The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-23

share in the enterprise, honorabiy and
well. Five thousand of them, in noun
tain Businesses and dark thickets of
ravines lay all last night on their guns
watching every road and mountain
path leading from Santiago to Guatan-
amo. A thousand of them were within
sight of Baiquiri, making the approach
of the Spaniards under cover of the
darkness an impossibility. AT o'clock
this morning as the Associated Press
dispatch boat approached Baiquiri, the
entire island of Cuba seemed wrapped
in soft mist like that of the dog days
in nothern latitudes. Leaden clouds
lay on the eastern horizon and the color
was reflected in the gray waters of the
ocean, which gently undulated in the
may breeze. Distant objects loomed
dimly but it was seen that many of the
troop ships that had been lying several
miles in the offing had drawn in ntowards
shore, while three or four warships lay
menacingIy near the harbor approach,
All around transports, steam launches
and small boats were bobbing about
like corl1s, the first indication of the
true ODJecC OF the unQerIaRlnS anedO
An hour later the sun was rising in
the eastern sky touching the mountain
tops with patches of light green and
revealing the great semi-circles of
troop ships, some close to the coast line.
others a mile distant, with their decks
crowded with eager, expectant men.
impatient to begin the great movement
of destiny, to make new chapter in
the history of America, the first inva-
sion by our army of a foreign country
in half a century.
AS the dispatch boat of the Associa-
ted Press, ran closer in, near where the
New Orleans was lying with her great
Armstrong guns trained on Baiquiri,
tongues of flame and black smoke were
seen rising from the town, the inevita-
BILE consequence of war and sure sign
that the Spaniards had gone, leaving
ruin behind. The captain of the New
Orleans shouted the news to the dis
patch boat adding: you had better
keep off a little. You are in range. They
have a rife on the hill on the eastern
side of Baiquiri.'
There is a steep rocky hill, known as
Punta Baiquiri, rising almost perpen-
dicularly at the place indicated. 1t is
a veritabIe Gibraltar in possibilities OF
defense. From the staff at it's summit,
the Spanish flag was defiantly floating
at sunset last night, but it was gone
this morning and with it the small
Spanish guard, which had maintained
the signal station. Between nightfaN
and dawn, the Spaniards had taken the
alarm and fled from the place, firing the
town as they left. The flames were
watched with interest from the ships.
Two sharp explosions were heard. At
first they We're thought to be the report
of guns from Spanish masked batteries,
but they proved to be the explosion of
ammunition in the burning building.
Three hours waiting made the men on
the transports impatient to get ashore
and in action, and every move of the
war ships was closely watched by the
soldiers.
BOmbardment Begins.
A little before o'clock the lombard
ment of the batteries of Jaragua was
begun by the ships of Rear Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet This was evidently
a feint to cover the real point of attack,
Jaragua being about half way between
Baiquiri and Santiago. The lombard
ment lasted about twenty minutes.
The scene then quickly shifted back
again to the great semi-circle of the
transport fleet before Baiquiri-
At $40 o'clock the New Orleans opened
fire with a gun that sent a shell rumb-
ling and crashing against the hillside.
The Detroit, Wasp, Machias and Suwa-
nee followed suit and soon the hillsides
and the valleys seemed to be ablaze IS
shot followed shot in swift succession,
d ATNT "DT v