The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-03
ONLY EIGHTEEN MINUTES
Is Needed to Annihilate
Spanish Forts.
THE SPANISH SURPRISED

ships To Hegsre-h Ftre
With VfSor-FearfuI Destruction by
the Big Guns-The Last Shot From
the Purftane~ Pet-Every Spanish Gun
SiIeuced spanish Account OF the
Battle.
Key West. April 2S.-The lombard
| ment OF the forts of MatanZas by the
United States cruiser New York, the
flagship OF Admiral Sampson. the mon
itor Puritan and the cruiser Cincinnati
is eagerly discussed here, and every in
cident of the affair is weighed n re-
| weighed by army and navy officers and
the newspaper men.
From the fact hat the Spaniards
! opened fire on our warships while the
latter were making a reconnaissance in
! force and when the vessels were nearly
five miles out from the batteries, leads
To the belief that the enemy believed
hat all that was necessary to induce
the United States fleet to move further
away was for the batteries to open fire
on them. But, if, from former expert
ence, they bad reached this conclusion,
they found that forbearance had each
ed the limit, and they must have been
intensely astonished when the New
York, being : the fartest west. but
the nearest in shore, opened fire with
her batteries with a vengeance, and
Steaming nearer shore. accompanied by
her consorts, made such excellent prac-
tice with her guns that in eighteen
minutes every Spanish gun was silenc-
ed.
1t would have been worth a years pa
to any one to have seen effects of the
last shot fired-that from the Puritan'S
Finch pet, when a mass of stones,
earth and abattis went sixty feet in
the air, falling in the rear of the spot
where a Spanish gun had been but a
few minutes before.
There must have been many casual
ties on the Spanish side, since the rap
id-fire guns were used on all the ships,
as well as those of larger calibre. 1t
seems to be the general opinion hat
the Spaniards had nothing heavier
than S-inch guns, and that they had
very poor gunnerS with any of their
ordnance. However, just before the
Spanish batteries were Silenced, one
gun on the west side of the harbor
seemed TO be getting the range of the
flagship, several shots striking near the
New York and on both sides of her. If
the purpose of the reconnaissance and
the subsequent cannOnade was to Sc
cure an available place for the landing
later of United States troops, such pur-
pose has been well accomplished. for
no doubt exists that the Spanish
batteries at MatanZas have been silenc-
ed for good, or at least for a longer
time than will be necessary to effect a
landing.
SPANISH ACCOUNT OF THE BAT
TIE.
Madrid, April 2S.-The version of the
b~ombardment of Matanzas by the Unit
ted States fleet which has reached here.
says that after half an hours fight
ing the Americans were obliged to re-
treat" Little credence is attached in
Madrid to the dispatches from New
York telling of the bOmbardment Of
Matanzas, as the latter conflict with
the official reports" The latter. in ad-
dition to saying the Americans were
obliged to retreat" admit that sew
eral men were killed." and that some
damage was done to the town. also
saying that the american loss is not
knOWn."
The forts of Havana, it is
ed here have not yet fired a single
prOJectile, the CannO shots being
merely signal guns.
Copyright by Associated Press.)
On the flagship. off Havana. April
Is. l a. m. via Key West April %
The bombaTdfnent Of Matanzas bat
terleS is now a matter Of history. The
flagship has returned to her station off
FL MORO. II is believed the Spanish
must have sustained some loss Of life
in addition to having their nearly com
pleted earthworks and Notifications
torn up by the explosion OF shells. The
capture Of the city was no; al all con-
templated. the object being TO stop the
erection OF the batteries.
The New York was lying about
twenty miles east Of Havana at 1890
o'clock yesterday morning when Rear
Admira4 Sampson decided u steam to
M~atanzas. AT the entrance to the mar
Dor the monitor Puritan and the
cruiser Cincinnati met the flagship. 4
stiff wind was blowing and the waves
poured over the low bow and stern Of
the monitor. At slow speed the flag
ship proceeded tOwari the harbor the
Puritan following a half a mile asteTn
and the Cincinnati about two miles -
the westward. Rear Admiral Sampson
and Captain Chadwick stood on the
high bridge. When about three miles
from Punta GCrda. the extreme point
Of the eastern arm Of the harbor. a
long yellow streak was seen on shore.
1t looked Ike a newly erected earth
works. Closer inspection revealed a
number Of men clustered . the
shore. Still the New York steamed
slowly ahead until il was a~scertained
without any doubt that the Spanish
troops Were busy in erecting what
seemed 10 be a Sand battery and al
ready gotten several guns into posi-
ton.
Rear Admiral Sampson decided that
his was detrimental 10 a pacific block
ade. General quarters" was oun
ed. The men rushed to their guns.
When the New York was about 1900
yards from Punda Gorda. her helm
was put to and commence
firing" the bugler blew Naval Cadet