The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-14
In the Engagement Fought Off
CienfuegOs.
MANY BADLY HURT.
Spanish Losses Are Thought to
Be Heavy.
Several Thousands of Them
We're Engaged.

iary gunboat and several thousand
Spanish troops, one seaman of the
Marblehead was killed, six were Sc
verely wounded and a number of other.
Americans were slightly wounded.
Three of the wounded Americans are
likely to die Many Spaniards were
killed or wounded. The wounded
Americans We're brought here this
morning. The man killed on board the
Marblehead, was named Reagan. The
badly wounded are:
John Davis, of No. $40 Twenty-fifth
street, New York.
John F. Doran, Fall River, Mass.
Robert BoltZ, of the Nashville, Car
ter county, North Carolina.
Earnest Suntzenanickle.
Herman w. Hochneser.
Harry Hendrickson.
All but Boltz belong to the Marble
head.
None of the ships was damaged to
any extent.
Kingston, Jamaica, May IA cor
respondent of the Associated Press,
who passed through the Cienfuegos
blockade on the steamer Adula on Mon
day last succeeded in entering that city
and getting a good idea of the situa-
ton. He left Cienfuegos on the steam
er with a number of refugees on Tues
day, and last evening he sent the fol-
lowing dispatch ashore from the quar-
antine station:
when about 40 miles offff Cienfuegos
on Monday afternoon we sighted the
American blockading squadron, consist
ing of the Marblehead, Nashville and
Eagle. The flagship, the Marblehead,
bore down upon US at full speed and
Ill No
came to and were boarded by Heuten-
ant. We showed him a permit from
the state department to pass the block
ade for passengers, on condition that
we carried no cargo and we were al
lowed to proceed. The officer of the
Marblehead said he thought the flag
ship Adula was a Spanish troop ship
which is expected daily.
When about 400 yards from the mar
row entrance to the harbor, a Spanish
20 ton gunboat mounting one quick
firing, one FOUNDER aft, pOked her nose
out from the Mangrove-covered reef,
and stopped US. Our papers had been
vised by the Spanish consul at Kings
ton, and so we were allowed to enter
the harbor.
The harbor entrance of Cienfuegos is
about $50 wards wide and there are
forts on either side of it.
These forts have long rows of old
fashioned guns and just inside the
harbOr there is a modern fortification
building of timber, earth and sand.
The British vice consul, Mr.. Fowler
told the correspondent of the AssOcia-
ted Press, that the Spaniards have
eight or ten modern high power guns to
mount on the new walls. Their cali
bre eight by four to six inches. Inside
the harbor were three tiny gunboats.
The only warship of any consequence
in port was the third-class cruiser Gal
atea. The correspondent counted four
guns in her main battery and she had
one quick firer aft.
The Galatea went outside of the har-
Dor a few days ago to engage the United
States auxiliary gunboat Eagle, Com
mander Switzerland, vessel about
one-third the GaIatea's size. The en-
gagement was short, sharp and deci-
Sive.
One of the Eagles six pound shells
splintered the Galetea's deck house
and the Spanish cruiser quickly re-
treated into the harbor.
Besides the warships, there were two
1000 ton merchant steamers, the Rio
JaneirO and the Alava, of Bilbao, and
three coasting steamers inside the har-
Dor of CeinfuegOs. These vessels were
caught in the harbor by the American
blockade fleet and will doubtless fall
into the hands of sailors in due course
OF time.
A crowd of about 1000 curious people
gathered at the wharf to meet US and
the correspondent was told there had
fuegos since the preceding Saturday
week. when a few shells were thrown at
the forts by the American warships,
following an attack made upon the Ea-
gle. No one was hurt.
The correspondent was ashore and
walked unmolested through the prin-
cipal streets of the city. About one
shop in four was open and business was
utterly Hfeless.
Blockade prices for food are charged
in Cienfuegos Flour sells for 25 cents
per pound. Meat costs 40 cents a pound
and if you want milk you must pay 20
cents quart for it. On the other hand
bread, fruit and plantains are plentiful
at or cents pound. The cores
pondent was told there was food
enough in the city to last forty-five
days. Still the population is afraid
the blockade will result in starvation
There are at least 35, 600 or 40 900 peo-
pie in Cienfuegos and it's vicinity in
cluding about $4,000 regular Spanish
troops and 5000 volunteers.
The townSpeople and the soldiers
were talking about the vaguely glorious
victory, said to have been won by the
Spanish forces at Havana.
The AduIa steamed out of the Glen
fuegos harbor on Tuesday afternoon
at which time the American blockading
squadron had been increased by a large
freight ship, whose name was not dis
cernible.
New York, May IA special from
Key West reports that in the fight at
Cienfuegos Commander Washburn