Middletown transcript., 1898-08-13
BARBEp WIRE IN WAR.


BARBED WIRE IN WAR.
HOW IT DIDN'T STOP SKATERS AD-
VANCE ON SANTIAGO sPANIARDs
THOUGHT TO CATCH NKEE
TROOPS IN A TRAP, BUT THEY
RECKoNED WITHOUT THE YANKEE
WIRE CUTTER-CUBANs USED MA
CHETEs.
It is likely that General Linares did
q heap of ehuckling when he fortified
the approaches 10 Santiago with Amer
ican barbed wire and reflected that
American troops would be caught by
an American device. Linares isn't do
ing much chuckllug today. He has
learned that Yankee ingenuity was not
exhausted when it invented barbed
wire. The brain that conceived
The poison also brought into exiatence
an anlidote. Barbed wire and wire
cutters came into use in the United
States about the same time. 1t seems
that the Spaniards heard of the barbed
wire a long time before they learned Of
the wire cutters. 1t is thorough ed
ucatiOn we are giving the Spaniards,
but somewhat fatalone
For months before war was declared
one of the chief imports from the Uni
ted States into Cuba was American
barbed wire. Tons and tons of it were
sold to Weyler by enterprising Yankee
firms. 1t was understood that he was
using it to strengthen his alleged tro-
cha. Not until Skaters advance lines
began the march toward Santiago was
it realized that the crafty dons had con-
ceived the idta of using American
barbed wire against American troops.
No les than nine lines of barbed
wire, strung in a series of concentric
circles about $50 feet apart, were
drawn around Santiago. Behind this
thin but formidable looking defense
were dug the rifle pits. The outer line
was complete circle, but the inner
ones W:re made with openings in them,
so that The Sraniards might have out.
let's if a retreat was found necessary.
l suppose the dons concluded that
tie Americans would rush blindly
against that barbed wire and impale
themselves like so many pigeons on a
spit. there to wriggle until they had
been filled full of Mauser bullets. But,
like so many other Spanish plans, this
one went sadly aglee.
just why the Spaniards should sup
pose that any American wouldn't know
balbed wire fence when he saw ii no
one but Spaniard could tell. The
American troops did recognize the
barbed wire in spite of its unfamiliar
surroundings, and they didn't rush on
it at all. Shafter just sent back hurry
order for many Thousands of wire cut
ters. With these unique Implements
of warfare he armed his skirmish line,
and when the advance came up to a
barbed wire fence they used their pliers
dexterously for minute or two, and
and 10, the trccha was wiped outl
No less than 5000 of these cutters
have been distributed among Shafter's
troops. The cutters have three sets of
knives, any one of which will cut
through any kind of wire which The
enemy has strung. The cutters are ten
inches long and have plier attach
ment on the end, SO that after the
wires have been cut they can be
dragged out of the way.
The Cuban war offered the first OPP
portunity for the use of barbed wire.
The charge of the Cuban cavalry was.
so destructive to the Spanish that the
latter hit upon utilizing the modern
barbed wire fences of the plantations
to insure additional protection 10 their
trochas.
The same weapon, however, which
made the charge of Cuban cav
airy so terrible, the machete, rendered
the barbed wire fences of no avail
against the Cuban infantry. One blow
of the machete will sever wire fence
as easily as cutter will. 81
Over in the Philippines the Spanish
also have corraled their deferses with
barbed wire, and so we have sent to
our army in the far-off south seas cut
ters to spoil the game of the enemy.
We, too, have sent barbed wire there
to enable our forces to hold against the
Spanish whatever places tl.ey will
take.