cuban wa.
ters outside Of Havana harbor are the
Reina MsrcedeA 5000 ton vessel Of
fair speed, l5 knots, and the Isabel II.
Their present locations are not definite
ly known. but II is Supposed they are
on the south side of the island.
Seven vessels olAssed by Spain as tor
pedo cruisers are Id Cuban waters Two
Of them, tho Nueva Espana and the
FillipAs, Of 620 and 100 tons, are shut
mp with the orpisers In Havana harbor.
Whether they are in condition for serv-
ice Is not known. II they are not await
ing repairs at the navy yard, at the
head of tho harbor, then the action of
the admiral in permitting them to be
rendered useless by the blockade is an
other Of the inexplioable sins of omis-
sion Of Spain. Besides the four cruisers
and the two torpedo cruisers, Havana
harbor holds today gunboat, the Me-
gallanes, Of B27 tons; q gun vessel, the
Antonio Lopez, and largo transport,
the Legaspi. Nine Of the So vessels of
the Spanish navy in the West Indies
are locked up tight in the hhrbor of
Havana.
The large military. maps prepared for
the war department. afford q new i'm
preston of the coast conditions of Gu
ba. In general way the smaller maps
show that thero are many email islands
along the coast but the large and de-
tailed maps show that there is q net.
work Of fringe Of the little koys
countless in numbers. Some have
names, but the most Of them are too in
significant They simply appear as spots
and specks upon the charts. Havana's
site is a bold front of q bow to the
northward. The hills rise from near
the CULTS edge. Islands are not 80 nu-
merous in the vicinity Of Havana as
they are few miles to the westward
Or to the eastward. The water Is deeper
In front Of Havana than at almost any
other part Of the coast. The bottom
shelves quickly. But short distance
one way or the other along tho coast
the shoaling Is more gradual. Sur
rounding the greater part Of the island
the water is not of sufficient depth for
the heavier warships to approach very
near the shore. The innumerable islands
simply show where the shoals, which
are almost continuous. reach the sur
face. Very few Of the ports Of Cuba,
even the best known, will permit of
landing at docks Lightering is the rule
for receiving and discharging both CAR
70 and passengers This condition will
have to be taken into serious account In
the operations by the United States