The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-24
copyrighted by the Associated Press.

Copyrighted by the Associated Press.
PLAYA DEL ESTE, Guantanamo
Bay. Province Of Santiago de Cuba,
Thursday afternoon, June 23.-Before
the landing yesterday, the fleet In front
of FL MORO opened up and the ships
sJeaming along between Santiago and
Baquiri to prevent reinforcements by
the railroad to the latter point, shelled
every village or the coast.
The Bancroft, Wilmington and Vixen
discovered a regiment of Spanish SOL
diers defiling down the railroad to Jura-
qua and their shells sent them scam
pering up the hill like jack rabbits.
The ygarships before the landing shsll-
ed Baquiri town and the surrounding
hills for half an hour. What remained
of the smouldering village was wrecked,
the crash of the guns rending the rock
and revebrating among the hills. Great
smoke banks drifted inshore, complete
ly yelling the hills for miles.
Steam launches, with Cne-pound guns
in their bows, and the Tecumsah and
Suwanee covered the landing inside the
pier.
The firing was opened after the AS
sociated Press heat Dauntless had left.
The iron mhnes and most of their
property at Baquiri are owned by a
Baltimore company.
BURNING VILLAGES.
The transports ard their conveys as
sembed off shore during the night, but
before dawn the houses of the villages
were fired, proving that Capt. Gen.
Rlanco's standing orders, always. to
burn a place before deserting it, were
being faithfully executed. With won
derful faulty they burned the cottages,
houses and factory of the iron company,
but left It's pier, vital to the United
States authorities directing the land ng,
standing and uninjured.
AT dawn the New Orleans, st. Louis.
Detroit, Wasp, Tecumseh and Suwanee
steamed within range of rifle shot of
the shore, but they were not molested.
During the confiagration ashore there
were several loud explosions either
from dynamite or ammunition left be-
hind by the Spaniards. Daylight show
ed the Spanish flag aauIed down and
gathered in a circle of about six miles
were thirty American transports, wal
lowing in the heavy swell.
THE DASH FOR LAND.
tailed to command the landing party
led the wsy in a launch, accompanied
by his staff, and directed the forma-
tion of the line of operation.
A detachment of eighty regular in
fantry soldiers was the first to land,
followed by Gen. Skaters old regi-
ment, the First infantry. Then came
the Twenty-flfth and Twenty-second
infantry, the Tenth Infantry. the Sew
enth and Twelfth infantries, the Sec
ond Massachusetts regiment and a de-
tachment Of the Ninth cavalry.
The boats rushed forward simultan-
eously from every quarters IN good ma
tured rivalry to be first, and their occu-
pants scrambled over one another to
leap ashore.
AS the boats tossed about In the surf.
breaking against the pier, getting
ashore was no easy matter, and the
soldiers had to throw their rifles on
the dock before they could climb up
themselves, and some hard tumbles re-
suited, but nobody was hurt.
AT the end of the pier, the companies
and regiments quickly lined up and
were marched away.
STRONG GUARD PLACED.
Gen. Lawton threw strong detach-
ment for the night, about six miles west
. on the road to Santiago, and another
detachment was posted to the north
of the town among hills. The rest
of the troops were quartered in the
town, some of them being housed in
the buildings of the iron company.
Others of the troops were quartered
in deserted houses, while others still
preferred the shelter of their tents in
the adjoining fields.
The mornings fire, it was seen, de-
stroyed the round house, the repair
shops and several small dwellings,
The town was deserted when the
troops landed, but women and children
soon appeared from the surrounding
thickets and returned to their homes.
The sun-bronzed soldiers in their
slouch hats and service uniforms,
quickly searched the buildings and