The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 18, 1898, Page 1

— SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1898. I SPAIN HAVE PRICE FIVE CENTS. SAILED INTO A TRAP — e e J THE CITY AND HARBOR OF WILLEMSTAD, ISLAND OF CURACOA, OFF THE COAST OF VENEZUELA, WHERE THE SPANISH CAPE VERDE FLEET MET THE COLLIERS. INSURGENT LEADERS TO JOIN DEWEY ‘Torpedo Said to Have Exploded " While Being Pulled Up From | the Channel. HAVANA, May IT.—A man who came here to-day by train from Cardenas says that while a small boat from an American warship was attempting to pull up some torpedoes which the Spaniards had placed at the mouth of the channel one of the General From Hongkong to Take the Field. Confident of Completely Annih lating Spanish Rule in the Philippines. Copyrighted, 1895, by James Gordon Bennett HONGKONG, May 17.—The Hugh McCulloch, Admiral Dewey’s | dispatch-boat, sailed to-day for Manila. Prior to her departure Consul | Wildman took on board General Aguinaldo, Colonel del Pilar, Private Secretary Leyla and fifteen other rebel leaders, forming the insurgent Cabinet. General Aguinaldo will land at Cavite, where 37,000 troops are reported to await him to complete the annihilation of Spanish rule in General Aguinaldo has promised to conduct his \paign on humane lines and to give absolute allegiance to Admiral The latter, with Consul | Wildman, carried through the negotiations with the insurgent refugees the Philippines. I., ey and Generals Merritt and Williams. in Hongkong. General Aguinaldo’s past record points to his ability to control | The Americans the insurgents and prevent a massacre at Manila. expect an engagement in a few days. Agduinaldo Sails ARRESTED AT ST. LOUIS MADRID NEWSPAPERS AS A SPANISH SPY. ST. LOUIS, May 17. man, suspected of being a Spanish is under arrest at Jefferson B: He was found to-day in the mul An unidentified | MADRID, May 17. here assert that letters | letters containing checks and being unable to give an account of | York and destroyed. The papers de- himself was turned ov to the com- | mand that the Government make re- | mandant, Captain Xnight. When | upon American residents of searched a lot of Spanish correspond- . especially in the case of the ence was found on the fellow. He spoke l the Spanish language fluently. pers. DEMAND REPRISALS. ewspapers pain, even and other valuables, have been stopped at New correspondents of American newspa- torpedoes exploded. The boat into the sea and perished. i 2 g0 % son. pilot. inRRRE® The opinion Derelict, loaded with old iron. MOVEMENTS OF SHIPS TO BE KEPT SECRET. Cabler Lines Ordered to Transmit None But Government Messages. WASHINGTON, May 17.—Brigadier- General Greely, chief of the signal ser- vice and in charge of all strategic con- trol of telegraph ‘and cable lines, has adopted energetic measures to prevent the admiral of the Spanish squadron now in Caribbean waters from keep- ing posted on the whereabouts and movements of United States squadrons and of our prospective naval and mili- tary operations. Last night he tele- graphed to the New York manager of | the Haytien Cable Company, forbidding | the sending or receipt of any mes- | sages, except official messages to or from the United States Government, disclosing the movements of our fleets | and ships. The manager answered this morning that the inhibition would be strictly observed. If Admiral Samp- son is in Haytian waters, as conjec- tured, then this cable restriction makes it impossible for his movements to be known except to the Government, or if known it is impossible to send out the C00D0O0OO00000000000O00000000000000000O0 | eimation except through the Gov- BRYAN TO LEAD NEBRASKA TROOPS LINCOLN, Nebr., May 17.—Hon. W. J. Bryan is to organize a Third Regiment of Nebraska Volunteers and tender their services to the President as soon 8s mustered. Governor Holcomb to-day issued him a commission as colonel, with authority to proceed, and Mr. Bryan told a correspondent to-night that he would accept the commission. 00000000000000 0000000000000 000 0000000000000 000O o o o (] o o o o [ o o o o o ernment. General Greely aiso telegraphed the | Anglo-American Cable Company this morning recalling its attention to the prohibition against any messages ini- mical to the interests of the Govern- ment and in particular forbidding the receipt or sending of messages disclos- ing the movements of our ships or pros- pective military movements. This lat ter step was taken In view of the no- tice to the Anglo-American Telegraph Company that “pending further decis- jon by the chief signal officer we will accept press messages without restric- tion.” i General Greely's order appears to and the crew, which was composed of ten or twelve men, sank The same man who related this said that during the recent attack of the American warships on Cardenas there were on board the ships as pilots an old resident of Cardenas and his One of the grenades thrown by the Americans exploded in the street.and killed the wife and youngest daughter of the KEY WEST. Fla., May I7.—Boats which have just arrived here from the blockade fleet say they have no knowledge of any craft having been blown up off Cardenas or elsewhere. is expressed that the Spanish report probably originated in the Wilmington sinking the Spanish schoonar 3 RN ERNERRRNRRRRRRIRURIUNRRINULRNRLLY AMERICAN BO@AT - CREW REPORTED LOST AT CABANAS was blown up by the explosion, BRI NRNIIVULINNNNNN cover the further decision referred to in the company’s notice. The orders to these two companies were sent, as the channels of communication under their control seem to be, for the mo- ment, the ones through which the Span- ish admiral and the Spanish authorities at Madrid and Havana are most likely to secure information as to our naval movements. While it was not sus- pected that spies were sending direct information, yet the transmission of press dispatches on naval movements was looked upon as likely to indicate to the Spanish with sufficient certainty the general whereabouts and purposes of our fleets. The precautions taken, it is be~ lieved, will restrict this character of cable information to the Government and fleet commanders, and the Span- ish authorities from now on will be cut off from all knowledge of our naval and military plans. General Greely’s telegraphic orders supplement the written orders he had previously given to all cable companies, six in number, having lines from the TUnited States. The written orders have been agreed to in writing by each of the cable companies and now consti- tute an agreement with the Govern- ment. REPORTED BATTLE OFF CAIBARIEN Several American Ships Said to Have Been Attacked by Four Span- ish Gunboats. NEW YORK, May 17.—A Ha- vana dispatch to a morning paper says several American warships arrived off Caibarien, 200 miles east of Havana, to-day and were attacked by four gunboats, but the result is not known, . | information cabled by Consul MANY OF THEM ARE NOW AT SAN JUAN Preparations Are Made to Crush Them by the United States. @dmiral Sampson’s and Commodore Schley’s Combined Fleets to Be Sent Against Them To-Day. NEW YORK, May 17.—The Washington correspondent of the Herald sends the fol- lowing : Believing in the correctness of the report to the Herald and Call from Porto Plata, announcing the arrival of the Spanish squadron at San Juan, Porto Rico, the Naval War-Board is taking measures to-night to hasten the formation of an armor-clad fleet. This action is regarded as especially necessary in view of the information which has reached the authorities here that the battle-ship Pelayo and the armored cruiser Carlos V sailed from Cadiz, not for the Philippines, but for the West Indies, where they will re- enforce Cervera’s command. The effect of the junction of these forces will be to give Spain six armored men- ot-war in Western waters against six flying the American flag. Before the arrival of the Pelayo and the Carlos V, however, the battieship Oregon will be at Key West and at- tached to Rear-Admiral Sampson’s command, which will give the American navy a pre- ponderating force of one armor-clad. While having an eye to the future it i{s the immediate present that the Na- val War Board is thinking of. The Smith from Curacao announced that the Spanish fleet had headed westward, but subsequently turned and headed east- ward. San Juan is to the northeast | of Curacao, and naval experts say that it was the natural thing for Admiral Cervera to do—to first steam to the westward out of sight of land and then to double on his track like a fox, so as to deceive the enemy who might be watching his movéments. The distance between Curacao and San Juan is about 475 miles. and steaming at the speed of eleven or twelve knots it would have been an easy matter for the Spanish fleet to have covered the distance within forty hours. The enemy’'s men-of-war were last seen off Curacao at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. The armored cruisers Vizcaya and Infanta Marie Teresa which were in the harbor had received dispatches from Madrid from the Governor-Gen- eral of Porto Rico and Cuba, and no doubt exists that these dispatches in- formed Admiral Cervera of the de- parture of the American fleet from San Juan, en route to Cuba, and of the dis- position of the American vessels along, the North Atlantic Coast. San Juan, theréfore. was the natural harbor for the Spanish men-of-war to make, especially as the Porto Rican au- thorities, without doubt, have renewed the fortifications of the harbor and have replaced the guns knocked down by the projectiles fired by the guns of Rear Admiral Sampson’s fleet in ad- dition. The fact that the Madrid Govern- ment has seen fit to announce that there are no men-of-war at San Juan is considered in the nature f a con- firmation of the Herald’s information that the Spanish fleet has arrived at that point. It is believed the Spanish fleet will make its headquarters at San Juan during its future operations, or at least until re-enforced by the Pelayo and Car- los V, which are now on their way from Cadiz. These two vessels, it is ex- pected, will touch at the Canaries to refill their coal bunkers. It is esti- mated that they should reach their des- tination within two weeks. In the meantime the problem con- fronting the naval war board is how to destroy the Spanish fleet before its re- enforcement arrives, while affording protection to the cities along the coast and maintaining an effective blockade of the Cuban ports. In view of the small number of effective vessels at the disposal of the Government, the task most difficult, and the board thoroughly appreciates this fact. There will be a junction to-morrow of the fleets under command of Rear Ad- miral Sampson and Commodore Schley, so that by to-morrow night an effective force, which will be commanded by the former officer, will include the battle- ships Towa, Indiana, Massachusetts and Texas, and the armored cruisers New York and Brooklyn. This fleet will be coaled and fully am- munitioned, and on account of its com- partively slow speed, will have to be stationed at some central point in or- der that it may maintain the blockade and provide the coast with ample pro~ tection. The President has impressed upon the naval authorities the absolute neces- sity of maintaining the blockade for the reason that once it is broken a thousand international questions will arise which will cause the United States a great deal of embarrassment. NEEDLESS ANXIETY OVER THE HARVARD. Naval Officers Laugh at the fdea That It Cannot Cope With the Terror. YORK, May 17.—There are as- surances that the War Board has found a way to get the Harvard out of St. Pierre harbor without risk of de- struction by the Spanish torpedo-boat destroyer Terror. It involves the use of the Yale and the Montgomery to watch the port at the three-mile limit, to wait until the Harvard appears, and then to be prepared, in case the Terror fol- lows, or any other Spanish torpedo- boat destroyers come along, to fall up- on them with their heavy and light rapid-fire guns and destroy them. On the other hand there are naval officers who laugh at the fuss that has ben made over the situation at St. Pierre and declare that there is noth- ing to prevent the Harvard from leav- ing if she desires to do so, and noth- ing but the assumption that the tor- pedo boat destroyer is a formidable vessel to lead to the opinion that it could destroy the Harvard without difficulty. When Captain Cotton has completed the repairs said to be needed by the Harvard, the nature of ‘which has not been communicated to the de- partment, he can leave, and it is be- lieved that France will stick closely to the custom under neutrality laws to prevent the Terror from leaving until twenty-four hours later. WASHINGTON, May 17.—The tor- pedo-boat McKeon and the auxiliary torpedo-boat destroyer Yankton were placed in commission at the Norfolk navy-yard yesterday. Lieutenant C. M. Knepper is in command of the Mc- Keon and Lieutenant-Commander J. E. Adams is in command of the Yank- ton. The cruiser Newark will go into com- feg-R-F-R-F-2-F-F-F-F-F-R-F-R-F-R-F-F-F-F-F=F-F-F=F=F-F==F=3-F=3 =] THE CHARLESTON WILL SAIL TO-DAY VALLEJO, May 17.—The cruiser Charleston will in all probability gail for the Philippines to-morr ow morning. She will finish coaling to- night, and, as all her ammunition and stores are aboard, nothing will remain to delay her further when that necessary preliminary has been accomplished. passed assistant surgeon, Ammen Phillips; chief engineer, Robert W. H. Gill; pay clerk, F. M. Phiilips. 06 308 308 308 100 0 108 108 308 08 R S0 K00 10 O 0 AOh O O O O K Her complement of officers is as follows: commanding; Lieutenant Gottfried Blocklinger, executive officer; Lieu- tenant Willlam Braunersreuther, navigator; Bostwick, George R. Slocum, Robert E. Coontz; Ensigns William A. Moftett and Waldo Evans; watch officers—Surgeon, Henry T. Perey; S. McKean; assistant engineers—A. W. Marshall, C. B. Henry; boatswain, D. Glynn; gunner, A. A. Phelps; carpenter, 306 196 06 306 10U 10K 106 06 1% X0 30¢ Y0 10K X0 30K 08 30K 30 10 ¢ 10K 306 0 30K JO 0% 30¢ 306 08 XX X Xt mission at the Norfolk navy-yard next | Saturday, but may not be entirely iready for sea for two weeks yet. | Captain Albert S. Barker, now a | member of the Naval Strategy Board, | has been assigned to the command of | the Newark, and will join that vessel | on the 21st inst. |- BOSTON, May 17.—A special cable | from Turks Island says that the | American cruiser Minneapolis passed | through the channel this morning, | steering a southerly course. Turks Isl- | and is north of San Domingo. Captain Henry Glass, Lieutenants Frank M. Farenholt; paymaster, James S. Galt; passed assistant engineer, J. E. Leiper and J. EA 4CE 30% 308 308 308 108 308 308 108 108 308 308 308 308 308 338 5% 308 10 € 30 306 XK XX £