The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-11
CERVERA'S PLAN To ESCAPE
HE CAME WEAR TAXING LDVIyTlaR
OF sCHLRTS DELAY.


| an, Had rn.,,,,,., M. s., ,,,
WARRINGTON. Dec. 1O.-Revelations OF Q
| startling character concerning the condition
| OF the Spanish Navy prior to and during the
war with the United States, and showing how
nearly Cer'eras squadron came to escaping
from Santiago harbor through the failure Il
| rear Admiral then Commodorel Schley to fol.
| low the instructions OF Rear Admiral Sam son.
have been made by Admiral Pascuai CeryerA
| OF the spanish Navy. Admiral Carvera applied
| Tor ana obtained permission through a royal
uecree 10 publish az a defence OF his conducts
official and personal correspondence relating
| TO the force under hts command. and a copy OF
| oil tho documents has been received by Com.
mander Richardson Glover, Chief Intelligencs
oficer U. n. and translation into English
made under his direction. This CORE.
| spondchce. which will DO published BY the
Naval Intelligence Office. fills 27O typewrittcu
| pages. and contains the secret plans OF cam.
| paign OF the Spanish Government. Official
d"sphtcheS relating to Cervera'I fact and a.-
counts OF conferences between Admiral Cer-
vera and the principal officers OF his squadron
| In the harbor ~ San iago.
While OF general historical value taken as q
whole. Americans will doubtless find In thas
part OF the documentary evidence relating Ia
the blockade OF Santiago harbor the greatest
interest. for the communications written at the
time make clear certain things that have b.re-
tofore been somewhat cloudcd IL IL shown nv
Ceryera's official communications that the
| night blockade Instituted after the arrival Of
Admiral Sampson was OF such a char
ac,er that the Span oh commander md
his officers gave up all hone OF ESCAPING
under cover OF darkness It Ia shown also
that between the time Schley received orders
at Cienfuegos to proceed to Santiago and es.
tabsh n blockade Of that port. and tho time
he arrived In that vicinity after zlgzaggn e ~
the coast for several days Ceryera and hi.
Captains had arranged to leave the harbor.
which hey cou d have done without molesta-
ton. but postponed the movement in the be-
lief that Schley had started Immediately Ia
carry out his orders TO blockade Santiago OF
which the Spanlards had knowledge Had
they known that Schley waited several days
at CcniueRos after these orders were recelyed
before starting for Santiago, or that he would
take several days additional in covering the
short distance between the two ports thu
Spanish naval Captains would have left Santi.
ago for San Juan. Portp Rico
A second plan OF leaving the harbor was ds-
cded on aud was to have heen executed ON
May M. seven DAYS after the arrival OF tho
Spanish squadron In Santiago harbor. This
time storm. during which Cervera and some
OF his CAPTAINS. despite the protests o. his Chief
OF Stan and the commander OF the Maria
Teresa, did not care to 20 out, saved
schley from the disgrace OF having per-
mltted the enemy to escape. At2 p. N. on the
day the sortie was to have been made. three
hostile ships were sighted OF the entrance Of
the harbor and the postponement was partly
due to their presence The.e vere nrohahIv
IN. oo,r,s yaI. q, p.,n 80, ,,
N,o seou.s iae' 't' raui ana minneapolis.
clad. II IL not lik.lv that III. vo.ssIs a..n 10.
longed IA the FIvinu sonsdron ,,ndar sa.,ow
IA at noon on May 28 that division was forty.
eight miles to the southwest o, SANTIAGO and
did not approach nearer than twenty-five miles
to tho harbor entrance that day. The distances
s,,ne ~. ren a.o '"Nh rom 'ne o'nc'aI map
showing tne movements OF schleys squadron
between , cien'uee0s and santiago. ,
found ,h,, ~. son,t wv, eS, "a'oos oe.,era
nss%sa ' %x his S shn. no, a OBTAIN sne 'ores
assembled the Cap,ains Of his san, iron ~
decid. ON MAN Tor d.ser,in. san,Iaao
proceeding to San Juan, The Official copy ot
the report OF the proceedings OF that meetns
" IN part as iol,oWS;
The Admiral acquainted the officers present
the nrscsd,ug .vsni,a ,,o "v ,na c. s.nss
rne p'eesu'hS e'en'"s from the Governors
eral OF the navy yard and her Ma,"st~'s Cow.
eminent. to the effect that Admiral schley's
fleet had left Key West on the 2oth inst. bound
for the south OF the Island oi Cuba and thnt
AZ niral sam pson's flee, had been sighted on on
CienfueGos yesterday, This Information was
incorrect. in that II was Schey who was at Glen.
,,,o, ~, S,,,s,,, - -, ~. ,.u 80
lueeos anu sampson VINO ma" lett hey "est.I
AS these forces are each far superior to this
squadron. and as the truth Of such informa-
ton was confirmed by the fact that four shipS
r"mained In front O. the hnrbor entrance all
dav yesterday These four ships were un.
armed and some OF them UNPROTECTED scouts.
the, A3mlral desired 70 hear the "pin ons OF
said officers a. to what was best Ia be hons
ny ne squadron under the circumstances. II
had been Decided Yesterday that tho best plan
Was TO stort IT taybreak for san Juan de ruer'0
kico,to which ne neceSshiHtecgram. had been
sent To dctain Their" the collier and the trans
Atlantic steamer Alfonzo MIL, which tho
Government hal by telegraph placed at tho
disposal OF SQUADRON.
Owing TO the location OF tho hostile
forces, and their nnmber ana strength,
" was unanimously considered impos-
slole 10 carry oui said plan. as the
cuINtsd TO be II knots. which Is The specd "e
ths Nls.aya as the result OF the ton ID con-