Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-07-07

were driving the Spaniards back inch
by inch into Santiago.
If we only had heavy artillery it
would be over In no time. The artil-
lery is not here. While the battle was
raging north and east of Santiago,
Sampson was bombarding the harbor
forts. The orders were issued last
night to the ships to begin firing before
breakfast. The ships lined up in this
order, starting from the east end;
Gloucester, New York, Newark. Indi-
ana, Oregon, Texas, Brookly and Vixen.
Tie orders were to fire slowly and to
spare nothing that sheltered Spani-
ards.
RAINED SHELLS ON THE SPANIARDs.
The signal to begin firing was raised
on the New York at ten minutes to 6.
The New York's turret guns helched
forth the first shot. This was imme-
diateIy answered from the batteriee
on both sides of the harbor. The other
ships chorused in, and tho ten minutes
it lasted was as if a dozen tropical thun-
der storms were raging at once. The
crashes of our big guns were followed
by the appearance Of clouds and
geysers of dust and stones ashore.
When these ten minutes were done the
Spanish fire abruptly ceased. 1t was
as if the gunners had deserted their
pieces. Our fleet kept up steady hall
OF shells for half an hour without
changing position. The Newark was
then ordered out of the line.
Then the manOeuvring began. The
Spaniards testified to their astonish-
ment by shouting. They apparently
r. ~1 &c. al, ~>fr
indicated some disaster to the Ameri
can side. Their shouts soon, ceased
The American fire became hotter and
closer. At $40 O'Clock the Oregon left
the line, and sailed deliberately in
until she was fairly in the harbor en-
trance. The Indiana swung in to the
east Of the Oregon. She brought every
gun possible to bear on the east bat
terry. That battery seemed to spout
earth and brick and guns, The all
was full of it. The ship was a mass oil
smoke, with fire belching from it every
second. The shells rained on that eas1
battery until it seemed that there
could not remain one stone upon an
other. The battery did not answer.
THE OREGON CUTS DOWN THE sPANIsE
FLAG.
The Oregon just across the harbol
mouth had marked the Moro for bel
target. The tremendous ship from
the Pacific knocked great holes in the
picturesque old castle. The great
Spanish flag waving oyer the Moro
crowned the smoke that met and rose
from Spanish and American guns.
At exactly7 o'clock a triumphant
yell from the Oregon was taken up by
the other ships, and the cheers ran
clear around the blazing semi-circle,
The Morro's flag was down.
One of the Oregon's thirteen-inch
shells struck the old cattle full in the
face. knocking the flag staff over
sending the crumbling rock in rivulets
down the bluff. The very next shot
took huge section out of the ram
parts. The Morro's guns remained
silent, and the Oregon and Indiana
were ordered in until their guns bore
on Punta- Gorda battery, which liei
behind the Moro. When directly un
der the old fort the two great ships
fired broadside.
We could not see the result FROM
| outside the harbor, but the American
troops on Ell Poso must have heard the
| roar of bursting shells. There was a
terrible explosion on Tivoli Hill. One
of our guns must have touched off 6
| magazine there. On Punta Gorde
there were thirty distinct explosions
in small area. Everything there
must be blown up. The damage done
was certainly something terrific. The
firing continued until o'clock. The
Morro's flag did not run up again.
The ships kept battering away al
the seaside Notifications, and all the
shells seemed to land among them
Once more the whole hill was clouded
with dust of flying earthworks. When
the fleet at last drew off the western
battery fired three or four shells, no
one of which landed within q mile O.
our ships. Indeed, during the whole
| bombardment not one Of the ships wal
| hit with even the fragment of shell