The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-15
LIEUT.. AGRAMONTE MISSING
SON OF PROF. AGR1MONTE, DE-
 RECTOR or GoUNoD SOCIETY.

Spanfards-Captain Nunez Killed and
 Lieutenant Winthrop Chandler, n
 Brother of Col. William Astor Chand-
 Ter ofN York, Shot In the Arm-The
 Expedition Finally Landed and a
 Juncture Made With Gomez-Two
 Dynamite Gums, ProjectiIes, Two Fun
 Batteries of Light Field Pieces, 5000
 Springfield Rifles, 956,OOO Cartridges
 and Reinforcementso of65O Cubans and
 Twenty-five Rough Riders Compose
 Part of the Expedition-Gomez sends
 Message to Mckinley.
 Key West, July 14-The steamers Florida and Fanita, under convoy of the little auxiliary gunboat Peoria, have landed by all means the largest. and probably the last expedition sent to the aid of the Cuban insurgents It was a task beset with peril and difficult ty. Captain Jose Manuel Nunez. broth CT of Emilo Nunez, was killed; Lieuten- ant Winthrop Chandler of New York was shot through the right elbow, Lieutenant Agramonte of New York Is missing, and five Cubans suffered trif- ling injuries. How many Spanish lives answer for this will never be known, but there were enough to more than balance the score The debarkation was effected on July at Palo Alto on the southern coast of Cuba Fighting oc- cured before then, but the consumna- ton of the job was without mishap. To the Peoria one of the newest of the acquisitions to the Mosquito fleet and goes the full glory of the achievement.
 The Florida and the Fanita left Key West on Saturday, June 25, under con- voy of the Peoria, commanded by Lieu tenant T. w. Ryan, On board the steamers were $50 Cubans under Gener- al Emilio Nunez, fifty troopers of the United States cavalry under Lieuten- ants Johnson and Aheard, and twenty five Rough Riders under Lieutenant Winthrop Chandler, brother of Colonel William Aston Chandler. The cargoes were enormous. There were stacks of oats and many bales of hay. Among the arms were two dynamite guns with thirty pound projectiles to fit them and two full batteries of light field pieces. There were 4,000 Springfield rifles with 956,0O0 cartridges.
 Fifty of the Cubans aboard were armed with Mausers and the others had Springfelds For the insurgent off, cers were provided 200 army Colts and 27,000 cartridges. Two hundred books of United States cavalry and infantry tactics translated into Spanish were taken along. In the expedition were also 1,145 saddles, 95O saddle cloths and 450 brides. For the Cuban soldiers there were taken 7,663 uniforms 5,0S0 pairs of shoes, 1,275 blankets, 400 shirts, 450 hats and 250 hammocks. There were the commissary stores carried, calcu- lated by pounds; Bacon, 67,275; corn meal, 31,250; roasted coffee, 10,200;. raw coffee, 3,250; sugar, 2, 2,425; mess pork and beef, $500; corned beef, 24,000 beans, 1S90O; hard tack, 1,25o; cans of corn, 1,250.
 The expectation was that the landing would be effected at San Juan point, on the south coast of Cuba, midway between Cienfuegos and Trinidad. This place was reached Wednesday evening, June 29. A scouting party pulled off in small boat and pulled to- wards shore, but had made only half the distance when there came lively fire from what had been taken for an Cuban blockhouse near the point. The men were called back and the ships moved to the eastward. About o'clock the next afternoon they arrived at Las Tunas, forty miles away. Four miles west of the town, at the mouth of the Tallabacoa river stood a large fort built of railroad iron and sur
 rounded by earthworks. The Peoria l fired several shots from her three
 pounders, but brought no response and
 no signs of life. Another scouting party
 was organized. This was made up of fifteen volunteers under Lieutenant Winthrop Chandler, and as many Cu- bans under Captain Nunez.
 The Peoria took a position within a SHOTC range OI tNe IOTC to pTOIeCC a 1 landing or cover a retreat, and the small boats headed ashore. As they | reached it the boats were beached But l at almost the very moment they set | foot on the sand, the forts and the en- | trenchments around it burst into flame l and shot and shell screamed about the I little band of invaders. Captain Nunez l was stepping from his boat when 1 shot struck him between the eyes and | he went down dead. Chandler fell with | broken arm. The others safely gain ed the thicket and replied with sharp | fire directed at the entrenchments. | Meanwhile the Peoria set all heS guns | at work and rained shells upon the | fort until the enemy's fire ceased. The | moment the gunboat slackened fire, ! however, the Spanish fire was renewed ! with fury and it became evident that l their forces were too large to allow a I landing there. A retreat was ordered | and the party on shore rushed for the ! boats, but volley after volley came | from the shore and they were com peiled to throw themselves into the | water and paddle alongside the boats l with only their heads exposed until the ships were reached. The Spanlards had