Show ii AMfRICAS GREAT ARMADA BEFORE THEDOOMED CITY Shaffers Army Reaches Santiago and Is Now Preparing Pre-paring to Land BODIES OF TROOPS GO ASHORE TODAY AND WILL LAND AT DIFFERENT POINTS I I Spanish Forces Estimated at Over 30000 and Terrific Fighting Is Looked For J Copyright 1S9S by the Associated Press Aboard the Associated Press Dispatch Dis-patch Boat Dandy off Santiago de Cuba Monday June 20 1 p mVia Mole St Nicholas Hayti Tuesday June 21 3 a mThe United States army for the invasion of Cuba about 16000 strong commanded by General Shafter arrived off Santiago de Cuba at noon The time of its embarkation has not yet ben determined upon but it probably will be within the next three days When the fleet of 35 transports with its freight of fighting men swept up the southern coast today and slowed up within sight of the doomed city of Santiago the anxiously awaited sods so-ds were greeted with ringing cheers which faintly echoing to the transports from the decks of the blockading warships war-ships far inshore they were answered by the troops most enthusiastically and in kind The week of anxious waiting and impatient im-patient chafing was over the army and the navy had at last joined for a final blow at Santiago It was 1 oclock this morning when the lookout on board the cruiser Brooklyn Brook-lyn reported seeing the smoke of several sev-eral steamers away to the southeast and a moment or two later he announced an-nounced that a dozen or two transports were in sight The news was exchanged from ship to ship gladdening the hearts of the weary blockaders The auxiliary cruiser Gloucester a formerly J P Morgans yacht Corsica 7 darted away to meet and welcome the troops IAN I troopsAN AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE About half an hour later a grim forest I for-est of masts had sprung up apparently from the sea and a most impressive I scene was presented as the armada swept up gracetully from the horizon tr vards the shores where the great struggle is to take piece The transports II trans-ports were ranged in three shifting lines with the battleship Indiana on the extreme right and the other men I ofwar on the outskirts of the fleet In this order the transports and their escorts es-corts steamed slowly in toward the hills where Morros red walls gleamed in the sunlight It was intended to take the entire fleet to the lines of Rear Admiral Samp sons fleet of warships but an order from the admiral stopped the advance of the ships about 15 miles to the southeast and escorted by the Gloucester Glou-cester General Shafter went forward on the Segurancia to confer with the admiral The transports lay on the smooth sea while the plans were discussed by the leaders on board the flagship Not the faintest intimation of their intentions inten-tions regarding the landing has been allowed to escape Undoubtedly however how-ever some of the troops will be landed at Guantanamo bay in order to relieve the marines there but it is generally believed the main body of the troops will be landed much nearer Santiago TYPHOID FEVER ON BOARD The long and trying journey from Tampa has left the men in a much better bet-ter condition than anticipated There are 14 mild cases of typhoid on the hospital I hos-pital ship among them being Major Horton of the Twentyfifth infantry I and several cases of measles There I arf however no serious cases of sickness sick-ness Owing to the smoothness of the passage the soldiers were not generally affetEd by seasickness They are all ildlylio nxious to get ashore and begin fighting Y The dispatch boat of the Associated Press as she steamed among the transports was eagerly besieged on all sides for news of Admiral Sampsons operations officers and men clamoring for a word from the blockading fleet I Much satisfaction was expressed i among the troops when it became I known that the actual capture of Santiago San-tiago is to be left to the army The horses and mules aboard the transports have suffered severely many dying I The American fleet off Santiago has I been materially strengthened by the addition of the warships which escorted I escort-ed the transports consisting of the Indiana In-diana Montgomery Bancroft Helena Ericsson Foote Hornet Annapolis I Castine and Eagle HARD FIGHTING AHEAD 1 Wherever the landing may take j j place the operations and the information informa-tion of the last ten days shows conclusively conclu-sively that bitter work is ahead for Shatters men before the Spanish flag comes down from Morros walls The I Spanish infantry cavalry and guerilla i forces estimated by Admiral Sampson j today to number from 30000 to 45000 I men are stretched from Guantanamo to Cabanas a distance of 50 miles and ready to concentrate at the point of attack But starving and harassed by the Insurgents the situation of the Spaniards is desperate and naval officers cers familiar with the situation fully expect terrific fighting about Santiago Interviews with army officers on the transports show that there is some anxiety as to how the men will stand the strain if the fighting begins immediately imme-diately after the long inactivity at Tampa and the weary voyage There is no fear however for the final result as the guns o the fleet will be of immense im-mense assistance to the American I troops |