| Show PROGRESS OP OF THE WAR the report that the spanish so called cape verde fleet has haa been located in west indian waters and is now somewhere in the caribbean sea should be considered good news it means that there is prospect of a decisive engage r went before long between the naval tf forces of the two belligerent countries and that the real work in hand the in it i T caslon and liberation of cuba is about 4 to commence when that cape verde fleet is no longer in fighting condition there can be no reason for delaying more inore aggressive tactics against havana the administration has been creti i rf cited on account of at the apparent slowness of the movement against cuba but the absolute secrecy that hats hab f veiled the movements of the cape verde fleet and its unexpected appearance on this side of the atlantic seem to justify the caution with which the real issue has been approached naval experts at the beginning of the war pointed out that before either power can make use of at its land forces its claim to superiority afloat within the sphere of operations must be made good food and this thia can be done only by de the enemy or confining his chips to port the london times has maintained that the defeat of the italians Irta lians at lissa and the chinese at talu was due to the fact that the defeated countries endeavored to conduct operations by land without first firs t having Z cleared the adjacent waters of the hostile I 1 fleet the americans have not fallen into this error the time for the invasion of cuba is when the communication muni cation between the colony and the mother country is cut off in this connection it may be worth while recalling the fact that before the war there were dark hints from madrid that the spaniards had a naval surprise in store lor for us of what nature this would be no intimation was gaven but a rumor from london had it that spain had leased a submarine boat constructed in france the vessel was said to be a steel sphere propelled by electric ltv and constructed tor for the purpose ot at laying laving submarine mines to be discharged by means of electricity when the destroyer had retired t to a safe distance if such a boat exists it would probably be on board the cape verde fleet it is barely a month since president 9 mckenley sent his hie cuban message to congress and in this short time much has been accomplished cuban harbors have been blockaded and some fortifications ficat ions demolished the spanish asiatic squadron Is no more and numerous ships belonging to the enemy are captured the fortifications at san juan porto rico have been reduced to a heap of ruins and there are reasons to believe that by this time that city has capitulated to admiral sampson surely this Is a good record for a brief month at the beginning of a war the germans in the days of bismarck and moltke could do no more |
