The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 12, 1898, Page 1

The Tall VOLUME LXXXIV.—NO. 42. SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1898. PRICE FIVE CENTS. AWAY | YOSEMITE oinpia YANKEE DIXIE AS OREGON ABARENDA. (OWA ALEXANDER COMMODORE WATSON’S SQUADRON WILL APPEAR EN ROUTE TO SPAIN./ Negotiations May Soon Be Commenced to Termi- nate the War—Alleged Conditions of Peace Demanded by the United States. LONDON, July 12.—The Mad- rid correspondent of the Tim telegraphing Monday says: Senor Sagasta went to the palace t day and tendered his res tion and that of the Cabine It s saild that he advis . Queen Regent to appoint v Cabinet, large sting of the military element, which would not ne 1y mean the adoption of a warlike policy, but probably the rev It is generaly expected that the resignation will be accepted, but the result may possibly be merely a partial reconstruction of the Cabinet. The Ministersare now in council, and Senor Sa- gasta has doubtless communi- cated to them an account of his audience with the Queen Regent. & MADRID, July 11—It is asserted that the United States makes the fol- lowing demands as conditions of First—The possessions of Cuba and Porto Rico with a port in the Canaries. Second—An indemnity of £48,000,000 (about $240,000,000). Third—The retention of the Philip- pines as a guarantee of the payment of the indemnity. fegegegugeteRatngataReTaagaeTaaRoTcat R fefeRuageRaFugaRuReTuRuRaRugeRuRegeFuTaTeged FALSE RUMORS ABOUT OVERTURES FOR PEACE Dispatches From Madrid Calculated to Sound the Disposition of Uncle fam. NEW YORK, July 11.—The Washing- ton correspondent of the Herald tele- graphs: There is no foundation for the report from Madrid that the United | State: made demands from Spain as to conditions for peace, contempiat- ing the «n of Cuba and Porto Rico, with a port in the Canaries, the pay- ment of indemnity of £48,000,000 and retention of the Philippines as guaran- tee of payment of the indemnity. This was the report sent out from Madrid last night. I was informed by a member of the Cabinet to-night that this Government had made no proposi- tion whatev either directly or indi- rectly, concerning nor has any proposition heen rec from Spain, either directly or indirectly. The only basis for hope of the admin- istration that Spain will soon sue for peace is the conviction that all classes in Spain are rapidly belig convinced of the hopelessness of continuing the struggle. This conviction is based on the tone of the Spanish papers and on SPAIN'S CABINET HAS TENDERED ITS RESIGNATION TO THE QUEEN REGENT These terms are regarded as impos- sible. e POLITICAL SOIL PREPARED FOR PEACE Special cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 153, by James Gor- don Bennett. = MADRID, July 11.—The papers which state that peace negotiations are act- ually going on are not strictly cor- rect. The actual condition of affairs is being diligently prepared in view of the solution which may bring about peace. The word “peace” is written in big letters at the head of the leading ar- ticles in the principal newspapers. Tne Government wishes peace deeply, and is intensely anxious to know what terms the United States are willing to grant. If America sees the way to anything like terms which may save Spanish honor the war is at an end. If, on the contrary, the terms are harsh and sweeping, that is, if the American Jingoes dictate terms, their confreres here will inevitably come on top with their programme of war. If the mod- erates In America gain the day the moderates here will predominate. Premier Sagasta, on leaving the morning, in answer to a council thi | question, said that the moment had not come for discussing terms of peace, but I have the best authority for the state- | ment that the Government is in accord that such time will be ripe when the impending fall of Santiago or the sur- render of Manila has taken place—in fact, any further disaster which brings | home to the nation and the army the hopelessness of further resistance against the unlimited resources | brought to bear by the United States. | Sagasta is an out and out patriot, and, | according to the words of one of his | Cabinet, has to take into consideration | not only the dignity of the army which | has fought so heroically, but also the | future of a large body of Cuban volun- ! teers, far outnumbering the rebels, who gave their services to the mother coun- try and who cannot be left to the mercy of the insurgents. It is said to be possible that Austria might be a mediating power. The Gov- ernment knows from inquiries made that the spirit of the people in the country is favorable to peace, and the partisans of the war would quickly be reduced. In the army the sentiment is universally in favor of a continua- tion of hostilities. Within four days the Ministers have placed their resiz- nations in the hands of Sagasta, who has held them over. 1 ‘i information received through press dis- | | patches from Madrid and other sources | of the sentiment of many leading men | | in Spain. The report from Madrid that Senor | Sagasta’s Ministry has resigned is be- | | lieved here to make the prospects for | | early peace more favorable. It 8| thought probable that Senor Sagasta | has stepped out of the way to make | room for a Cabinet which will nego- | tiate for cession of hostilities and that | the dispatch from Madrid purporting to give demands made by the United | States was inspired for the purpose of | feeling the temper of the United States | by seeing how such terms would be considered here. e BOMBARDMENT OF THE WARSHIPS Many Shells Fall Into the Bay, but One Causes a Big Explosion in Santiago. * Copyrighted, 1598, by the Associated Press. | OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, via Playa del Este, July 11.—At 9:30 o’clock this morning after several range-find- ing shots over the ridge protecting Santiago from the sea the United | top of the ridge reported the effect of States cruiser Newark opened fire into the city with her 8-inch guns. The signal corps officers stationed on the shots. The New York, Brocklyn and Indiana | participated in the firing at intervals | of five minutes: 3 | The bombardment lasted for two hours, when General Shafter reported that the shells were mostly falling in the bay and ‘doing but little damage. The last shot, however@struck a promi- nent church in the heart of the city, which was heavily stored with powder | and ammunition, causing a tremendous explosion. The extent of the damage is not yet known. i ‘When the warships ceased firing and before General Shafter had begun a1 land attack,’a flag ~ truce was seen coming from the ity. The object of this was not known to- day at noon. At 2 o'clock this after- noon the auxiliary cruiser Yale, with General Nelson A. Miles, and the United | States protected cruiser Columbia ar- rived. Rear Admiral . ampson visited Gen- eral Miles immediately on his arrival, and then the Yale went to Siboney, General Miles and his personal staff landing in a pouring rain. WORK M@PPED OUT FOR WATSON’S EASTERN FLEET First of All It Must Destroy the Remnant of Navy. NEW YORK, July 11.—The Herald's ‘Washington correspondent telegraphs: All chance of interception of Camara’s fleet in the Mediterranean by the East- ern squadron has disappeared as the result of the departure from Port Said | to-day of the Spanish men-of-war. The | longer Santiago holds out the longer | Commodore Watson’s command will remain in Cuban waters. ities, however, are making every effort to get the fleet ready to sail by the lat- ter part of the week. The Naval War Board was in com- munication with Commodore and Rear Admiral Sampson last night regarding the supplies needed by the FEastern squadron and the plan it will follow on its cruise. It is understood the cor- respondence which has passed related to an increase of Commodore Watson's squadron. The department will de- termine within the next few days whether it will be politic or not to in- crease the force, but naval officers in Washington strongly recommend that the fleet be made more imposing and stronger, so that it may without any possibility of failure destroy Admiral Camara’s squadron without injury to itself. The need of protected cruisers such as the New Orleans, Minneapolis | and Columbia is especially pointed out. These ships, the officers say, would be especially useful in overhauling and destroying the swift Patriota and Ra- pido, formerly the Normannia and Col- umbia of the Hamburg-American line, which can run away from any of the ships now attached to the Eastern squadron. An official with whom I talked told me that the squadron would be kept off the Spanish coast indefinitely if need be. Its first work will be to destroy the remnant of the Spanish navy now under the command of Admiral Ca- mara, and, when this has been accom- plished, to cripple the Spanish mer- chant marine, to destroy ships now under construction at Ferrol, Cartha- gena and Cadiz, and, if necessary, to bombard coast citles. Admiral Camara’s destination, ac- cording to information received by the State Department to-day, is Carthe- gena. A dispatch from the American con- sular agent at Port Sald anncunced that the battle-ship Pelayo, the | .° of the Spanish men-of-war at Por. Said, left that port this morning and joined the remainder of the fleet outside the harbor, and proceeded on its way to Carthagena. The officials also received word of the departure of torpedo-boats from Messina, Sicily, on their way to the-same port. It is expected Camara’s The author- | ©00000000000000000000000000000 the Spanish fleet will occupy eight days in making the voyage and will arrive at Cartha- gena on Tuesday of next week. It will be impossible fér Commodore Watson to reach Spain before the early part of | August. In accordance with the department’s | instructions the Yankee has taken on board 350 tons of ammunition for the | Oregon, and the Massachusetts is under | orders to proceed to Hampton Roads, | where she will await the coaling of the | collfers now at Norfolk. Thursday is | fixed by the department as the date of sailing of this portion of the fleet. PORT SAID, July 11.—The remainder of Admiral Camara’s fleet has sailed for Spain. MESSINA, Sicily, July 11.—The Span- ish torpedo-boats sailed for home to- day. BRITISH CONSUL TELLS WHY HE LEFT HAVANA Says His Term Has About Expired and His Departure Is Not Due to the War Situation. Special cable to The Call and the New York erald. Copyrighted, 18, by James Gor- don Bennett. KINGSTON, Jamalica, July 11.—Sir Alexander Gollan, British Consul to Havana, was asked to-day why he left Havana. “‘My term in the Consular service has almost expired,” he replied, “‘and that is the reason for my departure from | Havana. I have been tlere eight years, | and now am going home to enjoy my- self. I have not been recalled, nor is my departure due to conditions in Ha- vana. “I will say the stories of starva- tion in the Cuban capital are much ex- aggerated. Of course, privations and want always exist among the lower classes, and these conditions are Inten- sified by the blockade, but the situation is not as serious as I have seen it re- ported to be, although hundreds are dying of starvation.” ool ADMIRAL DEWEY AND VICE ADMIRAL SCHLEY Suggestion of the New York Herald Finds Hearty Indorsement From All Quarters. NEW YORK, July 1L—From all parts of t > country come prompt and hearty indorsements of the Herald's suggestion that the grades of admiral and vice ad- miral_in the navy should be revived, and that Dewey should be made admiral’ and Schie; vice admirl. Tribute is uni- versnfly paid to the splendid work of tuese two officers in’ the destruction of Spain’s fleet, and all agree that the high- IARDS THOUGHT TO BE SNEAKING ROM THE CITY OF SANTIAGO WEAK R 0C0000000000000000 WITH THE AMERIC volley from the rifle pits. No tery signal. away and the Spanish trench pounded on. In twenty minu Rough Riders were cheering i Spaniards have moved out of t cover their retreat, or they ha are waiting behind barricades. threw it thirty feet in the air. camp of the Rough Riders. Special cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 1888, by James Gor- don Bennett. ] WITH GENERAL SHAFTER’S ARMY, BEFORE SANTIAGO, Sun- day night, 10 o’clock, by The Call-Her- ald dispatch boat Somers N. Smith to Port Antonio, Jamaica, Monday, July 11.—Major General Shafter believes that the main body of the Spanish army has abandoned Santiago, and that it is now fleeing to the west ward. It is the expectation as I write this dis- patch that the American army will be in full possesion of the city by noon to- morrow. A joint attack by the army |and navy was made upon the city late this afternoon, and much destruction must have been wrought by the Amef- ican guns on land and sea. To this at- tack the Spaniards made only a feebl= reply. Our loss was insignificent. really earnest attempt to reduce San- tiago was made to-day. It was the AN ARMY TIAGO, Sunday, July 10, by the Call-Herald Somers N. Smith, to Port Antonio, Jamaica, Monday, July 11.—To-day’s attack on Santiago began with a premature Within thirty seconds, over a distance of five miles, the batteries belched a hail of shells. There was a sharp reply of Mauser bullets for five minutes, but this soon died fight or a continuation of the bombardment. gun hit one of the enemy’s big guns fairly under the lip and This caused cheering in the RICHARD HARDING DAVIS. No | EPLY TO FIRE OF AMERICANS Shafter Believes Toral’s Forces Are Rapidly Retreating. Fearful Havoc Wrought by the Guns of the Besiegers on the Hills and on Warships. 0000000000000 0000C0 BEFORE SAN- dispatch-boat one then waited for the bat- es were silent. Our guns tes we had finished and, the n the trenches. Either the he city, leaving a few men to ve withdrawn into the city and This means a street to street Our dynamite 000000000000 0DO00O000000C000000 O00000000000C00000C00200C000000C0002000 plan merely to give the Spaniards an |idea of what they might expect when the American land and sea forces made | their final attack in the morning. During to-day’'s firing, however, the dynamite gun did great damage in the city as did the shells fired from the | fleet from a position off Aguadores. There is little question in the minds of the officers of the American army ithat General Toral's troops evac- | uated the city, wiile the Spanish com- mander was parleying with Gen- | eral Shafter over the terms of surren- | der. This belief is strengthened by re- ports from Aguadores, which place has been abandoned by the Spaniards. Bands of Cuban soldiers report that the enemy before evacuating the coast | town placed timbers over their in- | trenchments to represent guns. In my dispatches the fact that the Spanish commander has authorized his men to loot Santiago was mentioned. SENOR SAGASTA, Who Has Ten est possible award should be given to them. of S dered His Resignatlon as Premler pain.