The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-24

were the Jorge Juan, two smaller gun
boats and the armOred launch before
mentioned.
SHOTS EXCHANGED.
AS the Wasp and Leyden rounded
the point the fort fired a dozen shots,
none of which, however, fell near
them, and the Topeka returned the
fire with her three-pounders Almost
Immediately the Spaniards deserted the
forts and ran, while the Topeka con-
tinued to send shells into them. A
body of rif1emen on the beach returned
the fire with a few wild shots, but
they, too, were quickly dispersed Ivy
the Topeka's small guns. The Topeka
also discharged two torpedos. At the
same time another small fort to the
left of the channel fired on the Amer
lean ships, but it was silenced as cas-
lily as the other.
In the meanwhile the Wasp and Ley
den had taken up a position in the
northwestern portion of the harbor and
opened fire across the water on the
Jorge Juan, which lay to the southeast.
in front of the town of Mairi. Her po-
sition was about a mile and a quarter
from the beach, and behind her a third
fort stood on an eminence. This fort
opened fire on the Wasp and the Ley
den and as the Annapolis and Topeka
came up the Spanish gunboat Joined
in the fight, and a general battle fol-
lowed. The Topeka anchored in the
middle of the harbor, about 1000 yards
from the Jorge Juan, and the other
three American boats drew up on
either side and formed semi-circle.
The Americans then closed in on the
Spanish ships. pouring in a destruc-
tive fire, and on the forts behind. The
Topeka sent four-inch shells crashing
into the Jorge Juan at such a rate
that she sank within twenty minutes.
When the firing became heavy the Of
hcers and crew of the Spaniard put
Off in small boat, made the shore
under a heavy fire and escaped into
the woods
Two shots from the Topeka's bow
gun, fired on an elevation of 45O0
yards, dropped squarely into Mairi fort.
the Spanish pennants disappeared, and
white flag was run up. This ended
short. but one of the most vicious
battles Of the war.
WRECK OF THE JUAN.
All of the American ships sent small
boats over to the Spanish gunboat.
that from the Topeka being under COM
mand of Lieut.. Niblack, the former
naval attache at Berlin, Vienna and
Rome. They found that the Jorge
Juan's forecastle had been entirely
nipped away by the Topaka's four
1rch shells, and that her fore and
mizzenmasts and Flagstaff were carried
on 1t is thought the Spaniards scut-
tled her before abandoning the YES
sci. Divers were sent down, and quit,
curious collection of relics were
round. One was the ships motto. "Re
brave and you will go home to Spain y
Iney also brought up gun sights, sig
nal flags and a hundred other me-
mentoes of the engagement, which
were distributed among the officers and
men of the victorious ships. Four or
nve cats, still alive, were clinging ia
the wreckage, and one dog. which had
been chained to the deck, was drown
ed. That part of the rigging wbich
protruded from the water swarmed
with rats, who attempted to renew tha
battle with the Americans. but were
| driven into the sea-
The harbor was found to be we'll
mined. and two of the mines explod-
ed. one about 100 yards off the To
peka's bow. and the other 20 yards
from her port quarter. AS the ships
came out they saw contact mine
Hoating on the surface of the water
The engagement was hardly over
when the torpedo boat Dupont came
along with dispatches from Rear Adj
miral Sampson for Commodore Remey
| and the Topeka was sent with then
to Key West, arriving this morning
She had borne the brunt Of the fight
| and bore herself nobly. Her captain
is William S. Cowles. brother-in-law
OF Col. Theodore Roosevelt.
| The Jorge Juan was a three-masted
one funnel ship, Of $50 tons and 1,1Ot
horsepower. She was 800 feet long anG
~ feet draft. She carried a crew Of
!46 men and had 100 tons Of coal. He,
battery was heavier than the Topeka's
the biggest Of the four attackins
| american ships. consisting of three 4.
Hontorias. two 1.8 Krupp guns ani
| two machine guns.
Nipe harbor is twenty miles long anl
ten miles wide: 1t is surrounded by
mountains, and is admirably adaptei
as base for any campaign
The Topeka on her way into thi.
port passed the Terror, Puritan ani
Montgomery. heading for Nipe.