Show LOOKING FOR A LANDING Bodies of Troops Will Be Put Ashore at Several Points Copyright ISflS by the Associated Press On Board the Associated Press Dispatch Dis-patch Boat Dandy Off Santiago de Cuba Monday Night June 20 via Kingston Jamaica Tuesday June 21 As soon as the fleet of transports had arrived at a point about 20 miles off Santiago de Cuba this afternoon the steamer Seguranca having on board General Shafer and his staff left the Other vessels lying to and signaled the flagship of the American fleet in order to visit Rear Admiral Sampson The general went on board the flagship and the Segueranca then went to Acer raderos about 17 miles west of Santiago San-tiago and near which place General Garcia is encamped with 3000 soldiers General Shafter and his staff and Rear Admiral Sampson went ashore and aslre proceeded ceeded to General Garcias headauar ters about a mile inland where they sptnt several hours in consultation with the Cuban general At the conclusion of the conference General Shafter and the other officers had little or nothing to say regarding the plans for landing the American troops and for the cooperation coop-eration of the Cubans The best information obtainable is that there will be no attempt to make a general landing for two or three days but small bodies of troops will be put ashore probably tomorrow at several points both east and west of Santiago including Acerraderos This will give General Shafter an opportunity to become be-come more familiar with the work before I be-fore him and to ascertain the best place for a general landing The transports and the warships which convoyed the troops here came close in shore this afternoon in full view of the lookouts on Morro castle and they will lay tonight 15 milts out from Admiral Sampsons fleet 1 > is I guarding the entrance of the 1 jf Santiago The result of Rear Admiral Sams Js I investigation of the various pmco od landings was also laid before the military as tary officers but General Shafter is not prepared to announce a definite selection selec-tion further without himself investigating the matter I NO FEAR OF DISEASE General Garcia gave the Americans assurances that they need have no fear of contracting diseases on the southeastern south-eastern coast of Cuba as the climate there is not unhealthy only extremely hot at this season of the year The Cuban general declared that his own troops illfed and poorly clothed a they were were in good health and therefore the Americans need not fear fevers or other serious ailments General Gen-eral Shafer examined the condition of the Cuban soldiers during his visit and was impressed with their hardy and i soldierly appearance though he recognized recog-nized the fact that they need clothes and provisions both of which were given them during the day The interview closed with the understanding under-standing on the part of both generals that small bodies of troops are to be landed at once at several points along the coast where they will be safe from attack by the Spanish and these will be able to keep the enemy in doubt for the present as to their ultimate intentions inten-tions Among the troops that will be landed first are a number of men from I the engineer corps who will begin I work at once preparing for the movement move-ment of the main body Generals I tomorrow Shafter and Garcia will consult further A GRAND ARRAY I was nearly dark before the officers returned to the Seguranca and then she steamed back to the flagship and took up a position for the night Before Be-fore nightfall all the other transports and convoying warships had drifted nearer to the shore and the Spanish soldiers watching from the bluffs on both sides of the entrance of Santiago harbor must have been impressed by the great array of vessels standing offshore shore There were nearly 60 of them including the troopships and the men ofwar comprising Rear Admiral Samp sons fleet and the squadron of Commodore Com-modore Schley The 8000 Spanish soldiers sol-diers and perhaps 2000 Spanish sailors guarding the city and harbor of Santiago San-tiago de Cuba doubtless concluded that there was but a small chance of overcoming over-coming the force of American warships and some 20000 American soldiers and sailors which will be hurled against them before the present week is over The dispatch boat of the Associated Press left the fleet for the cable station just at nightfall when the warships had taken their positions in a semicircle semi-circle in front of the harbor entrance with the troopships further out The sea was comparatively smooth for the first time in several weeks and the great fleet was almost motionless The soldiers most of whom beheld the shores of Cuba for the first time in their lives watched the lves steep mountain moun-tain sides through the gathering darkness dark-ness According to the naval regulations established at the outbreak of the war not a light was visible on any of the ships and the cordon of menofwar lying under the Spanish guns near Morro Castle kept up their vigil with more than usual care during the dark hours of the night to guard against approach of a destroying torpedo boat which might attempt to run out of the harbor and with one well directed shot sink a troopship in the depths of the sea and send the souls of those aboard into the realms of eternity |