The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-01
NUEvITAs BOMBARDED.



Three Vessels Captured.
KEY WEST, Fla, July 81; $40 p. m.-Re-
ports have reached here that Nuevitas, on
the north coast of the province of Puerto
Principe, Cuba, has been bombarded by the
ships of the blockading squadron, evacuated
by the Spanish and subsequently burned. No
details are known, and the only information
of the affair was that given to Captain May
nard. of the gunboat Nashville, by Lieu
tenant Colonel Rojas, of the insurgent
forces. at Gibara last Tuesday. Colonel Ro-
jas himself has the news at second hand,
although he carried private dispatches from
General Garcia, which were delivered to the
commander of the Nashville.
The only American ships known to have
been in the vicinity of Nuevitas lately are
the Prairie and Badger. The latter captured
three Spanish vessels coming out of Nue.
vitas harbor and took them to the dry Tor
tugas. All were flying Red Cross flags, but
when boarded were found to contain num-
Der of Spanish soldiers, only three of whom
were sick. The Badger is expected here
shortly.
The Nashville reached Gibara on Tuesday,
when she captured the schooners Gibara
and Espresso. On entering the harbor she
was met by the former United States cor
sular agent and the president of the rail-
road line to Holguin. He told the Ameri-
cans of the evacuation of Gbara two days
before by General Luque and his 1900 Span
ish troops, who feared a concerted attack
by Americans and Cubans. They fled to
Holguin by rail, and afterwards tore up
the tracks General Luque left in the Gil
bara hospital $50 sick and wounded Spanish
soldiers. with a request to Admiral Samp-
r1xy
for. The next day the Cuban forces, con-
sistng Of five hundred cavalry, under Lieut.
Col. Rojas, and two hundred infantry, made
a triumphal entry into the town. They
were received with acclamations by the Gu
bans, and the town held festival that day
and night. The insurgents took formal pos
session, established police system and sent
out scouting parties, and when the Nash
Vile arrived the best of order was being
maintained. The invaders had, however,
neglected the schooners in the harbor, and
the American ships took possession of them.
When Ensign Snow left with prize crew
to bring the Gibara here it had been prac-
tically determined to raise the American flag
over the town. At that time only Red Cross
Society and Cuban flags were flying, and
there was a question as to whether dissen-
sion might not arise between the Americans
and Cubans in consequence of the Garcia
Shafter incident. In such case Captain May
nard was resolved to seize and hold the
place.
On the way to Key West the prize schoon-
er passed an unknown man-of-war, flying
no colors, but by her build apparently
French. This was about sixty miles on
Lobus key, and the war ship was heading
to the eastward. She sighted the schooner
and turned in her direction, but afterwards
changed her course again and proceeded.
The steamship Tabasqueno, flying the
French flag, was captured by the Hawk at
Sagua La Grande yesterday and brought
here to-day by Ensign Schoheld Cadet
Kear and a prize crew of eight men. She
is a Mexican ship of 500 tons, and was
bound from Vera Cruz for Sagua, loaded to
the matches with coal and provisions, and
also carried a number of mules. Captain
Androcka was in command, with crew OF
twenty-nine. The Hawk took her without
difficulty, and also went into the harbor
after a dozen small ships and smacks. Or
these all but one escaped by scudding into
shoal water and this one was aground. A
small boat was put off to her with Ensign
Schofield and four men, TO see if she could
be floated but she was found to be too hard
aground The Hawk sent a few shells into
the wooded growth along the beach to pro-
tect the small boat, and the latter also fired
its six-millimeter gum but there was no re-
Spouse from the shore.
Col. John Jacob Aston has been appointed
to the staff of General Miles, and to-day is
in Florida on his way to join General Miles
in Porto Rico.