Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-29
THE BATTLE AT MATANZAS.
Account Of the figh, as Seen on The American
Flagship.
Tho New York Did the First Work, and
tho Puritan and Cincinnati Got FER
mission and Joined In.


bardment accomplished its purpose
and that without any loss of life on
the American side. 1t is believed that
the Spanlards must have sustained
some loss of life in addition to having
their nearly completed earthworks torn
UP by the explosion of shells. The cap
ture of the city was not at all contem-
plated, the object being to stop the
erection OF the batteries.
This engagement, the first in which
the United States navy has participant.
ed for about thirty years, occurred
quite unexpectedly.
The New York was lying about
twenty miles east of Havana at halt-
past 10 yesterday morning,when REAR
Admiral Sampson decided to steam 10
Matanzas At the entrance to tho
harbor the monitor Puritan and the
cruiser Cincinnati met the iiagshiP'
A stiff wind was blowing ana the
waves poured over the low bow ana
stern OF the monitor. At slow speed
the flagship proceeded toward the mar
Dor. the Puritan following half a mile
nstern and the Cincinnati about two
miles to the westward. Rear-Admirh
Sampson and Capt. Chadwick stood on
the high bridge. carefully surveying the
forts which had had the temerity TO
fire on the United States torpedo boat
Foote
When about three miles from Punta
Gorda, the extreme point of the east
ern end of the harhor, a long yellow
streak was seen on shore. 1t looked
like newly erected earthwork. Closei
inspection revealed number OF men
clustered around the shore. stu the
New York steamed slowly ahead UNI
til II was ascertained without any
dn,ht TINT tina Gnauiah trDqpg were
busy erecting what seemed to be
sand battery and had already got sew
eral guns into position.
Rear Admiral Sampson decided that
this was detrimental to II pnclfic block
ade. general quarters" was sounded.
The men rushed to their guns. When
the New York was about 1000 yards
from Punta Gorda. her helm was put 10
starboard, and commence firing the
bugler blew.
Naval Cadet Boone, in charge OF
Waist, the cight-inch gun amdshlps
on the port side. had the honor of firing
the first shot. The flagship shook from
stem to stern as the first projectile
mined by the United States al the
shore of Cuba flew from the muzzle of
the big gun. This was at l2:56 pm.
Fifty pairs of glasses We're leveled from
the flagship at the shore, II seemed
minutes before the yellow smoke
cleared away, but in reality II was less
than 1--WE seconds. Then little cloud
of dust was seen to rise at the right of
the earthworks. For the first attempt
at 1000 yards 1t was by no means bad
shot Without the aid of glasses the
objective point could be clearly
defined.
with deafening report the eight
inch gun In the forward turret let fly
its iron missile. 1t landed high The
after turret came next with the same
size projectile. A shout of delight went
up from the flagship as a dense cloud
rose very slowly from the very center
of the earthworks, showing how true
had been the aim. Then from the
entire port side fearful fusilade was
poured on the shore. the four turret
guns firing almost simultaneously, and
the four-inch guns adding their smaller
hail When the smoke blew away Pun
Ia Gorda was dotted with dust clouds
that looked like miniature geysers
sprlnging suddenly from the earth.
Each showed where shot had
struck
At this stage the guns at the Quintas
del Recro battery were observed to be
firing on the flagship This fort is on
the eastward arm of the hnrbor, 1000
yards from where the flagship was ly>
ing. 1t liz provided with four four-inch
guns. The tlagship's fire was at once
directed upon 1t.
UP 10 tnlS DeTloi tine view 1Oth
had been in the firing alone. Capt.
Harrington on the Puritan. and
Capt. Chester on the Cincinnati. had
drawn up and were vigorously signal
ing for permission to fire. When this
was reported to Rear-Admiral Samp-
son, he said: AN right, tell them to
go ahead" So, while the New York
was commencing fire on Quintas del
Recro. the Puritan took a position to
the eastward and opened on the same
point. The Cincinnati went to the
westward and poured rapid fire
broadside into the earthworks on Pun
ia Gorda.
OCCASIONALLY shots from Qulntas del
Recro could be seen coming in the di-
rection of the New York. All fell
very short and ut no time threatened
the ship. Only about ten shots are be-
lieved to have been fired from this bat
terry during the whole engagement.
However. there may have been more.
1t is possible that its guns may have
been disabled, as two S-inch shells
were distinctly seen to land spuarely in
the fort. Its distance from the ship
was SO great, and the smoke, which the
wind took in its directlonso thick, that
It was hard to judge the effect Of the
fire, and still harder to get good aim.
For about FIVE minutes Quintas del
Recro got the full benefit of the port
hroadsides OF the New York and
Puritan What its ultimate fate
would have been is hard to tell had
not attention been divrted from It by
a shell from Punta Gorda, which
whigZed over the New York and fell
a little short Of the Cincinnati.
Leaving Quintas del Recro to the ton
der rlercies of the Puritan, which
was still merrily banging away, Capt,
Chadwick put his helm to starbnard
until the port battery once more bore
on the Punta Gorda earthworks. An
other shell came from shore whlz2lng
along over the flagship. "ToO high
but better shot than ! thought they
could make" said an officer.
Then the Cincinnati and New
York poured shot into the yellow
earthworks and the surrounding land
until the smoke hid everything from
view. Only one more shot from Punta
New York by about 200 yards. II
was believed to come not from the
sarthworks, but from field battery on
the brow Of slight hill about half n
mile further inland than the earth
works In fact, 1t is doubtful whether
any shots We're fired form the earth
works after the two or three broad
sides had been poured into them.
What became Of the soldiers seen on
Punta Gordo Ia not known Some de
rlared they saw them runniug Ia the
brow Of the hill where the field bar.
tory was thought to he stationed br'
this, rs well as the estimate Of tn
hnemy's number, wi'ch ranged rrcn,
.oo TO 1000. was purely suppnslron.