The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-05-21

MILMIAGTON'S SHELLS
BURN CARDENAS
The Fate Of the WinsloW Is Quick
" Avenged by Her Fight
ing Mate,
SOON sllENcEo THE BATTERIES
Burning Town Lightedthe Heavens
For Hours Demonstrating
Work Well Done.
SOON slleNcEo THE BATTERIES
DISPATCH BOAT WITH PARTICULARS
Winslow Wns Alone Damaged
smokelcss Powder Used by
the Spaniarhs In the
Fight.

Key West, May 16.-The Associated
Press dispatch boat Kate Spencer fur
nishes the following in relation to the
engagement at Curdenas in which the
torpedo boat Winslow was so badly
| used:
Cardenas bay, in which the cncoun-
ter took place, is a picturesque harbor,
seventy miles west of Havana. 1t is
broad and shallow, with two iutting
fangs of land close at the mouth and
q picket line of coral keys outside, and
its surface is studded with other green
crowned keys through which the tor
tuous channel scarcely two fathoms
deep winds and twists its way to where
the city of Curdenas lies nestled in the
sloping hills, fully seven miles from
the entrance. The Spaniards, since the
blockade was in%augurated, have grad
ually withdrawn, abandoning their
lighthouse at the entrance to the bay
and destroying all the buoys and other
aids to navigation as they went.
Two sloops whose naked spars
emerge from the water were sunk in
the main channel to prevent the en-
trance of invading ships, but the Span
ish left enough space between the oh
structions to allow the passage of a
IIlCluJy SSSSCl \ SuEIl COuIu EeI
through the blockade, provided it was
alton on Diana bay Until Wednesday
it was supposed also that mines had
been planted.
When Captain Todd, of the Whining
ton, and Commander Merry, of the
Machias. decided to run into the har-
Dor on Wednesday it was with the in
tention of destroying the signal sta
ton and rounding up the three little
gunboats which had chased the Wins
low to the mouth of the harbor on
Sunday. The American ships went in
with the Winslow in the var, the Hud-
son next, followed by the Wilmington
and the Machins bringing up the rear.
The Machias, however, which draws
thirteen feet, soon found the water too
shallow and gave it up. The Whining
ton, which draws but n fraction over
nine feet. steamed to within 1900
| yards of the water front of the city,
when her keel scraped and she could
go no further. The Winslow, followed
closely by the Hudson, was then 500
yards ahead of the Wilmington. The
three Spanish g%unboats which had
been sighted sneaking about among
the keys when the ships entered the
harbor, considering discretion the bet
ter part of yalor, had skunk away, and
when the Wilmington grounded, were
huddled, like storm driven sheep, to
the shelter of the wharves and moies
which line the water front.
Ordered the Winslow to Proceed
Captain Todd signaled the Winslow
to proceed and she moved forward un-
til within less than 1000 yards of the
gunboats and some of the Whining
tons officers say hat the distance was
less than 500 yards. IL was then that
the first shot was fired, whether from
one of the gunboats or u gun mounted
in one of the warehouses on the shore,
reports conflict. 1t may have been the
first shot-it certainly was among the
first three that carried away the steam
steering gear of the Winslow, and a
minute later, while the quartermaster
WIGS engaged in hooking up the hand
gear, it too was shot way, the eXplo-
sion of the shell severely wounding the
Quartermaster in the breast. The
Winslow at the very outset of the en-
gngement, which lasted over an hour.
was therefore almost helpless, at the
mercy of the gunboats and shore bat
%teries, whose firing v searching her
vitals. But the intrepid commander,
severely wounded in the leg though he
was, from a shell that exploded in the
forward coming tower, gamely stop
ped the flow of blood by means of a
%tourniquet frightened with a loaded l.
pound shell and remained pluckily at.
his post, directing the firing of the
| Winslow's %1-pounders and maneuver-
ing his little craft as best he could by
means of her screw propellcrs. With
the fire from the gunboats, the guns
mounted in warehouses and the fusil-
lade of mauser rifles the air was rs full
of lead rs q shot tower. The Whining
ton steaming back and fourth across
the line of fire, over n radius of 1000
yards, was smashing 4-pound shells
into the warehouses and dropping
them over the moles behind which
were the gunboats. AS her h~roadsides
swung she let go starboard and then
port. Her machine guns were useless
at the distance.
The little Hudson, with her 6-pound-
ers, stood loyalty by the Winslow
throughout the action. but the Spanish
fire was almost entirely concentrated
on the Winslow=
Pierced by P%rniectiIes.
A perfect death hail fell upon her.
The projectiles from the Spanish guns
went through heI several times, put
ting both her forward boilers and on