Cortland
Evening Standard, Friday, May 20, 1898
INEFFECTUAL BLOCKADE.
Spanish Fleet Reaches Santiago De
Cuba.
WHERE
WERE OUR FLEETS?
Ammunition
and Food Will Now Reach Havana.
MADRID, May 20.—A direct message from
Santiago de Cuba confirms the report of the arrival of the Spanish Cape Verde
squadron there without an accident. The dispatch says the event has caused
intense enthusiasm at Santiago de Cuba.
 |
| Reina Mercedes. |
WELL
FORTIFIED.
Spaniards
at Santiago De Cuba Prepared For Strong Resistance.
KINGSTON. Jamaica, May 20.—Two American
warships whose names were not discernible from the shore appeared off Santiago
de Cuba while the steamer Adula, which has arrived here from that port with refugees,
was in the harbor. They approached and drew the fire of the batteries at the harbor
entrance.
The firing continued from noon to 1 o'clock.
Captain Walker of the Adula, when coming out, could not see any marks on Morro
castle and inferred that the American ships drew the fire of the batteries to
learn the range.
There was much excitement in the city. The
regulars and volunteers were called out and new earthwork batteries erected on
each side of the harbor entrance. The number and calibre of the guns are
unknown but it is known that there are 21 torpedoes in the channel electrically
connected with the shore.
The cruiser Mercedes, whose boilers are
disabled, has been anchored so she can [rake] the channel for 380 yards and the
merchant ship Mexico of Barcelona, mounting four small quick firing guns, is in
the harbor. Several coasting steamers and schooners are at the wharves.
A few days ago a German steamer brought
16,000 bags of rice to Santiago de Cuba. Rice and sardines are the principal
food supplies.
Wednesday night, when about 60 miles from
Santiago de Cuba, seven large steamers moving in two columns crossed the
Adula's course going west. They were evidently war ships, but their nationality
could not be identified.
The Adula brought 250 passengers.
 |
| Cuban General Calixto Garcia. |
FROM
EASTERN CUBA.
Reports
Brought by Refugees Landed at Kingston, Jamaica.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 20.—Refugees who
arrived here from Santiago de Cuba on hoard the steamer Adula say the insurgent
district commanders in eastern Cuba are moving nearer and nearer to Santiago de
Cuba. It appears that Brigadier General Mindez, by order of General Calixto Garcia,
has brought insurgent forces from the extreme east to the neighborhood of
Caimanero on the north coast, and Brigadier General Castillo of the insurgent
army shifts his command to within 25 miles of Santiago de Cuba.
Small insurgent bands engage in nightly
raids past the outlying garrisoned towns, to within about six miles of the city
of Santiago de Cuba. They retire, without pursuit after their forays. The
concerted design is to cut off the meat, vegetable and fruit supply of the city
and produce the effects of a siege. In the meantime the prices of provisions at
Santiago de Cuba are even less than they were three weeks ago, during the first
panic following the outbreak of hostilities between Spain sad the United States
and the expectation of being blockaded. Small cargoes of flour, groceries and
canned goods have been received by schooners from Jamaica and Hayti and the
markets of Santiago de Cuba are full of fish.
Senor Enrique Capriles, governor of Santiago
de Cuba, in an interview printed in La Bandera Espagnola of May 18, is quoted
as saying:
"Spain has 300,000 regular troops and
volunteers in Cuba, and we fight on our soil. Those of us who are from Spain
are acclimated and we are entrenched. Therefore, one of us is equal to two
invaders—yes, to three invaders.
"We hear America proposes to assail us
with 100,000 men. Some reports say150,000
men, and raw levies. We invite four times that number to enrich our fields with
their carcasses. The greater the number, the greater the glory. Let us keep our
hearts elevated by patriotism and thoughts of our wrongs. Our flag has been
called the 'Golden and bloody flag of Spain.' In our hands, may it indeed win
that name."
The feeling against Americans in Santiago de
Cuba is most bitter. The
Spaniards
threaten to confiscate the various plantations owned by Americans. The
representatives of foreign capitalists who at first believed the war would be a
short and victorious one for the United States now appear to think that it will
be prolonged for many months.
Among the Adula's passengers are Octavine
Duvarry, a planter, said to have been the last American in Santiago de Cuba,
and Senor Vinent, a Spaniard, secretary of Senor Capriles, the governor of
Santiago de Cuba.
PHILIPPINE
EXPEDITION.
Our
Troops to Seize and Hold the Island For Three Months at Least.
WASHINGTON, May 20.—The regular troops which
are to accompany the expedition to the Philippines have been determined upon at
the war department, and orders for them to proceed promptly to the coast will
be issued. These, with the volunteers from California, Colorado, Kansas,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and
Idaho, will make up the sum total from which are to be taken the troops who are
to be sent to reinforce Admiral Dewey and enable him to take and hold the city
of Manila.
The public admission that the occupation of
the islands is intended was made known in an order of the department detailing
several officers for duty in that connection.
The
quartermaster's reports that four ships which have been chartered should be
ready to sail inside of 10 days at the most. The City of Pekin, which will get
off first, is almost ready.
The commissary's department was advised that
supplies for 13,000 men have reached San Francisco from Chicago. They are
calculated on a basis of three months at the rate of a ration a day for each
man.
NEWS
CENSORED.
Movements
of Our Troops and War Vessels Will Be Kept Secret.
TAMPA, May 20—The strictest kind of censorship
has been established here and absolutely nothing pertaining to military or
naval movements from this port will be permitted to be sent out from this time
on. An official bulletin of such news as the officials consider advisable will
be provided.
It is intimated that this censorship will
continue until after the final movement of troops to Cuba has taken place, it
being the purpose of the government to keep the Spanish government in ignorance
so far as possible of our plans for the invasion of Cuba.
Eighty
Shots fired.
MADRID. May 20.—An official dispatch
received here from Havana says that American ships fired 80 shots during the
reported recent bombardment of Santiago de Cuba, but that no damage was
inflicted. The dispatch adds that the batteries at Santiago de Cuba replied to
the fire of the ships and that one of the latter was damaged.
SITUATION
IN HAVANA.
LETTER
SENT OUT ON THE STEAMER LAFAYETTE.
Spaniards
Trying to Keep Their Courage Up—Food Is High, but They Think They Can Hold on
for a While Yet—Fortification Building Continued—Will Require Many Soldiers Now
to Take the City.
HAVANA, May 9, via VERA CRUZ, Mexico, May
13.—The weight of the blockade is beginning to be felt here. Business is almost
at a complete standstill and there is hardly any movement in the streets, which
have a sort of holiday appearance. The parks are almost deserted and there were
very few people to be seen last week on the Plaza de Armas at night, although
the band played there and everything possible is done to keep up the spirits of
the people.
There is a feverish desire to leave the
island, and over 5,000 people booked their names at the office of the
consignees of the French steamer Lafayette, which leaves here to-day for Vera
Cruz, Mexico, with this letter, which will be posted at that port. In fact an
actual panic now prevails, while when the blockade commenced there was a feeling
almost of serenity among all classes. But things have changed, the grim
earnestness of the Americans is steadily forcing itself upon the minds of even
the most hot-headed Spanish officers, though the latter are working vigorously at
the fortifications, which have been considerably strengthened and improved since
the war began. The Spaniards, it must be
admitted, are preparing to fight desperately.
Many families without means are striving to
emigrate, trying to borrow money from more fortunate people in order to be able
to pay their passage money.
There is considerable feeling against the
men who are desirous of leaving the city, and posted on the corners of houses all
over the town, one may see such notices as the following: "Here are sold
women's [skirts] for men who are abandoning the Island of Cuba."
There has been no disorder, however, in this
city or in the provinces, as far as known, though it is true people here are
entirely ignorant of what is transpiring at Santiago de Cuba. Military
operations are limited to evacuating the interior towns and concentrating the Spanish
forces at or about the large cities.
It is reported here that Santa Cruz del Sur,
on the south coast of the Province of Puerto Principe, has fallen into the hands
of the insurgents. The latter now have a port at which their friends can land
arms, ammunition and supplies without Interference.
Confirmation has been received here of the
reports that the Spanish troops have evacuated Jiguani and Bayamo, in the Province
of Santiago de Cuba, and that these towns have been occupied by the insurgents.
The troops from these places retreated upon Manzanillo and some of them have
reached other coast towns by this time.
Although the prices of provisions here are
very high, it is calculated that there is food enough obtainable to last about five
months, because it is claimed, considerable stores were laid in before the blockade
and no provisions are allowed to be sent from here to the interior towns. Eggs cost
10 cents each, a glass of milk costs from 20 to 25 cents.
There are thousands of men from the cigar,
tobacco and other factories out of work and the authorities are employing [as] many
of them as possible on the fortifications. The wharves are entirely cleared of
merchandise and there the idle people congregate and enjoy the fresh air while
talking over the war. The matter of feeding the many idle men causes the
authorities considerable anxiety. When these men feel the pangs of hunger,
rioting is sure to follow. Then, too, people here are looking forward with
apprehension to the eventual triumph of the insurgents. It is believed they will
wreak terrible vengeance upon the Spaniards and their sympathizers.
The bulk of the Spaniards, however, are
filled with warlike enthusiasm and are looking forward with confidence to an
eventual triumph over the American forces. They have great faith in the
strength of the Spanish fleet and in the valor of the Spanish sailors and are
looking forward hopefully of the blockade being raised by the naval force sent
from Spain.
Whenever cannonading is heard the shores of
the bay and the roofs of the houses are immediately crowded with people who
cheer wildly when a shot is seen to fall anywhere near one of the American
warships.
The Spanish officers say all the strategic
points about the coast have been occupied by troops and that it will be
difficult to affect landings. Ambuscades have also been prepared at various
points, and they Bay Havana is so well fortified that an army of fifty thousand
men will be needed to reduce the place. New entrenchments have been thrown up
and more heavy artillery has been mounted, but it is difficult to obtain any
details of such work. Inquiries on the subject are liable to cause the arrest
of the person putting the questions and newspaper men are continually under
suspicion. It is only with the greatest difficulty that mail letters can be
smuggled out of the city. The guards yesterday arrested a man who was going out
in a small fishing boat with mail for the American fleet and the writer is
informed that he was shot.
The Pais, organ of the Autonomist party,
says great misery prevails at Matanzas and at Cardenas and other towns on
account of the scarcity of provisions, and the paper adds that the people are now
in a worse condition than ever before.
All sorts of misleading rumors are
intentionally circulated by the Spanish officials here for their own purposes
and the tales of Spanish repulses of American forces come in at almost regular
intervals and from nearly every point about the blockaded portion of the coast,
to say nothing of the stories of brilliant Spanish victories which are said to
have reached here from abroad. For instance the following "official
news" was published:
"A Spanish fleet has fought heroically
with an American fleet at Cavite, obliging the American fleet to retreat with
considerable loss. The Spanish losses were also very heavy."
Of course, the greatest interest is taken
here in the approaching meeting between the Spanish and American fleets in
these waters. The fleet from Spain is expected at almost any moment and is
being constantly watched for day and night. Signals are ready to guide it
safely into the harbor.
 |
| Main Street, Cortland, N. Y. |
"CAME
DOWN IN SHEETS"
THE RAIN
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON A RECORD BREAKER.
In the
Copiousness of the Water That Fell In a Given Time—Electricity Also
Became
Mixed In With the Other Elements—Two Horses Were Killed, but Not Much Further Serious Damage Was Done.
It is extremely doubtful if the oldest residents
can recall the time when the rain came down more copiously than it did for fifteen
minutes yesterday afternoon. It more than rained. It "came down in
sheets" as though the very floodgates of the clouds had been opened wide.
It simply poured. The weather bureau's official rain gauge upon the roof of the
Standard building shows a rainfall of 1.20 inches during the shower.
The black clouds which came from the
northwest proved to contain something besides water. The wind which came with it
created a cyclonic condition for a few minutes. As stated in The STANDARD
yesterday, the most of the damage was confined to the north and east parts of
the town. Several of the beautiful evergreens at the residence of W. S.
Copeland on Homer-ave. were destroyed. The roof of a barn on Fitz-ave. was
carried away. The only maple tree in front of the residence of J. B. Kellogg on
North Main-st. was blown down. The telegraph poles along the line of the D., L.
& W. railroad were inclined eastward, several of the poles of the Traction
company were blown over. Telephone wires were broken and some of the electric
light wires were grounded. Street car traffic was suspended for a few minutes.
A freight car on the Erie & Central switch near the junction was blown by
wind down the track and across the Tioughnioga river. A Lehigh Valley car
standing on a switch at the Cortland Forging Co.'s works was unroofed, and a
portion of the Forging Co.'s roof was raised. A heavy tree on Homer-ave. fell across
a trolley wire but did not break it.
Lightning struck the barn of Drayman Oll
Delevan at 19 Pendleton-st. The bolt followed down a post in the horse stable, splintering
it into kindling wood. Two horses were knocked to the floor by the shock, and
one horse was killed instantly. Mr. Jeremiah O'Leary, who lives on the back
road to Homer, was driving down Fitz-ave. [West Main Street] at the time. Just
before reaching Homer-ave. the horse touched a live telephone wire which had
been broken and hung dangling over the street. The horse was thrown to the ground
and died in a few minutes.
The section of the village lying between
Fitz-ave. and Wheeler-ave. seems to have suffered most from the wind. The house
on Fifth-ave. occupied by Mrs. Louisa Cook had the tin roof completely torn off
by the wind and the rain poured in in torrents doing considerable damage to the
contents. The roof was carried over the top of some small buildings and landed
in the rear of Philo Meade's premises on Copeland-ave.
At Joseph Daley's on Evergreen-st sheds in
the rear of the house were blown down and windows broken by the wind. A piece
of flying timber from Mr. Daley's was carried across the yard fifty or sixty
feet and smashed a panel out of the the door of Mr. C. M. Maycumber's house.
The chimneys were blown from Mr. Maycumber's house and his barn was moved from
the foundation. Chimneys were blown from the John-st. school and the house
adjoining.
At Andrew Waiting's window lights were
broken. A small house across the street from Mr. Daley's was moved about six
inches from the foundations and a number of barns in the vicinity are as much
out of place. Trees were blown down and branches scattered in every direction.
The handsome new residence of Mr. W. J.
Greenman, 21 North Church-st., had a narrow escape from a falling tree. One of
the maple trees in front of the house was broken off about seven feet from the
ground and was blown directly into the front of the house. Fortunately no
serious damage was done.
Taken altogether, the village escaped very
fortunately, as the wind and rain were so terrific and the lightning played
around in such a familiar style.
FOR THE
RAILROAD.
Jury In
the Negligence Action Decides Against Mrs. Watson.
The jury in supreme court received Judge
Lyon's charge this morning in the case of Mrs. Emma J. Watson against the
Syracuse, Binghamton & New York railroad company, and just before noon
rendered a verdict of no cause of action. Mrs. Watson brought action for the
recovery of $20,000 for the death of her husband, Lewis Watson, who was killed
by being struck by a freight train at Blodgett Mills in August, 1896. The
defense set up was that the railroad used every precaution and that Mr. Watson
came to his death through his own negligence, and not that of the railroad company.
Cayuga
Lake House.
The Cayuga Lake House at Sheldrake-on-Cayuga, which has often been visited by Cortland people is to be opened again
this season on June 11 by the same manager, Dudley S. Phinny of New York. It has
been refitted, and to all its other advantages in the way of the large farm for
fresh cream, butter, eggs and vegetables, and in the way of drives, bathing and
boating is to be added a large steam launch for the particular use of the hotel
guests. The rates are moderate and it is a pleasant place for the season or for
a shorter outing.
BREVITIES.
—The doll sociable at the Homer-ave. church
will occur on June 15 and not on June 1 as previously noticed.
—James Hamilton, aged 78 years, died
yesterday afternoon at the home of his son, Frederick Hamilton, at McGraw.
—All Y. M. C. A. wheelmen are urged to meet
at the association parlor at 8 o'clock to-night to complete the organization of
a wheel club.
—The Ladies' Missionary society of the Congregational
church will hold a parlor meeting at Mrs. S. N. Holden's, 5 Union-st., Saturday
at 3 P. M.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Angell
& McFall, Meats, page 7; Palmer
& Co., Fresh Butter, page 4; Graham & Chatterton, Dissolution
Sale, page 6.
—The old watering trough at the corner of
Main-st and Clinton-ave. was to-day removed, preparatory to placing the new one
which is being built by Carpenter Frank Jones.
—The Cortland Forging Co. and its employees
have erected a flag pole 100 feet high near the works, and this morning run up
for the first time a new flag 12 by 20 feet in size.
—The June meeting of the Rochester Trotting
association will be held at the Rochester driving park June 11 to 17. There
will be some very interesting races and large purses are offered.
—We publish to-day on our seventh page the
corrected timetable of the Cortland and Homer division of the electric road.
Cut it out and preserve it, as it will not be published in full again at
present.
—Fifty couples were present at the social
party given by Dan Kernan at the North Cortland House Wednesday evening. McDermott's
orchestra furnished music for dancing. Supper was served at 12 o'clock, and an
enjoyable time is reported.
—Watts Freer, proprietor of the hotel at
Higginsville had one of his legs fractured in two places Wednesday in
attempting to stop his team which seemed to be unmanageable, and which was being
driven by his son. He was attended by Dr. M. R. Smith of McGraw.
—In connection with many hen and egg stories
The STANDARD has been running lately we would call their attention to the
following which comes from the West Winfield Star. For novelty at least it has
some merit. "C. H. Wilcox exhibited two chickens on Monday, hatched from
the same egg. Mr. Wilcox had three eggs each one of which brought forth two fully
developed chicks, three of which are active and smart."—Democrat.
No comments:
Post a Comment