The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 31, 1898, Page 1

Cal ——— SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1898. PRICE FIVE CENTS. COMBINED ATTACK PLANNED ON CERVERA SCHLEY HAS CERVERA AT HIS MERCY No Chance for the Escape of Spain’s Squadron From Santiago. | All Movements in the West Indies Held in Abeyance Until the Vessels Are Disposed Of. KEY WEST, Fla., May 20.—| Santiago, was captured last Everybody knows now that| Wednesday, and at the very Spain’s flying squadron—four | moment when the Queen splendid cruisers and * two | Regent was cabling her con- torpedo-boat deskroyers—is\gratulations the coils were risoned in Santiago har—fnghtening about him. This fact has been| The belief here is that all known here forty-eight hours | other movements in the West 1d the speculation now is|Indies will be held in abey- over the probable disposition |ance until the Spanish squad- | of the Spaniards — whether |ron is disposed of. In case they will be blockaded or the ‘Santiago is attacked, the forts reduced and the vessels|news of the battle will be sent 1 |from Mole St. Nicholas and | X bor. ari uce compelled to fight. in the latter case there can|Kingston, and the prisoners? be but one result—for Com- |and wounded will be sent to | modore Schley has some of | Key West. S :hcs:"smps m the \a'prld, | OREGON AND NEW ORLEANS 7 nothing of the crulsers‘ ORDERED TO JOIN SCHLEY various smaller vessels, e 3 | Indications That the F1 could in a few days be| el Sl ;:]:t[isatg,%l‘orce enforced by other power- | ae Harbor. | NEW ORK, May 30.—A Jackson- It would belsue, w1a, special to the Herala says: n the part of |Ilearned to-day through a letter from West that the cruiser New Or- which has been with Rear Ad- Sampson’s squadron, sailed last oin Commodore Schle The a ful foolhardine Cervera to offer battle. wa (¢} S S An mains to be to interesting story re- f the reasons fleet at - ~ . v | which led Cervera to Santiago | York went to Key West for coal and | ntiago de Cuba. . | to enable Admiral Sampson to com- | n ¥ the rav e 7as | and ofi sthe Jway. hedawastizi g tirs feer Washing- | hemmed in. Itis now Known |ton. The New York was expected to | i e < b 3 sail with the Oregon for the south side that when the Spanish ad- | ¢ cuba before Sunday morning, ase miral sailed for the West In- Orleans tc to join Schley. 5 SSHE bt S _ .| The assignment of the Oregon and | dies he expected to enter San| yeu Sanley e Juan de Porto Rico for coal|significant as indicating a possible in- | & B ‘ tention to force the harbor and repeat | and supplies. On touching Dewey’s Manila coup. The New Or | at Curacao for news his plans | leans would be valuable in a narrow 9 | passage such as that at Santiago be- were upset by ‘the receiptiof | o cticr ne-abityito soncortate b dispatches te”mg him that% enltirzmbalzery forward, while her 2 | splen: equipment of rapid-fire Rear Admiral Sampson had | guns woula render her a most dan. bombarded the San Juan for- ! gerous antagonist in a contest with 5 i ey torpedo-boat destroyers. The New tifications and was still in the | york 1s Admiral sampson's flagsh::, n@ighborhood of Porto Rico. | and if she goes to Santiago it would -, | seem the admiral Thereupon Cevera sailed for o SomIe L DRODosea to Aastime | command himself. the south coast of Cuba. |RUSSIAN PRESS IS Cervera put into Santiago i . 570 NOW VERY ANXIOUS it is said, because the Cristo- | 2 bal Colon was disabled by The Novoe Vremya Comments Upon 2 the Proposed Anglo-Saxon incompetent engineers, and Alliance. ¢ ) the admiral wouldn’t aban- | “PrRrc® B0 Jb T Setion Bennere He trusts|indicate that Russia is trying to edge to his guns and shore bat-|Russian opinion is stly concerned with the war in its bearing upon af-‘ | Copyrighted, 1598, by James Gordon Bennett. don the cruiser. into an Anglo-American agreement. teries to hold the harbor | tairs in the Far East, ana consequently | e L. | the Russian press is striving with against Schiey. | might and main to W the impf)‘s;i. [t is certain that Cervera |bllity of an Anglo-American alliance, which would be calculated, most of all, could not have escaped from |to affect the far eastern situation. % : Bl .| Thus the Novoe Vremya says in a re- | Santiago without being diS-|cent eaitorial: “The --ited States has | cnvered f(}l’ ‘lhe American | been drawn out of its completely X | lated position by the war with Spai scouts had Dbeen prowling | which in the end will bring the great | about the port for ten days, |Europe. This does not imply that atter 5 will begin a fresh war with another been far away. Practically,|power, but will procc-* to give voice order to defend its powcr in the new | for that length of time. Cer- { commeros, ?IIAEuro!pean Powers };avfi Al : | ing colonies in America, and first of all | vera’s coal ship, which fol-|zg sions, will feel the effect of this COMMODORE WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY, U. S. N.; on the Bridge of the Flagship Brookiyn. ruling classes of the seventy-five mil- | nuts out of the fire for England. No lion citizens of the rich republic. one should be decelved by the assur- “It will be some time before the birth | ances of the London press that the re- of the Anglo-Saxon alliance, by |lations between England and the means_of which Ens!ind would like to | United States are daily improving, and force Russia, then France and after- |the relations between France and the ward Germany out of China, Amer- | Amerfcan republlc more strained. American republic in closer touch with and Other scouts had not the war with Spain the United States to all matters of old world policy in iag been blockade Sant]a‘%o haS b ad d | world ard the interests of its trade and Ingland, with her Canadian posses- lowed him from Curacao to awakening to active policy among the icans will never consent to pull chest- | Naturally that is desired in London. 1 R R R R R R AR R R AR AR AR A AR R AR RRR AR AR AR A AR AR AR LA AR AT 53 s : CHANCE FOR SAMPSON : s 3 e 2 s ! oo & 5] e TSR B 0 MADRID, May 320.—I have just had a conversation with a friend who has been visiting Spain. One of % the points at which he stopped some time was Cadiz. He tells-me a reserve squadron, consisting of the & battie-ship Pelayo, the cruisers Carlos V, Alfonso XII and the torpedo-boat destrovers Audaz, Proserina and & Destructor, Rapido, Patriota, Alfonso XIII, Antonio Lopez, Ciudad de Cadiz, Leon XIII and Buenos-Ayres, & will be ready to put to sea in a few days. 2 : Admiral Cama s rushing work with all speed, and my informant says he believed they will sail in the & & first place for the Canaries and then set out under sealed orders, thus repeating Admiral Cervera's tactics. & % As soon as this squadron is off another will be f>rmed. It will comprise the Cardinal Cisneros, Numan- 8 %3 cia, Lepanto, Donna Maria de Molina, Don Alvaro de Bazan and Marquis de la Vitoria. These ships, how- & #3 ever, are mostly unfinished and cannot possibly be ready for some weeks. % '3 When my informant left Cadiz on Wednesday last, the following vessels were lying there: The Pelayo, & & Carlos V, General Valdes, two torpedo boats, two tor: edo-boat destroyers and the Destructor, which, hesays, % % goes in and out of port almost every other day. The sels Iying in the dock unfinished were the Alfonso & % XIII, the Rapido, Patriota, Vitoria, Princess de Asturias, Alfonso XII and four trans-Atlantic liners, which £ 2 were being transformed. -4 = The Giralda was nearly sunk at her dock a few days ago before my informant left through being 23 %2 jammed between the quay and a trans-Atlantic steamer undergoing repairs. o 2 & 1R 2R R R R R R R R SRR R R AR R AR R R R R R R R R AR R AR AR AR AR AR R AR R R R A R but not all the wishes are realized. It may sooner be presumed the whirlpool of a world-wide policy, will seek a close union with France and Russla, for a common and pacific struggle with other Western European monarchies.” { on the mortheastern coast of Cuba United | States, having become invoived in the | NEXT the cuted Wi Call Office, Riggs House, Washington, May 30. It seems to be the general opinion here to-night that the first military expedition to be landed will be in Porto Rico instead of Cuba. It is cer- tain the War and Navy departments were to-day anxious to create this impression. Tor this reason it is strongly sus- pected that, although the troopships will sail early from Key West along ! the northerp. coast of Cuba, they will : not proceed to San Juan or any other | Porto Rican port, but will disembark and will invest Santiago,and by join- ing with Garcia’s 8000 men cut Cer- vera off frgm all communication with Blanco or any hope of the relief which he so sorely needs. | It is believed, furthermore, that heavy ordnance will be taken on this ;expedit'mn and that, if Commm:lore | Schley deems it unwiseorinexpedient | to enter the harbor and give battle | the fleet of Cervera will be bombard- | ed by our army from the high hills | surrounding Santiago. It is the aim | to capture or destroy Cervera’s fleet | before the possible arrival of the Cadiz squadron. The best judgment here is that we have not troops enough to spare for the Porto Rican expedition at this time. Porto Rico can wait. The very first thing to do is to capture or de- | stroy the hostile fleet, then follow it | up with a reduction of the Havana | batteries ana the landing of troops to }attack Blanco, capture Havana and thus end the war. It is certain, however, that before Havana is taken there will be an in- vestment of Porto Rico, so as to have | this island in our possession when the war is ended, and negotiationsfor peace are in progress, for all of | | Spain’s colonial possessions which | will be in our hands at the close of | the war, Porto Rico is most valuable | for our purposes, namely, a coaling station. It is, furthermore, richer in natural resources than Cuba and has a much more desirable population. But, although it appears to be the plan for our troops to attack Santi- ago and the hostile fleet from the rear, it does mnot follow necessarily that Commodore Schley will not at- tempt to enter the harbor and follow Dewey’s tactics. He will, it is believed, watch his | chance to slip into the harbor by Lnight. At any rate Commodore | Schley will not be idle. Orders were | sent to him via the Harvardat Kings- | ton to immediately commence a bom- | bardment of the fortifications. This | is certain. | President McKinley said to a caller | to-day that he hourly expected news | that Commodore Schley had com- | | menced operations against the forts, | and added that he would not be sur- | | prised to hear at any time that he | had boldly steamed into the harbor | | to give battle to the fleet. | | This indicates that, while he has been sent specific instructions to re- | | duce the batteries in front of Santi- | | ago, he is given large discretinnaryi powers as to his further operations. There are now 25,000 well-equip- | ped soldiers ready for the military | expedition. By the time Santiago has been taken, Cervera’s fleet captured | or destroyed and Havana’s batteries reduced there will be 100,000 more | l,troops ready to march against Blan- | co. It is certain that no attempt will Ebe made to enter Havana until we have an army of at least 100,000 men ready for the undertaking of | such magnitude, and it now appears ;Cuda la this weather. | and the PORTO RICO TO BE ASSAILED Blancol ‘May Remain Unmolested Until Fall. he Campaign of Invasion Is Now Being Prose- th Vigor. more than probable that it will be early fall before Blanco is attacked in his stronghold. This is General Miles’ plan, and the indications are that he will have his way. It is well known here that General Miles is opposed to any attempt to take Havana without a force of at least 50,000. He wants those men all well drilled. Without the thin- nest kind of uniforms and other trop- ical equipments the men would be unable to accomplish anything in And 50,000 men are not yet equipped with such uniforms and other necessaries. The conferences which have been taking place in Washington recently between War Department officials and insurgent officers have resulted in a thorough understanding as to the work that is expected of the in- surgents. The War Department offi- cials who have had private informa- tion from their own men do not as- sume that the insurgents are a mera handful of men not much better than bushwhackers. They expect valuable aid from the insurgents when they are properly equipped. At the same time General Miles’ plan will not be dependent for success on the move- ments of the insurgents. At the beginning of the war the capacity of the insurgents to furnish aid was overrated. Recently there has been a tendency to underrate it. The insurgents have carried on an exclusively guerrilla warfare, but with so much effect that a Spanish army of over 200,000 men,command- ed by generals of military experi- ence, were unable to subdue them. PRESIDENT M’KINLEY’S LETTER OF REGRET Touching Sentiment Expressed by the Chief Executive as to Fallen Heroes. WASHINGTON§ May 30.—The Presi- dent wrote the following letter express- ing his regrets that he could not taka part in the exercises at Gettysburg to= day: Executive Mansion, ‘Washington, D. C., May 30, 1898, Mr. Louis D. Winter, Committee on Mem-~, orial Day Exercises: My Dear Sir—My engagements here, th. nature of which are weli understood, wil revent my taking part in the Memorial| Bny exercises at Gettysburg this year, at= tendance upon ‘which, under other circum« stances, would have afforded me an es< pecial gratification. Time enhances -the lasting value and demonstrates anew the true significance of these inspiring patriotic observances. Whatever may be the character of its temporary problems, this liberty-loving nation is not and never can be forgetful of the immortal heroes of the civil war. For those who served. as well as for those who fell at Gettysburg—now so peaceful and beautifully adorned with the highest creations of the scuiptor's art— our reunited fellow countrymen. wigthout regard to locality, creed or political faith, have an abiding respect and the most cordial esteem. To-day those who contended on this his- toric field nearly thirty-five vears ago, and their descendants, are mustering un- der the same flag, enthusiastic in their devotion to the nation and willing to maka any sacrifice for its honor. The debt of gratitude which we owe to the nation's defenders can never be com- pletely repaid. either. by this or futurs generations. The acknowledgment of thig each year in various forms and in vari- ous places throughout this broad land purifies our ideas and brings us all neares together in sympathy of sentiment and unity of purpose. No time could be more appropriate than the present to approach in a fitting spirit these sacred themes of love of country rights of man. Generations come and go, and the issues for which they fought and died soon pass into his- tory, but the living principles of undertak- ings worthily accomplished, and for an unselfish purpose, abide forever and guida us to a nobler destiny and_still greater achievements as a nation. Very sincere- Iy yours. WILLIAM McKINLEY. To Secure Robertson’s Release. WASHINGTON, May 30.—Friends of James R. Robertson of the First Cali- fornia Regiment are endeavoring to se- cure his release through Major Frank McLaughlin, who interceded success- fully with Secretary Alger in behalf of ‘W. W. Anderson of San Francisco,