Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-19
DOWNRIGHT, Associated Press.)

Under MORO Castle, Harbor Of San
tiago. July II, via Playa del Este, July
1S.-At exactly 8 O'Clock this morning
the Spanish flag was lowered from
the staff browning the heights upon
which battered Moro Castle spreads
half way The lowering of this en-
blem of the sovereignty of Spain IN
this part of the world was witnessed
by few Spanish and American troops
4on shore, and by the Brooklyn, New
Work, Vixen and Vesuvius, lying with
in,a few hundred yards of the harbor
entrance.
Almost Immediately after the nag
waslhauled down steam launches COM
manded by Lieuts. Hobson and Pal
mer entered the harbor, penetrating
as far as the firing stations OF the
submarine mines. These mines were
judged to be not SO formidable as ex-
pected. and later in the afternoon they
were all exploded under the supervis-
ion of the Vixen. 1t was seen that
two mines had been exploded at the
time Of the entrance of the Merrimac
into the channel of the harbor, but it
is not thought probable that either of
them had anything to do with the
sinking of the craft.
Six or seven fine steamers in the
harbor fall as prizes to the navy and
army. The Spanish gunboat Alvarez
Rad already been taken possession of
by prize crew from the New York.
The other vessels lie at the other end
OF the harbor at Santiago proper.
Soon after noon
COMMODORE SCHLEY,
with Capt Cook, of the Brooklyn;
Lieut.. il H. Sears, the flag lieutenant;
Lieut.. B. W. Wells, the flag secretary,
and three invited correspondents of
the Associated Press, went into the
harbor on a steam launch which moved
slowly in order to make close obser-
walton of the Spanish forts and bat
teries. Every one expressed satisfac-
ton at the fact that Moro Castle was
not demolished by the bombardment,
Capt Cook saying: eve need Ell Nor
re as an object lesson, and America is
rather shy on ruins, anyhow"
The old fort stands on the bluff,
terrace fashion. From the waters
edge to the beetling cliff there are
huge caves formed by the action of the
waves and around the base and in the
superstructure are not a few caves
made by the navy's projectiles. It
would appear, however, that only one
bastion was knocked to pieces, while
the queer little sentry boxes, dating
back to the sixteenth century, escaped
almost intact. Moro Castle is the
only imposing fertilization in the har-
Dor, and it is only so in appearance
since not a gun is mounted within or
on the crumbled walls. In fact, all the
batteries, masked and open, dwindled
in their terror-inspiring qualities as the
inspection grew closer.
Growing the hill on the west side of
the entrance were the famous six-inch
rapidfire guns from the Spanish
cruiser Reina Mercedes. These were
ugly-looking and dangerous, while be-
low, on brick foundations, on the
western shore of the entrance, were
some revolving guns. These were the
ones which poured such a bitter fire
INTO THE MERRIMAC.
Directly east of Moro Castle, on the
crest Of the plateau-like cliff, were six
big guns, one or two of which were dis
mounted
The Estrella battery and a small
neighbor further in showed no guns,
while the famous Cayo Smith filled the
islet with blue, white and yellow
houses, situated in groves of towering
trees, some of the buildings looking
as if they had been the resorts of pleas
ure seekers in happier times. Others
were humble enough in appearance for
fishermen's houses. All were desert
ed, and, strange to say, not one ap-
parently, had been touched by a hostile
projectile.
On the inside slope and to the west
some hastily constructed easements
were seen, into which the Spanish gun
ners were wont to retire when our
ships opened fire. When the firing
ceased the gunners only had a few
steps to climb to their six-inch rapid
fire guns, which almost always fired a
few spiteful farewell shots.
At Punta Gorda there We're two four
inch guns, one above the other, neither
protected by even sand or earth. These
commanded the harbor entrance pretty
well, but they could have been silenced
by one well-directed heavy shell.
Commodore Schley has over and over
again expressed the belief that our
fleet probably could have entered the
harbor without the loss of a single
snip. The mines might have stopped
lngress by sinking the leading ship,
but this is the chance of war, and not
SO grave as many taken during the
CIVIL strife nor &c corioyc would