Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-07-21

sovereignty OF Spain in this part of the
world was witnessed by few Spanish
and American troops on shore, and by
the Brooklyn, New York, Vixen and
Vesuvius, lying within a few hundred
yards of the harbor entrance Almost
Immediately after the flag was hauled
down steam launches, commanded by
Lieutenants Hobson and Palmer entered
the harbor, penetrating as far as the
firing stations of the submarine mines.
These mines We're judged not to be so
formidable as expected and later in the
afternoon they We're all exploded under
the supervision of the Vixen 1t was
seen that two mines had been explode.
at the time of the entrance of the Mer-
rimac into the channel Of Santiago har-
Dor, but it is Eot thought that either Of
ing Of the craft. Six or seven steamers
in the harbor fall as prizes to the army
and navy. The Spanish gunboat
Alvarez, had already been taken posses
sion OF by a 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 Captain Cook of the Brook
lyn, Lieutenants Sears and Wells, and
three invited correspondents of the AS
sociated Press, went into the harbor on
steam launch, which moved slowly in
order to make close observations of the
Spanish forts and batteries. Everyone
expressed satisfaction at the fact that
Morro castle was not demolished by the
bombardment, Captain Cook saying:
"We need Ell MORO as an object lesson
and America is rather shy on ruins any
how.''
The old forts stand on the bluff, ter
race fashion. Around the base in the
superstructure are few caves made
by the navy's projectiles. 1t would ap-
pear, however, that only one bastion
was knocked to pieces, while the queer
little sentry boxes, dating back to the
10th century, escaped almost intact.
Moro castle is the only imposing
fortifcation in the harbor and it is only
SO in Importance, since not gun is
mounted within or on the crumbled
walls In fact, all the batteries, masked
and open, dwindled in their terror-in-
spring qualities as the inspection grew
closer. Crowning the hill on the west
side OF the entrance were the famous g.
inch rapid fire guns from the Spanish
cruiser Reina Mercedes. These We're
ugly looking and dangerous, while be-
low Oh big foundations on the western
shore Of the entrance We're some revolv-
ing guns. These We're the ones which
poured such a bitter fire into the Merri-
mac Directly east Of MORO castle, on
the crest of the plateau like cliff, We're
six big guns, one or two Of which had
| been dismounted.
Commodore Schley has over and over
again expressed the belief that our feet
probably could have entered the harbor
without the loss Of single ship. The
mines might have stopped ingress by
sinking the leading ship, but this
is the chance of war, and not so
grave as many taken during the civil
strife, nor as serious as would have been
the situation had there been good bat
teries, properly manned, in the harbor.
Wreck of Reina Mercedes.
Commodore Schley's party first
steamed around the wreck of the Reina
Mercedes, which lies with her bow
pointed toward the city. She had list
to starboard and rested on reef near
the foot of Moro cliff The cruiser was
sunk to the upper deck, on which one
6-inch gun remained. One torpedo tube
was loaded and the auxiliary battery
seemed i'll place. Evidently the crew of
the Reina Mercedes left her in hurry.
This is less to be wondered at when it is
noted that there Were great gaps i'll her
sides, showing where two ~ and two 49,
inch shells had struck her. About 600
yards ahead of the Reina Mercedes and
almost in line with her was the wreck
of the Merrimac, lying in fully six
fathoms OF water, on the very edge of
the channel. Had aot the current