Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-06-29
ALL THE TROOPS LANDED
Gen. Skaters Expedition Goes
Ashore at Baiquiri.
SAFE ON CUBAN SOIL.
One Victim an Insurgent Ally
Wounded-Not a Spaniard
was in Sight.

at Playa del Este, Cuba, today, says that
at 1 o'clock this morning the last of Gen.
Skaters army of invasion had landed at
Baiquiri.
Washington, D. c.. June 23.-Gen.
Miles has received an interesting dispatch
today from one of his aide-de-camps who
is now with Gen. Skaters army at Bal
Quiri, He declined to give its text to the
public, but said that it merely announced
that the landing of the troops was made
all right without any casualty whatever,
and that the only persons met were the
Cuban insurgents on the ground. 1t sta t
ed that one Cuban was struck by the
bursting of shell and lost his arm and
that there were about 800 insurgents on
hand we'll armed and under good discipline.
Gen. Miles correspondent also stated that
that troops were in splendid spirits and
ready for fight, land" said Gen. Miles,
there may be a fight today"
On Board the Associated Press Boat
Wanda. Baiquiri Harbor, Cuba, Wednes-
day, June -, p. III. (via Kingston, Ja-
maica. Thursday, June %, $50 a. N. ,
AT ; O'Clock this afternoon 5000 trained
American soldiers are encamped in the
hills in and around BaiQuiri, and 10000
more rest on their arms on board trans
ports off shore, ready to join those who
have debarked as soon as the available
launches and small boats can carry them
ashore.
Time and sea and weather were pro-
pitious for the army Of invasion. The
navy and the army cO-Operated splendid
", and as the big Warships closed in on
the shore to pave the way for the APP
proach OF the transports and then went
back again, three cheers for the navy
went up from 10000 throats on the troop
ships and three cheers for the army rose
from ship after ship as the troopshps
moved in to take their share in the haZ-
ardOus game. 1t was war, and it was
magnificent.
Insurgents Lend Their Aid.
The Cuban insurgents, too, bore their
share in the enterprise hOnorably and
well. Five thousand of them. in noun
tain Businesses and dark thickets OF "a
vines, lay all last night on their guns
watching every road and mountain path
leading from Santiago de Cuba to Guam
tanamo. A thousand of them were with
ID sight Of Baiquiri, making the approach
OF the Spaniards under cover Of darkness
an impossibility.
At O'Clock this morning, as the AS
ISOLATED press dispatch boat appeared at
Baiquiri the entire island of Cuba seemed
wrapped IN soft mist like that of the dog
days in Northern ATTITUDES. Leaden
clouds lay on the eastern horizon, and the
color was reflected in the gray waters Of
the ocean, which gently undulated ii tie
lazy breeze. Distant objects doomed
dimly, but it was seen that many OF the
troopships that had been lying several
miles in the ofing had drawn in towards
shore, while three or four WarshiDS lay
menacingly near the harbor approach.
All around transports, steam launches
and small boats were bobbng about like
corks, the first Indication of the true OBJ
ject Of the undertaking ahead.
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-circle Of troopships, some
close to the coast line, others mile dis
fant, with their decks crowded with eager,
expectant men, impatient to begin the
great movement of destiny, to make a new
chapter in the history of America, the
first invasion by our army of a foreign
country in half century.
AS the dispatch boat of the Associated
press ran closer in, near where the New
Orleans was lying with her great Arm
strong guns trained on Baiquiri, tongues
of lurid flame and black smoke were seen
rising from the town, the inevitable cOnse-
quence Of war and sure sign that the
Spaniards had gone leaving ruin behind
chem.
The captain of the New Orleans shouted
the news to the dispatch, adding: You
had better keep off a little. You are in
range. They have a rifle On the hill on
the eastern side of Baiquiri"
A Veritab1e Gibraltar.
There is q steep, rocky hill, known as
Punta Baiuuiri, rising almost perpendic-
ularly at the place indicated. 1t IS
,veritab BILE Gibraltar in possibilities OF de-
tense. From the staff at its summit the
Spanish flag was dehantly floating at sun
set last night; but it was gone this morn
ing and with it the small Spanish guard
which had maintained the signal station.
Between nightfalI and dawn the Span
iards had taken the alarm and fed from
the place. firing the town as they left.
FPhe flames were watched with interest
from the ships. Two sharp explosions
were heard. At first they were thought
to be the report of guns from Spanish
masked batteries, but they proved to be
the explosions Of ammunition in the burn
ing building.
Three hours waiting made the men on
the transports impatient to get ashore,
and in action, and every move OF the
warships was closely watched by the sol
diers.
Feint Attack on Jaragua.
A little before 8 o'clock the lombard
ment of the batteries of JaIagua was be-
gun by the ships of Rear-Admiral Samp-
sons fleet. This was evidently a feint
10 cover the real point of attack, Jaragua
being about half way between Balqulrl
anu SaUlldSO Ue CuEtt' ue DuLuDdlU u
ment lasted about twenty minutes.
The scene then quickly shift ed back
again to the great semi-circle of the trans
port feet before Baiquri.
At $40 O'Clock the New Orleans opened
fire with a gun that sent q shell rumbling
and crashing against the hillside. The
Detroit, Wasp, Machias and Suawanee
followed suit and soon the hillsdes and
the valleys seemed to be ablaze as shot
followed shot in swift succession amid
the wild and excited cheering of the SOL
lliers on the transports.
In five minutes the sea was alive with
Aotillas of small boats, headed by
launches, speeding for Baiquiri dock.
Some of the boats were manned by crews
of sailors, while others were rowed by
the soldiers themselves. Each boat con-
tanned sixteen men, every one in lighting
trim and carrying three DAYS rations,
half & shelter tent, Il gun and 200 cart
ridges. ready to take the field on touch
ing the shore should they be called upon
TO do so.
The firing Of the warships, however,
proved TO be needless Drecaution, as
their shots were not returned and no
Spaniards We're visible.
Two correspondents Of the Associated
press, in a small boat, joined the first
fiotiIla that went ashore and witnessed
I.