Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-26

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auxiliary gunboat Gloucester, formerl
IL. Pierpont Morgan's yacht Corsica
Forty Spaniards were killed, but n,
Americans were hurt. The troops wer
pushed forward promptly to capture tn
railroad leading to Ponce, only abou
ten miles east of this place. From Ponc
there is excellent military road runnin,
50 miles north to San Juan. Genera
Brooke's force with the New Orleans
Annapolis, Cincinnati, Leyden ant
Wasp are expected here within "a hours
The ships left Guantanamo bay sudden
ly Thursday evening with the Massa
chusetts, commanded by Captain +. j
Higginson leading. Captain Higginsor
was in charge of the expedition which
consisted of the Columbia, Dixie, Glou
cester and Yale.
General Miles was on the last named
vessel. The troops were on the trans
ports Nueces, Lampasas, Comanche
Rita, Unionist, Saltwater, City of Macon
and Specialist. This was the order in
which the transports entered the har.
Dor here. The voyage from Guanta.
namo bay to this port was uneventful.
At noon yesterday General Miles called
for consultation, announcing that he
was determined not to go by San Juan
cape, but by the Mona passage instead,
land here, surprise SpaniardS and drive
in their military authorities. The
course was then changed and the Dixie
was sent toward General Brooke and
Cape Juan. Port Guani.a has been
fully described by Lieutenant Whitney,
of General Miles staff, who recently
made an adventurous trip over Puerto
Rico.
Ponce, which is situated 10 or Is
miles from this port, is to the eastward
and harder place to take, and in addi-
tion the water at Ponce is too shallow
for the transports to get close in shore.
Then again Ponce itself is some little
distance from where the tsoopv would
have been able to land, il that point
had been selected for the debarkation
of the expedition. One advantage of
this place Is that it is situated close to
railroad connection with Ponce, which
means transportation which our troops
hope to secure today.
Early this morning the Gloucester, in
charge of Lieutenant Commander Vain
wright, steamed into Guanica harbor,
in order to oreconnoiter. With the fleet
waiting outside the gallant little fight
ing yacht braved the mines supposed to
be in the harbor and found there were
five fathoms of water close in shore.
Guania is surrounded by cultivated
lands. In the rear are high mountains
and on the beach nestles village of
about 20 houses. The Spaniards were
completely taken by surprise. Almost
the first they knew of the approach of
the army of invasion was the firing of a
gun from the Gloucester demanding the
Spaniards to haul down the flag floating
from the flag staff in front of block
house standing to the east of the village.
At first a couple of three Founders
were fred into the hills right and left
of the bay, purposely avoiding the town
lest the projectiles hurt women or
children. The Gloucester then hove to
within about 600 yards of the shore,
lowered launch, having on board a
Colt rapid fire gun and 80 men under
command of Lieutenant HUE, who was
sent ashore without encountering oppo-
sition. Quartermaster Breck thereupon
told Yeoman Lacey to haul down the
Spanish flag, which was done, and they
then raised on the flag staff, the first
United States flag to float over Puerto
Rican soil. Suddenly about 80 Span
iards opened fire with Mauser rifles on
the American party.
Lieutenant Huze and his men respond
ed with great gallantry, the Colt gun
doing effective work. Norman, who re-
ceived Cervera's surrender, and Wood.
a volunteer lieutenant, shared the hon
ors with Lieutenant Huze. Almost i'm
mediately after the Americans were
fired on, the Gloucester opened fire on
the enemy with all her three and six
FOUNDERS, which could be brought to
bear, shelling the town, also dropping
the shells into the hills west of Guanica,
where number of Spanish cavalry were
seen hastenlng towards the spot where
the Americans landed. Lieutenant Huze
then threw up little fort which he
named Fort Wainwright.
BY 9:45 a. M, with the exception of q
few guerrilla shots, the town was won
and the enemy driven out of the neigh
borhood Red Cross nurses and de-
tachment of regulars were the first to
land from the transports. Lieutenant
Huse deployed small forces into the
suburbs. But he was soon re-enforced.
All the Boats of the mcn-of-war and
transports were used in landing the
troops, each steam launch towing four
or five boats loaded to the guards with
soldiers. But everything progressed in
an orderly manner, and according to
the plans OF General Miles, the latter
went ashore about noon, after stopping
to board the Gloucester and thanking
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright fol
his gallant action.
He laid barbed wire in the streets tc
repel an expected cavalry attack. The
Lieutenant also mounted the Colt CUR
and signalled for re-enforcements, which
were sent from the Gloucester. The
Associated Press dispatch boat Cynthia
II was the only boat in the harbor ex.
cept the Gloucester. While the Mausers
were peppering all around Lieutenan,
Commander Wainwright called to the
Associated Press correspondents; "The J
fred on us after their flag was dowr
and ours up, and after had spared the
town for the sake Of the women and
children. The next town I strike l will