Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1898 — CAMARA’S SOUADRON [ARTICLE]

CAMARA’S SOUADRON

The Cadiz War Flen Said to Have Reached Port Said. lIS DESTIXATIOS THE PHILIPPINES. Doubt Felt at Washington That the Latter Statement Is True—Rumor That “Fighting Bob” Evans Haa Been Killed Is False. H ■ Londbn, June 27.—A dispatch from Alexandria, Egypt, states that the Spanish squadron, with transports, has arrived at Port Said. Port Said is at the Mediterranean entrance of the Suez canal. Considerable comment as to Admiral Camara’s movements is heat'd. *His stopping at Port Said is puzzling, but the assumption is that he probably is awaiting fresh instructions from Madrid. Few believe he will ever reach Manila or Iloilo, which is regarded as a more likely destination, owing to coaling difficulties. A dispatch from Cairo says: “If Admiral Camara coals at Port Said he would not, under the neutrality law, be allowed to enter the Suez canal. It is supposed if he traverses the canal that he will endeavor to obtain coal at Obock, on the Gulf of Aden.” In any event the matter is regarded as of no importance, since it is recognized that he can do nothing to interfere with the American operations or retard the fall of Manila. Port Said, June 27. —Admiral Camara’s squadron is in the harbor awaiting orders. It consists of the battleship Pelayo, Admiral Camara’s flagship; the iron-clad Emperado Carlos Quintos, two armored cruisers, three

torpedo boats and five transports carrying 4,000 troops. Madrid, June 27. —The arrival of the Spanish fleet at Port Said causes no surprise here, Admiral Camara having announced that he was going to th;* Philippines. The threat of the American government to attack the Spanish coast has had no effect. A third squadron is preparing for the defense of the coast. A member of the cabinet in an interview said: “Let them come. We will receive them as they deserve.” The New* In Washington. Washington, June 27. Notwithstanding the report of the arrival of Admiral Camara’s spuadron at Port Said, the westerly entrance to the Suez canal, the officials here still doubt that the vessels are bound for the Philippines. Rumors reach here, unconfirmed as yet, that the only, ironclads in the squadron, the Pelayo and Carlos V., have left the squadron and returned to Spain, so that Camara no longer possesses a force that would threaten Dewey. If this be so, either the Spaniards have realized the folly of leaving their home ports unprotected or they have received information from the British government that the navigation of the Suez canal cannot be jeopardized by allowing such deep draft, unwieldy Ironclads to attempt the passage. Some attention has been attracted at the state department by the dispatch from Madrid to a British,,paper stating that Camara’s purpose is not to attack Dewey, but to seize and hold with his ships another island in the Philippine group. It is supposed, if this be so, that the object is purely diplomatic, the Spanish government being anxious to truthfully assert, in the event that peace negotiations ate fotced upon It, that the United States is not in such complete occupancy of the Philippines as would justify a demand for tbelr retention as one of the terms of peace. Ileenforoemeuls Rn Route. The secretary is sending along reenforcements with all possible promptness. It is a good deal better to have 1,000 too many soldiers than one too few, In his opinion. He believes that Gen. Duffleld’s troops, to the number of 1,300, which embarked four days ago from Newport News, will arrive at Baiquirl to-day and within four days 3,000 more troops, which leave Fort Monroe today, will lie at the scene of action. In addition there will be a further movement of troops to Santiago just as soon as the men and transports are ready. Possibly Gen. Miles may go with these. If the troops are not needed wheh they arrive, nothing will be lost, for they can be very well employed elsewhere and will have the advantage of seasoning. “FlKhtlnK Bob'* Slot Killed. The story printed by an English newspaper of the killing of Capt. "Bob’ Evans and some .»f bis men in the coaniDg tower of the lowa by a shell of

the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya, is pronounced at the navy department to be a ' cruel canard. No word was received from Sampson Sunday and with a cable line near him it is not imagined for a moment that he would fail to report immediately an occurrence of , such : gravity. Probably the sole foundation for this story was the attack made about a week ago by Sampson upoirthe forts 1 at the entrance of Santiago harbor in | which the Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes was sunk and one of the Spanish torpedo boats disabled. The report j originated in a Spanish source and the \ officials of both the war and navy departments are expecting that numbers ,of sutih canards will be put afloat ' throughout the campaign.