The record-union., 1898-06-03
SANTIAGO ENGAGEMENT.
Navy Department Asserts That Nc
Oficial News Has Come.


WASHINGTON, June 2.-It was stat
ed authoritatively at the Navy Depart
ment at noon to-day that not word
had been received from Commodore
Schley as to the engagement at Santi-
ago. The officials express no surprise
at this delay and account for it on sew
eral grounds. In the first place, it
is said that a fleet commander must
wait until an engagement is completed
before he makes a report and that the
press reports may give only the initial
feature of an action without waiting
for it's completion There are intima-
tions that the press reports cover only
the first features of Commodore
Schley's movements, and that until
these movements were developed to the
point where the results in view We're
| actually achieved, reports would not
be made on incidental bases of the
great movement.
Moreover, it is pointed out that the
fleet commander must communicate
with all the commanders of the ships
making up his fleet in order to learn
as to casualties, damage and all the
circumstances of the engagement.
When thus informed his report is made
deliberately, and this in turn must be
translated into the naval cipher code.
When received here there is another
delay in deciphering the dispatch. AL
together it is said that the care in pre-
pairing official dispatches makes them
about twenty-four hours behind the
press advices. 1t was thought that
the absence of exact official information
might embarrass the work of the War
Board, but officials say this has not oc-
Cured
The official intimation that the ac-
ton of Tuesday is only the initial phase
of a more general movement is
strengthened by the view that Com
modore Schley would hardly attempt
an attack unless he had some definite
object in view. This object, it is be-
lieved, is to learn exactly as to the
number of Spanish ships now within
Santiago de Cuba harbor and also to
develop the effectiveness of the fire of
the Spanish forts at the entrance to
! the harbor. With these two points
established beyond the slightest doubt,
the campaign, military and naval, could
be executed against Santiago with
much greater certainty as to results.
! While the Navy Department has been
satisfied for the last ten days that Ad
miral CerveraS entire fleet is inside
Santiago harbor Commodore Schley
has not been able to make an official
report establishing this fact beyond
| the shadow of doubt. OF course the
location Of this entire Spanish fleet, not
excepting a single vessel, large or
small. is of essential importance to the
complete formation of a strategic cam
paign. 1t would remove the last ele-
ment Of hazard in sending troops from
Tampa to Jacksonville.
1t is of equal Importance that the
present strength of the shore batteries,
their location, number of guns and gen
| eral effectiveness should be establish l.
| ed. These points can be learned only
| by a feint, which will have the out
| ward semblance of an assault upon the
| Spanish defenses. When completed il
is felt that it will serve as a basis for
! more complete advices as to the actual
| situation of affairs at Santiago harbor
| than have been available at the Navy
| Department up to this time. 1t is in
| this light that Commodore Schley's
| movement is regarded as important, not
so much from the destructive results
| achieved, as from the opportunities II
| affords for developing all the resources
! at the command of the Spanish Ad-
| miral
That there was a total lack of Off
| cial news at the White House of devel-
opments in the war situation was evil
| dent at ii O'Clock to-day, after Sec
| retary Alger went to see the President.
! He spent only a few minutes, and on
emerging came over to see if there was
any news, and announced there was
nothing of significance. He then drove
| off, saying he would leave for Philadel-
| phia Immediately.
The Secretary of War to-day sent to
| Congress a request for appropriations
amounting to So3,S19,3 ,359. These appro-
priations will be used for the equipment
and maintenance until January 1, 1899,
| of the 10000 volunteers recently called
for by the President The several items
| are follows:
Pay for the volunteers, S14 ,099, ,SS1
| subsistence of the army, 81, ,14I Az:
regular supplies of the Quartermaster' 5
/ Department, S25OO,000: horses for cav
airy and artillery, $1.O0O,000; barracks
and quarters, 81 100000: army trans
portation. S14 900 coo; clothing for the
army. Sl3,010000; contingencies of the
army, $4,000; equipment of engineer
troops, $4,000; signal service of the
army, S3l 900; civilian assistants to en-
gineer officers, $4,000.
| MORE TRANSPORTS