The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-07
FORTS BATTERED DOWN,

]
of the place and thence make a close
| assault upon Santiago, which in view
| OF the present condition of its fortifi-
| cations may be expected to yield very
| soon after the beginning of such an at
ltack.
| Heavy cannonading was opened upon
! Aguadores at about midday yesterday.
| 1he latest adviceS received here from
| Spanish sources do not indicate the
| duration of the fire, or whether Amer
!can troops and siege guns were actual
| ly landed at AguadOres, but from the
| information obtainable, it cannot be
| doubted that the net result OF Mondays
| hghtlng was extremely disastrous to
| the Spanish defences.
| 1t is also understood here that the
| Cuban troops maintained Throughout the
| greater part of yesterday an attack by
! land upon Santiago and the Spanish
reports say the garrison lost heavily
| in killed and wounded.
| The military commander of Santiago
! de Cuba acknowledges the following
| casualties among the land forces, Col.
| Ordonez, Capt. Sanchez, Lieut.. Yrisza
J of the artillery and Perez and Garcia,
| both Spanish officers whose rank is not
mentioned. These officers were killed
! The Spaniards also admit the loss of 21
| infantry seriously injured and say one
more was killed. But it is said the loss
| heavy. In the naval force the Span
| iards say that the officer who was sec
| ond in command of the partly disman-
| tied Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes
1
killed The Spanish sailors wounded lit
! is asserted number 16 men.
The loss on the American side the
| Santiago reports say is not known.
The Spaniards acknowledged that
great deal of damage was inflicted on
| the Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes and
/ they say MOrro castle shows great
gaping breaches in its walls.
Later in the day it appears a landing
| of American troops was effected near
Daiquiri some distance east of Aqua
dores and near the railroad station con-
Meeting with Santiago de Cuba. Later
an engagement took place between the
American force and a column of Span
ish troops, which had been sent against
the landing party. The accounts of the
battle Obtainable here being from
Spanish sources do not set forth the
| result and therefore it is to be inferred
that the Americans were victorious
and that it is the belief which prevails
here
There is a report current at Cape
Haytien that the first class armored
Spanish cruiser Maria Teresa was sunk
yesterday by fire of the American ships
1t is said that only 500 American
troops were landed at Daiquiri, or pos
sibly at Aguadores, the two places
being confused in the reports reach
ing here. It seems to be admitted that
the fire of the American soldiers was
so accurate that the Spaniards were
compelled to flee from the Notifications
they were defending.
New York, June IA special from
Cape Haytien describing the lombard
ment of Santiago de Cuba, on Monday
says that the forts at the entrance of
the harbOr are now a mass of ruins
| Morro is a shapeless pile of ruined
masonry and dismantIed guns and the
Estrella battery is utterly ruined. This
result the dispatch SAYS was the work
of ten American ironclads which passed
back and forth from Fort Cabrera on
the west to Port AguadOres on the east
of the harbOr entrance, discharging
their heavy guns as they steamed along
so that scarcely a yard of the coast
escaped the deadly cannOnading AT
Port AguadOreS the fort recently con-
structed by Col. Ordenez, the famous
artillery expert, was blown to dust and
Col Ordenez himself was badly wound
ed by the flying splinters. Captain
SancheS and Lieut.. Oryza, artillerymen,
were also wounded.
Two infantry lieutenants, Garcia and
Perez and twenty-One privates are re-
ported fatally wounded.
Later in the day the American ships
moved closer toward the mouth of the
harbor, where the old cruiser Reina
Mercedes had been discerned, attempt
ing to place explosives about the hull
of the Merrimac to blow her to pieces
and clear the channel.
A 13-inch shell from the Oregon
landed squarely abaft her pilot house
and tore all her upper works to shreds.
Her second commodore" five of her
sailors and marine were killed.
A second lieutenant of the Reina
Mercedes and sixteen of her seamen
were very seriously wounded.
A perfect shower of shell and shot
fell upon and around the old cruiser
I and she was so badly damaged that her
crew by order of Admiral Cervera,
abandoned the ship for the shore for
safety.
About noon a landing jarty of Ameri-
can marines near DaiQuiri was at
tackled by Spanish infantry and a
squad of cavalry. The insurgents were
posted in the neighborhood and with
the aid of the marines, successfully
took up a position holding it and
later making it a base from which
they operated. The Spanish force was
defeated with heavy loss and driven
back toward Santiago leaving their
wounded behind them.
The Americans are now entrenched
near Daiquiri and are landing heavy
guns preparatory to moving them
toward Santiago and laying siege to
the city. There is a panic in Santiago.
The residents who can are fleeing to
the country, joining the insurgents or
doing anything to get away from the
certain destruction that now awaits
| Cervera's fleet and the forces of Pando
| and Linares.
London. June IA dispatch to the
Financial News from Cape Haytien,
| dated Monday, says:
AT daylight this morning the Ameri-
| can troops landed at Aguadores, a few
| miles east of Santiago de Cuba. under
! cover of Admiral SIMPSONS guns. The
| batteries were silenced after a sharp
| bombardment."
SPANISH VERSION.
It is Admitted That Moro Castle Was
! DAMAGED