The San Francisco call. [volume], May 28, 1898, Page 1, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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VOLUME LXXXIII.-NO. 179.
CERVERA HAS OUTWITTED
SAMPSON AND SCHLEY.
BIG FLEET
STEAMING
NORTHWARD
Conflicting Reports as to
the Whereabouts of
Cervera.
Madrid Declares Y\e Is Yet at SaQ
tiago, but Doubt Is Expressed
Elsewhere.
Copyrighted. 1898, by James Gordon Bennett.
. ORT AU PRINCE, Hayti, May 27.— It is reported here that a
bpanish fleet of fourteen vessels passed Mole St. Nicholas, going
northward through the Windward Passage.
SPANISH FLEET OFF COSTA RICA.
Copyrighted. 189 S. by James Gordon Bennett.
PANAMA, May 27. — Passengers arriving here yesterday on an
Italian steamer from Cartagena report that they saw three warships,
supposed to belong to the Spanish fleet. One passenger, who had a
powerful marine glass, said he discerned four others. The ships were
apparently heading for Port Limon, Costa Rica.
The Herald's correspondent at Port Limon cables that at about 5
o'clock yesterday eight ships were sighted about ten miles from port.
Owing to a heavy fog it was impossible to distinguish the flags of the
fleet, but from the size and form of the vessels, it is believed that they
were warships. The eight vessels were going in a northerly direction
and at about 6:30 o'clock disappeared from view.
CERVERA YET fIT SANTIAGO.
CHICAGO, May 27. — A private cable to the Associated Press
from a reliable person in Port Au Prince, Hayti, dated May 25, asserts
that he had positive information that at that time Admiral Cervera's
fleet was in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba.
REPORTS FROM SPANISH SOURCES.
MADRID, May 27. — Blanco cables that Cervera's squadron is
still at Santiago and that the bulk of Sampson's squadron is blockad
ing that port. Schley's squadron is watching the Yucatan Passage.
Blanco cables that the destroyer Terror arrived at Fajardo, Porto
Rico. She intended to go to San Juan, but found four American war
ships cruising in front of the harbor.
SCHLEY'S CHALLENGE TO CERVERfJ.
NEW YORK, May 27.— A dispatch from Key West says: Schley
is reported to be master of the situation at Santiago and is seeking all
means to make the Spanish fleet come out and give battle. Yesterday,
it is reported, he sent a boat with a white flag into the harbor with
this message:
"The Spanish fleet has the alternative of coming out and fighting
or remaining in and starving."
Another Key West dispatch says: It is reported on the best au
thority that Cervera has escaped, having left Santiago on Saturday.
It is believed he intends to attack the Atlantic cities, and one of the
American fleets is watching for such a move. Cervera may possibly
go to Porto Rico, but he cannot get into Havana.
THE YALE OFF MOLE ST. NICHOLAS.
Copyrlfhted, IS9B, by James Gprdon Bennptt.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 27. — The steamer Beda, from Halifax,
arrived at Kingston to-day. She reports having passed the United
States cruiser Yale at 6 o'clock yesterday morning. The Yale was
then cruising in the Windward Passage, off the Mole St. Nicholas.
DISPATCHES FROM ODMIROL SAMPSON.
WASHINGTON, May 27. — There is reason to believe the navy
officials to-night received dispatch's from Admiral Sampson although
at 11:30 P. M. no bulletins had been made public. At 2 o'clock this
morning the dispatch-boat Dolphin of Commodore Schley's squadron
ran alongside the flagship New York, which was then off Havana, and
informed her that she bore dispatches for Admiral Sampson from Com
modore Schley. It was considered probable these dispatches contained
information of the precise whereabouts of the Cape Verde squadron t
and, quite naturally, the info'mation would be sent to the naval
authorities here as soon as boats and telegraph wires could carry it.
That the naval officials have received information is not doubted, but
as yet they have not admitted the fact.
CERVERA AWAITS RE-ENFORCEMENTS.
LONDON, May 28 — A dispatch to the Financial News from
Kingston, Jamaica, says: The master of the fishing schooner Jane,
which has arrived here, reports having picked up a yawl containing
two reconcentrados who had escaped from Santiago de Cuba. He
says they told him that Admiral Cervera's squadron was in the
harbor; that the vessels were coaled and victualed and were ready
to sail "when the Cadiz squadron arrives next week and breaks the
blockade."
The San Francisco Call
A Story That the Spanish
Fleet Has Never Been
at Santiago,
CHICAGO, May 28.— The Inter Ocean prints the following
this morning:
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 26 (Held by Press Censor and re
leased on order of General A W. Greely, May 28, I A. M.)— Admiral
Cervera's fleet is not now nor has it been at Santiago de Cuba.
This is the statement of Lieutenant-Commander Marix, United
States steamship Scorpion, who boarded the Premier in latitude
20:3O, longitude T9, early this morning, after firing a shot across
her bows, i.Jistaking her in the darkness for a Spaniard.
Marix was on his way to Cienfuegos, where he believed Schley had
Cervera bottled up. Upon being toid that Schley had gone to Santiago de
Cuba, where he supposed the Spanish fleet to be, Marix made the state
ment that Cervera was not in Santiago now, and had not been, and said
he knew what he was talking about, as he had left there but a few hours
before.
He then returned in haste to the Scorpion, and crowding on all possible steam sailed
away in the direction taken by Schley's fleet.
The Premier has been with Schley's fleet since leaving Key West and a record of
the movements of the celebrated squadron may be of interest.
After being for three days on the razor edge of momentary expectation of doing
battle with the Spanish fleet, Commodore Schley's squadron, composed of the powerful
battle-ships lowa, Massachusetts and Texas, the armored cruiser Brooklyn, the commo
dore's flagship; the cruiser Marblehead. the gunboat Castine, the torpedo boat Dupont and
the torpedo destroyers Vixen and Eagle, sailed out of Cienfuegos Tuesday night.
Every man aboard was disappointed and cursing mad. For three days they had
watched the ioo-yard wide entrance of the harbor of Cienfuegos with every gun shotted
and fully manned, every moment of the night and day. They were almost positive that
the Spaniards were inside and that if they had any fighting blood in them they would
come out and take a licking.
Over a depression in the hills between the city and the Caribbean Sea the men
aloft could see the topmasts of four big ships that were in the harbor, and they watched
hungrily as reconcentrados might watch a shipload of food.
In the dark of the night a torp?do boat even sneaked inside the harbor to within
little more than half a mile of the ships, and the men aboard feasted their eyes on four
big, dark fcrms and twelve smaller ones floating in the bay.
They figured these out to be the four cruisers and the three torpedo-boat destroy
ers from Cape Verde and several small gunboats that that fleet had picked up along the
coast and further whetted the appetites of the boysoutside by telling them all about it.
It was not until dusk of Tuesday, when ihe Marblehead and the Eagle returned from a scouting ex
pedition, in the course of which they had communicated with the insurgents ashore, that it was learned
positively that the Spanish fleet was not inside.
There was nothing left then tut to start out again on the hunt, and this was done within an hour.
Schley's fleet left Key West Thursday night, May 19, and anived sixty m.les off" Cienfuegos
Saturday night. It lay there all night, and early Sunday morning ran in toward shore. The squadron
formed into line about eight miles (ff the entrance to the harbor. The fortifications at the entrance had
already been destroyed by the cruiser Marblehead when two of her boats' crews were engaged in cutting
cables there.
On Sunday afternoon cannonading was heard and in the evening searchlights were seen to
play over the harbor and town.
On Monday morning the British steamer Adula arrived from Jamaica. Her captain showed a per
mit from the State Department at Washington to pass the blockade and take eff several hundred refugees
under the protection of the British Consul.
The captain of the Adula reported to Commodore Schley that on the Friday night preceding he had
sighted seven ships in a bunch off Santiago, apparently bound for Cienfuegos. The captain of the Adula
said when he was at Santiago Saturday the Spanish fleet was not there.
Acting on this information and under the belief that the cannonading he had heard was an ad
miral's salute, Commodore Schley felt justified in remaining off the harbor.
Instantly the signal, "Clear ships for immediate action," was run up on the flagship. Then the
movable staff went overboard.
All the way from Hampton Roads the ships had been dropping things overboard. When they came
to Cienfuegos there did not seem to be anything left, but in a minute the bay was full of floating wood
work. On the Texas even I saw a chest take a header into the sea.
The ships were kept close together. Bugle calls and beating drums calling men to quarters were
heard from one ship to the other. The navigating officers ran up to the bridges.
There was not a "conn ing-tower captain" in the outfit. Every man from the commodore down went to the bridge to
fight the ship.
Next came the command, "Silence," from ship to ship. A little iater came, " Cast loose and provide."
Every gun was manned. All that could be brought to bear were pointed at the harbor's mouth.
The Massachusetts stood on with the heaviest batteries. The flagship twisted around, bringing her broadside to bear
on the entrance. The Texas brought her ei?ht-inch puns to bfar, and the others their heaviest. There were enough guns
pointed at the hole in the shore line to cut a new passage clear through to Cientuegos.
Then came a wait. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. There was a signai on the flagship, and a torpedo-boat cam?
around from behind the other ships where she had been hiding. She dashed up to the entrance, then away, and back again.
Firing was still heard inland, but she could not get sight of the enemy.
For half an hour the ships stood ready to pulverize anything that appeared. When "return from quarter*" sounded
the gunners were ready io cry from disappointment.
Some time afterward two Cubans came from the westward in a small boat and reported that there had been an
engagement Inland been the Cuban and Spanish forces. The Spaniards were forced to retire to the city. The Cubans
said the Spanish had lost 300 killed.
They also said that there were 12,000 Spanish troops in the city well supp ied with arms and ammunition, and that the
entrance to the harbor was a narrow passage twelve miles iong and well mined.
There were schooners inside that the Spaniards intended to sink in case of attack. The Cubans had not been in the
city for some oays and knew nothing about the fleet supposed to be hiding there.
Before dark there was a consultation
between the officers of the Dupont and
the Commodore. After dark the Du
oont disappeared.
SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1898.
On Sunday Commodore Schlev's
ships moved up closer to the shore and
formed a crescent about the entrance.
The torpedo boat staved inside the |
crescent, patrolling close in shore. Ev
ery man on every ship, including the
chaplains, was on watch. There was no
lurht on shore. No smokincr was al-
lowed on the ships. White suits and
hats were laid aside. Every man wore
blue.
The gun crews slept beside their
guns. Fighting tops were manned. All
the officers stayed on deck. They
spoke only in . whispers. Everybody
was so on edge that in the gra dawn
the lowa narrowly missed bein-^ fired
on when she arrived from Key West.
She was not identified quickly in the
haze. There was a second call to
quarters and an order to pretare for
immediate action.
Preprations this time cc .sisted mere
ly of the men jumping up to the guns
beside which they were lying. The sig
nals of the lowa wo c made out before
any damage had been done.
Next came the Adula incident, when
the captain was taken aboard the flag
ship. Later on Monday the Hawk ar
rived with dispatches from Key West,
and the latest news there was to the ef
fect that the Spanish fleet was reported
to be at Santiago.
Commodore Schley sent the Scorpion
off to Santiago to scout about, and the
Hawk returned to Key West with the
news that the Spaniards were probably
bottled up at Cienfuegos.
During the day all the boats of the
squadron passed up and down in front
of the depression in the hills, so that
all hands had a chance to whet their
appetites with a sight of what were be
lieved to be the topmasts of the ene
my's ships
The night passed like Sunday night.
At 6 o'clock on Tuesday r..orning three
ships were sighted coming from the
south. When they were still almost
hull down the thunder of shots was
heard again and the signal "Clear for
action" went up on the' flagship.
Word went from ship to ship that
there was no doubt about it this time.
Nine shots were counted. That is the
ALL NIGHT CONFERENCE AT WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. D. C, May 28.—
News of importance, understood to be
from Commodore Schley, was received
by the Navy Depart ent late last night.
Contrary to his custom. Secretary
Long went to the department at a late
hour and was closeted with Assistant
Secretary Allen. Lieutenant Whittelsev.
the cipher expert of the Bureau of Navi
gation, and General A. \V. Greelv.
chief of the Signal Service, who has
charge of the military telegraph system.
They remained at the Navy Depart
ment until morning.
A cipher message was translated and
read at the conference.
In view of the arrange
ments made for giving to
LAND FORCE MAY
ATTACK SANTIAGO
Call Office, Rlggs House,
Washington, May 27.
Secretary Long still Insists that
nothing has been received from either
Schley or Sampson, or from any other
official source, confirming a general im
pression that the Spaniards are in San
tiago harbor.
The dispatch-boat Dolphin arrived at
Key West to-night with dispatches
from Commodore Schley, dated "Off
Cienfuegos." They have not yet reached
the Navy Department— at least have
not been given out for publication.
They will, it is thought, contain little
news, however, for it is well known
that Schley's squadron, when it left
Key West last Friday, a week ago,
sailed for Cienfuegos, believing that the
Spaniards were there.
Press dispatches have already related
how Schley's vessels steamed all
around Cienfuegos, that 30.000 rounds
of ammunition were delivered to the in
surgents on last Sunday, and that af
ter destroying several blockhouses
scattered along the coast in the vicin
ity of Cienfuegos, Commodore Schley
steamed for Santiago, 300 miles dis
tant, while the Dolphin made for Key
West with the dispatches. Therefore,
it is not probable that the Dolphin
brings any news from Santiago about
the whereabouts of the Spanish squad
ron.
It has been suggested that, if it seems
to be inexpedient for Commodore
Schley to land a party for the purpose
of ascertaining whether or not the
much-wanted Spaniards are in the har
bor, the big war signal balloon be used
for this purpose. It is now at Tampa,
whither it was transported from Fort
Logan for use in the Cuban campaign.
The War Department has a portable
apparatus charged with gas, by which
means it could be inflated from aboard
ship, and then elevated from the deck
by a windlass. The War Department
is willing to loan it to the navy for this
purpose, and unless some definite news
is received within a day or two the of
fer will be accepted. It will be sent to
Commodore Schley on a fast boat.
It was suggested to-day that the
Spaniards might shoot the balloon full
of holes with their rapid-fire guns, but
the Signal Service officers of the War
Department believe that if it were ele
vated to a height of about a mile from
one of Schley's vessels standing a few
miles out to sea, a good view might be
obtained of Santiago harbor and its
occupants located without any result
ant harm to the balloon or aeronauts.
InHhe absence of definite information
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
Commodore's salute. "With a sigh of
disappointment Commodore Schley
answered from the flagship with seven
Runs and instantly issued orders: "No
more firing salutes."
The approaching ships were the
Marblehead, Vixen and Eagle. The
Marblehead and Eagle started on a
scouting trip an hour later and return
ed at 6 o'clock In the evening. Signals
went up on the flagship again, and it
was known that the watch had been
in vain.
Just at sunset the fleet lined up In
double column, the Brooklyn and Mar
ble head in the lead, next the Massa
chusetts and lowa, then the Texas and
Dupont, the Vixen and Collier and last
the Eagle and Castine.
The dispatch-boat continued with
the fleet for several hundred miles. A
g-ale was howling the rain was falling:,
the seas were high, and the smaller
boats of the fleet were having 1 a hard
time. The only light in the fleet waa
the stern light on the flagship.
The gale increased in fury, and abrmt
8 o'clock Wednesday morning the light
of the flagship was Vt. The dispatch
boat continued on h course long after
daylight, but got no further sight of
the fleet, and, short of coal and water,
put into Kingston to send the news
and replenish.
In latitude 20.30, longitude 79, the
Premier was fired on at close quar
ters by the Scorpion, which was return
ing from Santiago, supposing the fleet
to be still at Cienfuegos. Lieutenant
Commander Marix, the commander,
thought he had a prize and sent a
boarding party out.
The officer was surprised to learn
that Schley's fleet had left Cienfuegos
He said the Spanish fleet was not at
Santiago and had not been.
He learned the rendezvous point of
Schley's fleet from the correspondents
and started off to meet Schley as set
forth above.
the press any advices
from Schley to the ef
fect that Cervera's fleet
was still at Santiago, the
failure to make public
anything about the mes
sage would indicate that
Cervera has escaped.
No positive statement to that effect
can be made, however. The officers of
the Navy Department dcclii.c to say
whether anything cam; from Schlev.
The only answer to inquiries was "No
bulletins."
concerning Cervera's whereabouts the
War Department will proceed with its
preparation for invading Cuba, and. It
is believed, AdmiraJ Sampsn upon ar
riving before Havana will immediately
begin to bombard Santa Clara and
Morro batteries. Troops will be landed
at the eastern end of Cuba and will
join with General Garcia in a siege of
Santiago as soon as that can be done
after positive information has been re
ceived as to the location of the Spanish
fleet.
It is believed that the conference
between Secretary Alger and General
Miles and two members of General
Garcia's staff had some relation to this
plan for a land attack on Santiago.
Garcia's aids claim he has 8000 well
armed men within thirty miles of San
tiago and nearly as many more that he
could arm if he only had the rifles and
ammunition. There may be a combi
nation between American farces and
those of Garcia, which will close around
Santiago by land so as to shut it off
from supplies. In that event it will
soon starve out. It is said that there
are some high bluffs overlooking San
tiago harbor on which siege guns can
be placed so as to fire on the fleet in the
harbor, and that, owing to the height
of the bluffs, the guns of the fleet could
not be sufficiently elevated to make
any reply.
The War Department has arranged
for the departure of a second expedi
tion of 5000 men to the Philippines on
Sunday or Monday. Assistant Secre
tary of War Meikeljohn to-day suc
ceeded in chartering two more large
transports which will be ready to leave
San Francisco early next week. It
was at first expected to send 2500 men
on the second expedition, but the pro
curing of the two steamers, the Colon
and the China, to-day, will enable the
department to embark 5000 men. Mr.
Meikeljohn, who has charge of the pro
curing of transports, said to The Call
c,orresp<Jiiut-"in. .
"The department to-day secured the
transport Colon, now at San Francisco,
and the China, which arrived at the
same port from Yokohama to-day. I
succeeded in communicating with Mr.
C. P. Huntington in lowa en route for
New York, who, as president of the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company,
made a proposition to the department
regarding the chartering of the afore
mentioned ships, which I accepted by
wire this morning. This gives a fleet
of five transports, namely, the Zealan
dla, Centennial, Ohio, Colon and China,
which will carry about 5000 troops. I
hope to have them ready for sailing
from San Francisco for Manila early
Jn the week."