Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-05-21
THE IOWA LEADS THE FIGHT.
Bearing the Signal to the Fleet,
"Remember the Maine"

! OF the w OIiu STRUTS AhC IolipNlhS b'7
patch from st. Thomas, descriptive of
the bombardment of SAN Juan:
Admiral SIMPSONS fleet lay within
sight of San Juan de Puerto Rico all of
Wednesday night, At o'clock ON Thurs
day morning all hands on all the ships
were called For an hour and a half
each ship was the scene of an orderly
confusion as the 1000 sailors stripped
their ships, their guns and themselves.
. BY 4 80 everything was i'll readiness to
begin the second engagement of the war.
At 5:l5 came the call ITO quarters,
and instantly every man was at his post
! and ready and eager to strike blow IN
atonement of the Maine. The object of
attack lay in plain view, straight ahead
to the south
The Notifications and batteries of San
Juan de Puerto Rico are on the coral
reef guarding the entrance to the harbor'
1t was a glorious morning, the sky I'M
/ clouded. the air cool and brisk. \ long
heavy swell rolled toward the. shore and
broke against the reef whose Notifications
seemed to be asleep.
TO mark the limits of the line of battle,
the Detroit and the tug Naumpautuck
steamed shoreward, the Detroit to the
eastward until she was opposite the Val
tern, the Waumpautuck to the westward
until she was able to anchor her small
boats in 10 fathoms of water just out
of range of the great fort of San Juan
Moro, which rises ON high hill at the
east of the harbor
The Center of Attack.
MORO. of course, was to be the center
of attack. In it were the seven 6-lnch
guns which Spain sent over as soon as
the war became certain and which had
been hastily mounted and manned with
the best gunners in the colonial army.
Soon after the Detroit and Naumpautuck
were in place, Admiral SIMPSONS column
of floating fortresses and batteries began
to move upon the quiet and seeming
sleeping fortress.
In the van was the Iowa, the flagship,
with the battle cry of the navy streaming
in brilliant colored flags from her mast
Remember the Maine" Next came the
huge Indiana, of such enormous bulk that
she rode almost steady even upon that
heavy sea. Then followed the New York,
as formidable as battleship; then the
low-lying monitors Amphitrite and Ter
ror. They bore straight for the shore in
single file.
A Start From Shore.
Long before the flagship was in range
there came a flash, a cloud OF smoke, a
roar and a shell from the walls of MORO
The shell fell far short. The roar died
away and for Is minutes the scene was
as peaceful as before.
Suddenly the Iowa turned sharply to
the east She came around peacefully
until her starboard battery was pointing
full at Moro. One of her great l3inch
guns burst into flame and shell sailed
high toward Moro. 1t fell short but the
response came-a roar from all the bat
teries and forts along the shore. a ire
mendous burst of sound and smoke and
flame, a shower of shells that wasted
themselves in the sea. So wild was the
volley that even had the Iowa been in
range none of the shots would have hit
her.
The Iowa was now nearer and the en-
tire line of Warships was in position to
attack the Spanish shore line. Each ship
was now nearer and the entire line was
in position to attack the Spanish shore
line. Each ship was now firing and each
PAT n
Spanish aim was wild, the American gun
ncrs fired with the calmness and precis-
ion of experience in target practice.
The fleet was soon enveloped in smoke
as was also the shore. Only outlines
could be made out, but it was apparent
that while the Spanish shells issued from
the smoke of the shore to fall into the
sea- the American shells rushed from the
fleets envelope of smoke to bury them
selves in the smoke on shore. And now
and then as the wind drifted the thick
gray curtain aside it could be seen that
the American ships We're uninjured and
that on shore the line that was unbroken
was all in ashes
Fleet Draws Nearer.
When the Iowa came up to the Waum-
pautuck stake boat she turned and led
the column back again across the line OF
fire. The fleet was now nearer and the
Spanish shells fell around the ships Some
struck against the armor of the battle
ship--big Ginch shells-but they bounded
off leaving hardly a dent behind.
One Spanish shell struck boat ON the
Iowa passing through it and entered the