The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-06-17
FALL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES is
ONLY A QUESTION OF HOURS, AS THE
INSURGENTS ARE GAINING.
.ENENYS Loss PROBABLY HEAVY.
Caimanera's Fort and Earthworks
Destroyed,
SANTIAGO BATTERIES AGAIN

ue WtSlelH DdlltIleS badly WRECKED,
One Being Utterly Destroyed Only El
MORO Escaped, Owing to the Presence
There of Lieutenant HObson and His Gal
liant Companions of the Merrimac-The
Work of the Dynamite Cruiser Vesuvius.
Kingston, Jamaica, June 17.-The
brick fort and earthworks at Caiman-
era, at the end of the railroad leading
to the city of Guantanamo, were de-
molished Wednesday by the lombard
ment of the Texas Marblehead and
Suwanee. The warships opened fire at
p. IN. and the bombardment lasted
an hour and a half.
The Texas steamed slowly up the
channel leading to the fortifcations,
followed closely by the Marblehead.
The Texas fired two shots as range
finders, both falling short and to the
right. The Marblehead stood off to the
west side of the channel and opened
with her five inch gns on the fort,
knocking down part of the wall. The
Texas then threw in some u inch
shells, tearing down the wall Of the
fort and throwing the bricks and NOR
tar 80 feet in the air.
After badly damaging the fort the
Marblehead stood further in to shell
the earthworks and barracks at the
west end of the harbor. She knocked
them into the air, and when the Span
iards fled from the fort they were
shelled by the st. Paul and driven into
the bushes. The Spaniards fired only
five shots, which did no damage.
During Wednesday afternoon a half
starved and ragged Spanish soldier
crawled into the camp of the marines
and gave himself up. He said he ex-
pected to be shot, but he would gladly
die if they would only give him food
and water. He had had neither for As
hours.
He reported that there were 1000
Spanish soldiers, half starved, who
wanted to give themselves up, but that
they believed they would be killed by
the Americans as soon as they were
once in captivity. The Spaniard was
given a good dinner and some cloth
ing and was then taken on board the
Marblehead. He declared that he
would gladly go back and report to
his comrades, but that they would GER
tainly shoot him. He is now held as
prisoner on the Marblehead.
The Marbehead's little steam launch
cleared out a detachment of Spanish
bushwhackers Wednesday afternoon
and escaped without the loss of a man
after hot engagement of quarter of
an hour. The launch had been drag
ging the harbor near the fort for
mines, had found one, and was tow
ing it back to the Marblehead when
the enemy, concealed in the bushes on
the shore, opened a hot fire on the
five men in the launch. The launch
headed toward shore and began bang
ing away, but the bow gun finally
knocked overheard, carrying a gunner
with It, In the meantime the enemy
was fleeing wildly. The marine was
promptly rescued. 1t is believed that
several Spaniards were killed
Rear Admiral SIMPSONS fleet bonn
barded the batteries at Santiago de
Cuba for the third time at daylight yes
terday morning For hours the ships
pounded the batteries at the right and
left of the entrance, only sparing El
MORO, where Lieutenant HObson and
his companions of the Merrimac are
in prison. The western batteries,
against which the main assault was di-
rected, were badly wrecked One was
utterly destroyed. In others many
guns were dismounted.
At first the Spaniards replied pas
| sionately and wildly but impotently.
Then most of the guns were deserted.
Not a ship was struck nor a man in
! jured on the American side 1t is be-
lieyed that the enemy's los of life was
heavy.
AS a preliminary to the hammering
given the batteries the dynamite cruis-
er Vesuvius at midnight was given
another chance. Three hundred and
| fifty pound charges of gun cotton were
sent over the Notifications at the en-
trance. The design was to drop them
in the bay, around the angle, back of
the eminence on which Ell MORO is
situated, where it was known that the
Spanish torpedo boat destroyers were
lying, Two charges went true, as re-
ports were heard, a popularity of the
explosion of gun cotton in water
Whether the destroyers were demol-
| ished is not known, but the destructive
area of gun cotton is large, and it
would not be surprising if it is sub
sequently ascertained that one or both
were destroyed.
The third charge exploded with ter
rife violence on Cayo Smith. From