Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-05-19
SHIELDED SAN JUAN.
Sampson Attacks the Batteries De-
Tending the City.
RetiEcs without Attempting Capture
of the Town - Two of Our
Men Killed and Seven
Wounded.

ceived the following dispatch from Ad-
miral Sampson. 1t was dated at ST.
Thomas, May IL, and was as follows:
"a portion of the squadron under my
command reached San Juan this morning
at daybreak. No armed vessels were
found In the port AS soon as 1T was suf-
ficiently light / commenced attack upon the
batteries defending the city. This attack
lasted about three hours and resulted in
much damage to the batteries and inciden-
tally to a portion of the city adjacent to
the batteries. The batteries replied to our
fire, but without material effect. One man
was killed on board the New York and
seven slightly wounded in the squadron.
No serious damage to any ships resulted.
"(Signed SAMPSON"
Admiral SIMPSONS statement that
he attacked with only portion of his
fleet is taken to indicate that he did not
find it expedient to take the entire
squadron into the harbor, though it is
not believed he has separated his fleet.
The navy department officials were at
a loss to know how his dispatch reached
ST. Thomas until the press dispatch an
nounced the presence of the Yale at ST.
Thomas.
The BOmbardment from the Flagship.
On board the Flagship Iowa, Off San
Juan de Puerto Rico. May IL (via st. Thorn
as, Danish West Indies, May D.-The forts
of San Juan de Puerto Rico were bonn
barded by part of Rear Admiral Samp-
sons fleet Friday morning. The enemy's
loss is believed to be heavy The Ameri-
can loss is two men killed and seven men
injured. After three hours firing the ad-
miral withdrew the fleet, and. heading for
Key West, he said: 81 am satisfied with
the mornings work. I could have taken
San Juan, but have no force to hold it.
only wanted to administer punishment.
This has been done. came for the Spanish
fleet, and not for San Juan"
Killed and Wounded.
The men killed were: Seaman Frank
Widemark, of the New York, and Gun
ner's Mate -, of the Amphitrite. The lat
ter died from effects of the extreme heat
OF the injured men three were on board
the Iowa and four on board the New York.
The names of those slightly injured on the
Iowa are: Seaman Mitchell, Private Ma
rine Merkle, Apprentice Hill. The injured
on the New York are: Seaman Samuel
Feltman, seriously: Seaman Michael Muir
ply, two other enlisted men, slightly in
jured. All the above-named were injured
by the bursting of shell on the New York.
This is complete list of the killed and
wounded. The American ships were I'M
injured.
story of the Battle.
d. III.
ended at SIS a. m. The enemy's batteries
were not silenced. The town in the rear
Of the Notifications probably suffered. The
ships taking part in the action were the
Iowa, Indiana, New York, Terror, Am
phitrite, Detroit, Montgomery. Wampa-
tuck 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 col
umn, delivering broadsides, and then re-
turned. The line passed thrice in front of
the forts. pouring tons of steel on shore.
MORO Battery the Target.
Moro battery, on the eastward arm of
the harbor, was the principal point of at
tack. Rear Admiral Sampson and Capt. |
Evans were on the lower bridge of the Iowa
and had a narrow escape from flying splin-
tiers, which injured three men. The Iowa
was hit eight times, but the shells made no
impression on her armor. The weather was
fine, but the heavy swells made accurate
aim difficult. The broadsides from the
Iowa and Indiana rumbled in the hills
ashore for five minutes after they were de-
livered. Clouds of dust showed where the |
shells struck, but the smoke hung over
everything. The shells screeching over
head and dropping around showed that |
the Spaniards still stuck to their guns
AT three O'Clock in the morning all hands |
were called on the Iowa, a few final touches
In clearing ship were made, and at five |
general quarters sounded. The men were
eager for the fight. The tug Wampatuck
went ahead and anchored, her small boat
to the westward showing ten fathoms, but
there was not sign OF life from the fort, |
which stood boldly against the sky on the |
eastern hills hiding the town. The Detroit
steamed far to the eastward opposite Val |
tern. The Iowa headed straight for the
shore. Suddenly her helm flew over, bring |
ing her starboard battery to bear on the
Notifications. AT 5:15 a.. m. the Iowa's for
ward 12-inch guns Numbered out at the |
sleeping hills, and for IA minutes she
poured starboard broadsides on the coast. |
Meanwhile the Indiana, the New York and
other ships repeated the dose from the |
rear. The Iowa turned and came back to
the Wampatuck's boat and again led the |
column, the forts replying fiercely, concen- |
trating on the Detroit, which was about |
700 yardSaway, all the batteries on the east
ward arm of the harbor. Thrice the column
passed from the entrance of the harbor to |
the extreme eastward battery.
ships Retire.
At 7:45 a. m. Admiral Sampson signaled |
cease firing" Retire" was sounded on |
the Iowa, and she headed from the shore.
The Terror was the last ship in the line,
and, falling to see the signal, banged away
alone for about half an hour, the concert |
Of shore guns roaring at her and the water |
flying high around her from the exploded |
shells. But she possessed a charmed life !
and reluctantly retired at Sis. ~
Inflicted Much Damage.
AS at Matanzas, the unsatisfactory con- |
dition, the smoke and the distance pre- 4
vented any important conclusions being 4
drawn. The town of San Juan must have
suffered, although protected by the hills. |
as the high shots must have reached IL. |
No traces of the bombardment were dis
cernible on the forts except small fires,
which were apparently extinguished before
the fleet left.
1t is impossible to Judge of the amount of
damage done to the buildings and forts. |
They appeared to be riddled with shot, but
the Spaniards were plucky. After the first
passage before the forts the Detroit and
the Montgomery retired, their guns being
toe small to do much damage. The Porter
and Wampatuck also stayed out of range. |
The smoke hung over everything, spelling |
the aim of the gunners and making it inn
possible to tell where our shots struck. The
officers and men of all the ships behaved
with GOODNESS and bravery. The shots flew
thick and ia ST over all nllr ShinS