The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-06-01
DISCOVERED and DRIVEN BACK.
Then Our Ships Sailed Up and At
w.: tackled the Forts.
Dur NAVAL OFFICIALS SKEPTICAL

At Washington 1t Is Declared Extremely
improbable That Schley Should Attempt
to Force His Way Into Santiago Harbor.
A Cablegram From the Commodore Makes
No Mention of an Intended Bombardment.
The Unconfirmed Reports Of the Battle,
However, Say That Great Damage Was
Inflicted on the Spanish Forts, and Fur
iher Reports Indicate That Battle at
Sea Was Fought Subsequently.
Cape Haytien, Hayti, June -Four
teen American warships and two tor
pedo boats began terrible attack on
the defenses of Santiago de Cuba har-
Dor yesterday afternoon. Admiral Ger
Neras fleet taking part in the defense
Of the city.
\ Admiral Sampson is said to have
ioined Commodore Schley on blockade
ht noon, and the move was at once
begun. Five American warshlps pass
cd down through the Windward pas
sage early in the morning. and these
were probably SIMPSONS boats, the
flagship New York being reported from
Port au Prince, Hayti, as having been
Sne of the second feet.
The forts of Moro Castle, La Zocapa
and Punta Gorda suffered nearly total
destruction. The cable between San.
uago de Cuba and Cape Haytien is
working, but Santiago is panicstricken
and most of the populace is hiding in
the hills back of the city. The cable
operator at Santiago has only been at
his post at intervals.
The attack of the Americans began
Mt 2 o'clock in the afternoon and the
xheling of the forts was kept up until
s:45, when the sound seemed to indi-
cate battle at sea.
: The result is undoubtedly n Amer
lean victory, but the details Of the end
Of the fight have not come.
Admiral Cervera, short Of provisions.
and knowing that a fight was newt
able, Monday night determined to
make desperate effort to escape from
the harbor. About midnight he sent
out the torpedo boat destroyers Furor
and Pluton to attack the American
deet, hoping that under the cover of
night the destroyers, with their White
head torpedoes, could sink the flying
squadron, or at least put 1t to fight.
He moved his cruisers up toward the
harbor's mouth, ready to flee if the
mission of the destroyers was success
ful. The small boats were discovered
By the searchlights Of the American
ships, which have played on the har-
boris mouth every night, and, under II
strong fire, were compelled to turn
back. Admiral Cerveras effort to es-
cape had failed completely and his
ships returned to their anchorage about
daybreak.
: About noon yesterday the American
sauadrons drew nearer the harbor in
line Of battle. On the flagship Brook
fyn, with Commodore Schley, was
Emilio Nunez, Cuban pilot, who
knew the harbor perfectly, and who
had been brought over from Jamaica
by the auxiliary cruiser Harvard.
What ships Sampson took down are
not known, but with Schley were the
Brooklyn, the first class battleships
Massachusetts and Iowa, the second
class battleship Texas, the protected
cruiser Minneapolis, the unarmored
cruiser Marblehead. the auxiliary
cruisers Harvard, Yale and st. Paul
and the gunboat Vixen. The weaker
Boats did not take part in the heavy
lighting. the big battleships doing most
Of the work.
The squadron steamed slowly toward
MORO Castle, that occupies the pro-
inonotory at the right Of the entrance,
and taking up a position about two