The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-05-18
DOSES OF STEEL.
Sampson's Warships Hurled Them
at San Juan's Forts.
The spaniards Were Plucky and Replied
with Vigor to the Cannonade Two
American seamen KiIled-Defend-
ers of Porto Rico's Capital Suf-
fered Severe Losses.

On board flagship Iowa, off San
Juan, Porto Rico, via st. Thomas, May
14.-The forts of San Juan, Porto
Rico, were bombarded by part of Rear
Admiral SIMPSONS feet Thursday
morning. The enemy's loss is believed
to be heavy. The American loss is two
men killed and seven injured.
After three hours firing the admiral
withdrew the feet and, heading for
Key West, he said: 81 am satisfied
with the mornings work. could have
taken San Juan, but have no force to
hold it. only wanted to administer
punishment. This has been done. l
came for the Spanish feet and not for
San Juan"
The men killed were Seaman Wide
mark, of the New York, and the gun
ner's mate of the Amphitrite. The lat
ter died from the effect of the extreme
heat. OF the injured men three were
on board the Iowa and four on board
the New York. All those hurt on the
New York were injured by the burst
ing of shell. The American ships
were uninjured.
The engagement began at 5:15 a. m.
and ended at SIS a. m. The enemy's
batteries were not silenced The town
in the rear of the Notifications prob
ably suffered. The ships taking part
in the action were the Iowa, Indiana,
New York, Terror, Amphitrite, De-
troit, Montgomery, Wampatuck and
Porter. The enemy's firing was heavy
but wild, and the Iowa and New York
were probably the only ships hit.
They went right up under the guns in
column, delivered broadsides and then
returned. The line passed thrice in
front of the forts, pouring tons of
steel on shore. 1t is impossible to Judge
the amount of damage done to the
buildings and forts. They appeared to
be riddled with shot, but the Spaniards
were plucky. The after turret Of the
Amphitrite got out of order temporarily
during the engagement, but she banged
away with her forward guns.
After the first passage before the
forts the Detroit and Montgomery re-
tired, their guns being too small to do
much damage. The Porter and Wam-
patuck also stayed out of range. The
smoke hung over everything, spelling
the aim of the gunners and making it
impossible to tell where our shots
struck. The officers and men of all the
ships behaved with GOODNESS and brav-
cry. The shots flew thick and fast
over all our ships The men of the
Iowa who were hurt during the action
were injured by splinters thrown by an
S-inch shell which came through a
boat into the superstructure and scat
tered fragments in all directions.
Morro battery, on the eastward arm
of the harbor, was the principal point
of attack. Rear Admiral Sampson and
Capt. Evans were on the lower bridge
of the Iowa and had narrow escape
from flying splinters, which injured
three men. The Iowa was hit eight
times, but the shells made no inn
preston on her armor. The weather
was fine, but the heavy swells made ac-
curate aim difficult. The broadsides
from the Iowa and Indiana rumbled in
the hills ashore for five minutes after
they were delivered. Clouds of dust
showed where the shells struck, but
the smoke hung over everything.