Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-06-09


By this time the cruiser New Or
leans had come in range and the forts
began opening a steady fire from what
were evidently high power modern
guns. The shells dropped thick and
fast over or short Of the Massachus-
etts, and the American blue jackets
jeered and laughed at the bad aim of
the Spaniards. One very well put shot
went close through the upperworks Of
the Massachusetts, but did not hit
anything. The long rifles of the New
Orleans were by this time playing a
tattoo on the low lying forts near the
entrance, so as to draw their fire and
ascertain their range, and the IoWa's
big twelve-inch guns were hurting
steel projectiles into the harbor en-
trance. The forts kept up perfect
cannonade. Some of their shots were
well aimed, so far as range was con-
cerned, but were not effective.
The Cristobal Colon opened fire with
her big guns, but their shells never
once came near their mark, while it
is believed that several shots Of the
American squadron damaged the Span
ish warships. After running a mile
to the eastward the Massachusetts, fol-
lowed by the other American war
ships, circled round and ran back over
very nearly the same course, steamlng
west by south. On getting near the
range where the firing was opened the
warships delivered one moro round
from their starboard batteries and
drew out of the Spaniards' range. Com
modore Schley said as he stepped to
the quarterback: "Well, we let them
know that we have some ammunition,
and know their capacity for Defense -
For half an hour after the ships had
passed a mile out Of range the shore
batteries, the Cristobal Colon and the
Sraniards kept up their fire and then
it became known, by the place
ment of the shot that the enemy
had plotted a neat little plan that
might have succeeded had there been
good gunnery. The Colon had
dropped down the harbor into a po-
sition to which she occupied to act as
bait. The modern guns on the
shore had found the range Of the place
where the flying squadron would have
to lay in order to fire on the Cristobal
Colon and tried their guns to play on
the place. Commodore Schley beat
them at their own game, by going at
ten knots speed and firing on the
fly. The firing also exposed the exist
of tho ho++orv rit n
ten-inch modern guns, Just east of
Moro castle. and also revealed the
fact that two modern guns were
mounted to the rear of Moro. Then
it was seen that to the west Of the
entrance. opposite Moro castle, are
two batteries of earthworks with
modern guns. Still further back in
the harbor Cayo Smith has modern
battery. Besides this the Reina Merce-
des has two loaded torpedo tubes
looking down the harbor and as one
place in the channel is only 100 yards
wide and five fathoms deep, it can be
seen that the entrance of the harbor
of Santiago is effectually defended.
Wednesday afternoon Cuban pilot
was landed sixteen miles east of San
tiago with instructions to communi-
cate with the insurgents. They re-
ported that the fire of the American
ships was disastrous. They added
that part of Moro castle hs been
demolished and the shot which struck
the Reina Mercedes killed eight Span
| iards. This pilot was landed again
| Thursday morning in order to COM
municate with the city and find out
the location, numbers and names of
| the Spanish ships in the harbor.