The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-06-03
DETAILS OF SANTIAGO FIGHT
OF SPANISH SQUADRON ONLY THE
 CRISTOBAL COLON TOOK PART.


 Was to Draw the Fire of the Batteries
 and Get the Range, but Considerable
 Damage Was Accomplished.
 [Copyrlght, 1898, The Associated Press.l
 On board the Associated Press des- patch boat Dandy, Port Antonio, Ja- maica, June 1.--7 a. m.-For an hour yesterday afternoon the Massachu- setts, Iowa, New Orleans and Vixen of Commodore Schley's squadron ex- changed shots with the Spanish squad ron under Admiral Cervera and with the land batteries guarding the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, behind which the Spanish fleet is hiding. The engage between the two naval forces, and was but a prelude to serious work in the latter part of the week. No attempt was made by the American commander, who, for the afternoon, shifted his pendant to the Massachusetts, to bring on a general engagement, it being merely his desire to locate the batteries on the hills above the harbor, and to determine the location of the Spanish forts
 Shortly before 10 o'clock Commodore Schley left the Brooklyn for the Mas sachusetts, on board of which battle ship he remained during the fighting. ps1 e,irr %r FNt A1,yr, was hoisted on the Massachusetts and the New Orleans, Iowa and Vixen fell in in the order named. The Massa- chusetts steamed slowly until about five miles west of the harbor entrance, when she turned in towards the shore and, when about 1000 yards off she turned east again and bore down on the harbor, the New Orleans being close up and the Iowa half mile be- hind. The flagship gradually increased her speed and she was soon running through the water at the rate of ten knots an hour. She drew closer and closer to the batteries and, to the anxious watchers on the other ships, it seemed that she would never open ire When, however, she had passed the harbor entrance by 300 yards, a great cloud of white and yellow smoke burst from her two i3-inch guns in her after turret, and two shells rose over the hill one of them striking the ET am. ish flagship Cristobal Colon full and fair as she lay at her nncnorage, and the other falling close alongside.
 The two guns in the forward turret were then fired and their shells in ex- ploding threw up great jets of spray close to the Colon. All the shore bat teries took up the challenge and began a rapid fire on the Massachusetts. But she was soon beyond their range and the batteries thereupon turned their guns on the New Orleans. This cruiser had been directed to pay attention to the batteries. She had been ordered to draw their fire as much as possible, and she obeyed her instructions to the letter Her first shot located large battery on the hill above the Morro. It flew straight into the fort and must have caused much damage, as a great shell burst. A couple more shots sent part of the walls of Morro flying into the air, and then the New Orleans con- fined herself to batteries, her fire being rapid and extremely accurate. Every shot she fired made trouble for Spain.
 The Iowa came next, and, like the Massachusetts, devoted her attention to the ships lying within the harbor. Her twelve-inch shells made the water fly all around that part of the harbor in which the Cristobal Colon lay. The latter, however, was not seriously dam aged, and kept up her fire until long after all the American ships had steam ed out of range. After the Iowa came the little Vixen, which apparently had no business in fight where battle ships were engaged. But she scudded along after the Iowa, like a. fox terrier following a mastiff, and when at the proper point she let fly her one six pounder and glided away, proudly con- scious of having done her best. After the Vixen had passed the forts the Massachusetts turned again to the westward followed by the other ships in the same order, with the exception of the Vixen, which was ordered to keep out of trouble.
 The ironclads then bore down on the harbor once more. The flagship kept in until less than four thousand yards from the shore and then her shells again began to heave up the waters of Santiago harbor. This time the shore batteries were better served, and the Spaniards replied to the warships' fire in energetic fashion. But nearly all the shots from the batteries fell short Then came the New Orleans once more, her long black guns doing fearful work and tearing up the ground all around the batteries in the most savage man. ner. The Spaniards dropped several shells close to the Iowa as she eame by for the second time, sending a stream of shells into the harbor as she did so.
 The Spanish ships with the exception of the Cristobal Colon were behind he hills and could not see the enemy. who threw shells around them with such rapidity that they knew he was some where on the other side of the hill and they hopefully raised the muzzles of their guns and banged away. The re- suit was what might have been expect ed. Their fire tore the bosom of the Caribbean sea, but it harmed nothing else After the Massachusetts had passed the point where she could enter the harbor with advantage she turned to the open sea, the other vessels fol- lowing her. That fight was over as far as the Americans were concerned.
 Spanish honor, however, demanded