Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-08-24
TRAIN IS WRECKED.
Insurgents Hold Up a Passenger
Train Between Pinar del
Rio and Havana.

Copyright, 1885, by the Associated Press.
Havana, Aug. 19.-The mystery Of the
missing military passenger train has been
solved and it furnishes another instance
of the audacity of the insurgents and of
the troubled state of affairs existing i'll
the province of Pinar del Rio. Oh Sun
day last train having on board num-
Der Of civilian passengers and strong
escort of troops, consisting Of regular
cars and armored cars for the military
escort, left Consolation del. Sur, Pinar
del Rio, for this city and should have
arrived shere the same day. But the
train did not appear, the railroad author
tiles became alarmed and the military
authorities were notified. Apparently,
however, the latter We're very slow in
taking action in the matter.
Searching Parties Go Out.
In any case, throughout Monday the
military authorities professed absolute
ignorance of the whereabouts of the
train, although it was understood that
inquiries of some description had been
sent along the line, but without any
definite result. This failure to obtain
railroad people to renew their presenta-
tons to military headquarters and
eventually, on Tuesday, several explor-
ing parties were sent out to search for
the train. Two of these parties, consist
ing of cavalry scouts, reported having
heard heavy firing yesterday between
Bacunagua and Taco Taco.
The latter town is about one-third of
the distance between Consolation del
Sur and Havana and not far from the
important town of San Crystobal. Con-
solacion del Sur is only a short distance
from Pinar del Rio, capital of the
province by that name.
Later, the scouts reported that the
engine and passenger coaches, together
with the military cars, had been deralled
between Bacunagua and Taco Taco and
that it appeared that severe fighting had
taken place between the escort of the
train and the insurgents who attacked
it.
The Train was Ditched.
This news stirred up the military al-
thoritieS sufficiently to cause them to
send relief trains loaded with troops to-
wards the scene of the engagement.
These forces have just returned with the
story of the delay. The troops brought
with them passengers, who are over for
ty-eight hours late, and the survivors
and wounded Of the military escort of
the train. The latter, it appears, was
running between Bacunagua and Taco
Taco, when. near the point known as
Kilometer 113, the train was compelled
across the line, and as it did so a smart
rifle fire was opened upon the train
from both sides of the road while
party of insurgents was seen
TO dash out of concealment behind the
train and place heavy distractions
across the road Other insurgents occu-
pied themselves actively in removing the
rails behind the obstruction thereby
catching the military train in trap from
which it could neither advance nor re-
treat. The troops promptly returned the
fire of the insurgents, who kept well un-
der cover and whose bullets splintered
the ears and fattened themselves upon
the sides Of the armored wagons.
The firing lasted three hours, accord
ing to the official statement, at the end
of which time the insurgents are said
to have been repulsed. 1t is asserted
that the military escort, upon the ar
rival of the relief train, burned the
military passenger train and returned to
this city with the Basbetro and Arapiles
battalions. Unofficial versions of
the affair, however, say that
the train was derailed and suisse
quently burned by the insurgents
and that the escort of the military train
were rescued just in time to save them
from being eXterminated by the enemy.
As it was. six soldiers of the escort are
admitted to have been killed and one
lieutenant and twenty-one soldiers We're
brought here wounded The lieutenant
is expected to die.
General Situation in Cuba.
The general situation of Cuba is about
the same as it has been for months past
Each side seems confident of firing the
other out and little or no progress is
being made by either the insurgents or
the government forces.
The threats of Capt.-Gen. Weyler to
10 10 fInId IN mo- ING A nfn
Maceo have turned out to be nothing
more than rumor. Maceo practically
holds Pinar del Rio. while Maxine
Gomez appears to be doing as he pleases
in the Eastern part of the island.