Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-06-03
case, it was excellent proof of the per-

case, it was excellent proof of the per-
| lection of
COMMODORE SCHLEY'S TACTICS
and showed that, after weeks of weary
following of clues furnished by strategy
boards, in seven days he had succeeded
in bottling up the Spanish fleet in one
of its own harbors.
Less than two days before, two sup
posed Cuban pilots, sent from Jamaica
by the government had informed the
+ commodore on the deck Of the Brooklyn
that no vessels of the size of the Span
ish warship3 could go up the harbor,
and after tbs information had been POI
litely received. the pilots were sent back
to Kingston, although they desired to
be landed in Cuba
The latest maps of the harbor show
narrow but deep channel, fairly we'll
protected and supposed to be mined.
The narrow neck is not wide enough to
allow more than one ship at a time to
pass up, and the batteries unless re-
duced would be very destructive.
There are three batteries outside and
three small ones inside and between the
entrance place and the city proper the
distance is very nearly three miles I'D
The latest information in the posses
sion of the government showed that at
the narrowed point entrance near Nor
ro Castle there are three lines of cleo
trically worked mines. thirty in all.
Besides this there are two sets of new
batteries just opposite the MORO, form
ing with the latter, dangerous cross
fire.
T,,- of I, -, k1,,1 49,.
On TIE east Shore Estrella and Catalina
Cayo Smith, about half a mile up the
bay and about in the centre, where the
narrow entrance wdens out, has
BATTERIES OF MODERN GUNS,
as has also Blanco battery, just near
the city of Santiago itself.
About two miles west of Moro, in
shore, is the Cazz battery, and there are
also supposed to be some mines near
Cayo Smith.
The armament of the various bat
teries is supposed to be as follows. not
including the new earth works behind
whicts there are modern guns:
Morro-four modern guns and ten
eighteen and twenty-four Founders.
Blanco battery-Nine smooth bore,
eighteen and twenty-four Founders of
little account and two small mortars
The Estrella battery-Ten smooth
bore guns.
Cayo Smith-Several modern guns.
The forts are mainly of brick and
stone. constructed a century ago, al
though there are evidences of new
earthworks being thrown up.
The only view into the harbor for any
distance is from the southwest, and as
the flagship passed along. Lieut. Sears
noted that the Spanish cruiser Reina
Mercedes, wi1ich has beSn partly dis
mantled, lay in the harbor, perhaps
fifteen hundred yards inside of Moro
Castle
To the westward and further inside
was the Spanish frst-class arnorei
cruiser Almirante Oquendo, lying under
the guns of Cayo Smith, and 10 the east
of it her starboard battery looking down
upon the narrow channel was the Chris
tobal Colon with room only for one ship
at time to pass.
1t will thus be seen that ii would be
suicidal to attempt to force an entrance
into the place at least until the bat
teries are reduced and that will consume
lot of ammunition.
At the same time, taking it for grant
ed that the remainder Of the Spanish
pedo boats is still
FURTHER UP THE HARBOR,
It means that the warships Of Spain are
effectually bottled up SO that they can
do no harm.
Sunday at sunset found the squadron
in battle line outside Santiago, the