The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1898-06-22
WRECK AND RUIN.
thursdays Bombardment Played Havoc
With Foriiications at Santiago
The Flag Over Morro Castle Was Half
Mssted for Several Hours-Possibly u
Spanish Leader Was Killed or Hob
son aud Men Were Murdered.

The tiaG over MOTTO Castle Was Half
Mssted for Several Hours-Possibly n
Spanish Leader Was Killed or Hob
son aud Men Were Murdered.
OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, June IS, via
Kingston, Jamaica, June 20-A care
full inspection of the Notifications
along the crest of the hills defending
Santiago harbor since the. lombard
ment Thursday morning shows that
the American gunners sprea1 wreck
and ruin everywhere. Some of the
batteries were demolished beyond re-
pair. The vultures which circled on
level wings over the hills as thick as
swallows around u chimney for hours
after the firing ceased furnished
gruesome evidence of the fatality
among the Spanish soldiers. Hun
dreds of troops could be seen
from the ships digging in mounds
of earth piled up by the explosions of
the proiectiles from the heavy guns
for bodies while their heads were
famed by the wings of the black
scavengers of the battlefield. There
were two spots, one on the east and
the other on the west of the harbor
entrance which were denuded of the
foliage. The hill! tops seem literally
blown away. These marked the places
where the 200 pound charges of gun
cotton blown by the Vesuvius landed.
But the most ominous token of death
few from MORO castle. The saffron
flag of Spain was half masted for sew
is not known. 1t is not customary to
half mast flags, but possibly some
Spanish leader was killed by the heavy
fire of our guns, though some officers
of the squadron believe that the flag
was half masted as mott fication to
the Americans that Lieut. Hobson and
his brave men were dead.
If such is the case they must have
been wantonly murdered. The Span
ish might seek to lay their death to the
bombardment, but not a shot from the
American ships struck the fortress
Neither Adm. Sampson nor Commo-
dore Schley believe that Lieut. Hob
son and his party have been killed.
We have II prisoners taken at Guam
tanamo incluiing 4 lieutenant, for
reprisals or exchange.
There was evident Generalization
among the Spanish troops during the
bonn bardment. Officers could be seen
with drawn swords driving the men to
the guns, but even then they could not
be forced to stay so long as our guns
were directed at them. The fifteen
minutes night work of the Vesuvius
had shattered their nerves 1t is be-
lieved by some that the 1S-inch pro-
jectile fred from the Texas which was
reported to have exploded the powder
magazine in one of the western bat
teries DID not fall in the battery but
went beyond and blew up one of the
ships in the harbor.
A dramatic incident of the bonn bard
ment was the act of n Spanish officer
who bravely ran along the parapet
| under a heavy fire encouraging his
men to stand by their guns. Shot and
! shell rained about him and after one
terrific explosion he was seen no more
and the parapet had disappeared. He
could not have escaped death.
From the foretop of the Brooklyn,
1900 yards distant, the men in the
grounds could be noticed, but min
ute later dust and flying debris would
| take their places and whel the smoke
cleared away only a spot of red earth
| could be seen-guns and gunners had
been swept away. 1t was the most
deadly and destructive bombardment
of the war thus far. Scarcely shot
from the big guns of the squadron
went astray. The aim of our gunners
was superb and not only were the
coast forts annihilated. but the bat
teries on Cayo Smith, up the harbor,
were destroyed.
Had all the ships used smolzeless
| powder as did the New Orleans there
would remain no signs of guns or for
| tifcations to indicate that there had
ever been any defenses there.
There were no casualties in the fleet,
although the ships held fixed posi-
ton as if inviting the Spaniards to fire
at them. The half-stripped ships gum
ners never worked with more enthusi-
assn. The words of Rr. Adm. Sampson
were: First silence the batteries on
the shore and then continue firing un-
til the Notifications are reduced"
This order was strictly obeyed. 1t
was the first time that such instruc-
tions had been given and the men re-
sponded with q will. In IS minutes
the order was given to cease firing and
the message went to each ship from
the admiral, We'll done," and the Of
fcers and men turned in for break
fast Every detail of the engagement
had been executed to the letter, from
the opening fire by the New York to
the last shot from the Iowa. The
Spaniards were evidently surprised
while strengthening their fortifica-
| tiOns.