The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-16


ship San Francisco, the monitor Mian-
tonomah and the auxiliary yacht Syl-
via were fired upon by the Havana
batteries shortly before 5 o'clock yes
terday morning. One 10 or 12-inch shell
struck the San Francisco's stern as she
turned to get out of range, and tore
a hole about a foot in diameter, COM
pletely wrecking Commodore HowelPs
quarters and smashing his book case
TO fragments. Nobody was injured
and, being under orders not to attack
the batteries, the ships retreated as
fast as their engines would carry
them.
The flagship and the Sylvia lay para
lei to each other not more than a mile
from Moro castle, and separated from
each other by a distance of between
t~hree-eighths and. o~ne-Quarter of a
mile. The Miantonomah lay about
three-quarters of a mile to the rear of
the others. ALI were within range Of
the Spanish batteries and the tempta-
ton was too strong to be resisted.
While the ships of the Havana block
ade squadron have been keeping at a
distance of six miles or more during
day light they have been accustomed
to drawing in much closer at night.
MORO castle light has burned steadily
throughout, serving as a good beacon
for the American ships.
Thursday evening the warships of the
squadron Immediately off Havana
were the San Francisco, Sylvia and
MiantOnOmah and with night fall they
drew in closer to the shore h a ever
before and took positions as before
stated. All night the ships rolled at
their stations with lights out, accord
ing to the blockade regulations. An
other twelve hours of dreary duty had
passed with the same unvarying mo-
nOtOny, and what happened soon af-
forwards was as unexpected as it was
unWeIcOmed. The first glimmer Of
dawn was breaking through the east
ern skies when without an ~instant'S
warning the OOkOut on the flagship
saw a jet of mok from n of Nor
ro's big guns. Almost before he could
pull himself together sufficiently to
make a report of the incident 10 and
12-inch shells We're screaming all
around the ship.
The Sp%aniards had the range and APP
parently were grimly in earnest in
their last efforts to Wreak injury OF
their too mighty enemy. 1t was, how
ever, almost as futile an effort as in
every preceding struggle. Shells fell
between the San Francisco and the Syl-
cia, some fell short, a few went over
them and still others fell short. The
flagship signaled the Sylvia to get out
of range without delay n both ships
swung round and made for the sea.
1t vas then that the shell struck the
San FranciscO's stern and sent its
fragments into the after cabin, wreck
ing Commodore Howells library. The
Commodore was on deck with Captain
Leary when the shell struck.
The Miantonomah was in less dan
ger than the other two ships, being
farther out to sea, but when the firing
commenced, all moved out about three
miles. Here the men on the flagship
were speedily put to work patching
the ragged hole which a shell had torn
in the San Francisco's stern. The dam
mage was found to be trifling.
All the shells fired at the vessels
were from 10 or 12-inch guns, and
there were exactly twenty-five in num-
Der. AS they fell around the ships one
of the Sylvia's men stood calmly on
the deck of the yacht, watch in hand
and counted them. MORO castle fired
several of the missiles, but how many
is not known. The others came from
two sand batteries east of MORO.
The firing lasted twenty minutes.
No attempt was made to return
the fire, the blockading squadron be-
ing under specific orders not to make
any sort of demonstration against Ha-
vana p%artaking of the nature of an at
tack. Even if such a been the case
it would have been almost suicidal for
the three ships, one of them a yacht,
to have faced such odds as the land
batteries offered. The big turret guns
of the Miantonomah and the San
Francisco's main battery of 6-inch
a0,,II H. rn dana JIo do ~ q orc
but the Spaniards had the range, and
to attempt to combat the almost i'm
pregnable Notifications of Havana
would have been hopeless.
The one-sided engagement had scarce
1y ended when Captain Boilers was CIV
en- a packet of private documents
which he was ordered to take into Ha-
vana under a flag of truce h was
done without incident, the Sylvia de-
~livering them to the officer of the Span
ish gunboat Martin y Pinzon.
The big Spanish transatlantic liner
Monsterrat is still bottled up in Ma
tanzas harbor.
FIGHTING IN PORTO RICO.
Ponce, Porto Rico, August 12.-De-
layed in transmission-General Schwan
has occupied the town of Mayaguez,
taking formal possession without re-
sistance. The Spanish force which had
held the place withdrew to Lares,
about sixteen miles northeast of May
agueZ, and half way between thet town
last named and Arecibo, on the north
coast of the island.
General Brooke is still at Guayama-
The munitions and SUPPLIES for his di-
vision are being unloaded from the
transports at Zerroyo.
General Wilson is still at Coamo,
awaiting reinforcementS of cavalry and
dynamite guns before executing the
plans formulated for the diva in
the direction of Aibonito, in co-opera-
ton with General Brooke.
On Thursday about 4 o'clock there
was desultory firing between pickets
on General Wilson's line and those OF
the Spanish forces in his front. Two
companies of the Second Wisconsin
volunteers were sent out. to support
the pickets. AS this dispatch is sent
Is O'Clock p. n.y. there is sharp firing