New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-30
THE AFFAIR AT MATANZAS.
~ ACCOUNT WRITTEN FROM THE FLAG.
SHIP NETWORK.
ruAr IT rs TO Re ABOARD wARsHrP IN
.cr1oN-PERFEcr DISCIPLINE AND SELF
CONTROL vERYwHERE-ADMIRA-
BILE MARKMANsHIP

CONTROL ERYwHERE-ADMIRA-
BILE MARKMANsrIP.
tc,opvright 1898. by the Associated Pre.s)
IN the Flagship New-York off Havana. April
&C 10 a H. via Key West. April o9-The bonn
,ardn,ent Of the Matanzas batteries Is now a
,oa,ter Of history. The flagship has returned to
,ar station off FL Moro. AS already briefly
.ts,ed In these dispatches. the bombardment ac-
,ompushed its purpose in full. and that without
.nv loss Of life on the American side II is be-
,,sved the Spaniards must have sustained some
loss OF life. in addition to having their nearly
completed earthworks and Notifications torn up
nv the explosion OF shells. The capture OF the
city was not contemplated the object being TO
.,op the erection Of the batteries
This engagement. the first in which the United
states Navy has participated Tor about thirty
years occurred quite unexpectedly The New
York lying about twenty miles east Of
Havana at 1870 o'clock yesterday morning
when Rear-Admiral Sampson decided 10 steam
N Matanzas. At the entrance to the harbor the
monitor Puritan and the cruiser Cincinnati met
the flagship a stiff wind was blowing. and the
waves rolled over the low bow and stern of the
monitor. At slow speed the flagship proceeded
toward the harbor, the Puritan following half
4 mile astern. and the Cincinnati about two
miles the westward Admiral Sampson and
Captain Chadwick stood on the bridge. carefully
surveying The forts which had the temerity TO
IRE on the United States torpedo boat Foote
When about three miles from Punta Gorda.
the extreme point Of the western arm Of the
harbor a long yellow streak was seen shore.
It looked like a newly erected earthwork. Closer
inspection revealed a number Of men clustered
around the shore. Still the New-York steamed
slo
any doubt that the Spanish troops were busy in
erecting what seemed TO be a sand battery. and
had already got several guns into position
THE FIRST SHOT
Admiral Sampson decided that this detri-
mental 70 a pacific blockade. General quar-
tsrs" was sounded The men rushed 10 their
guns When the New-York was about four
thousand yards from Punta Gorda her helm
was put 70 starboard and Begin firing" the
bugler blew. Cadet Boone in charge Of Waist
the S-inch gun amidships the port side, had
the honor Of firing the opening shot. The flag
ship shook from stem to stern as the first pro-
lectre aimed by the United States at the shore
Of Cuba few from the muzze If the big gun
This was at - Sc p. m Fifty pairs Of glasses
were levelled from the flagship at the shore. II
seemed minutes before the yellow smoke cleared
away, but In reality II was less than five sec
pndA Then little cloud OF dust was seen to
rise at the right Of the earthworks. For the
nrst attempt at 1000 yards it was by no means
q bad shot.
without the aid Of glasses the objective point
could be clearly defined. with deafening roar
the S-inch gun in the forward turret let fly It's
iron missile. It landed high. The after turret
came next with the same sized projectile
shout Of delight went up from the flagship as a
dense cloud rose slowly from the very centre OF
the earthworks showing how true had been the
aim. Then from the entire port side fearful
fusillade was poured the shore, the four tur-
ret guns firing almost simultaneously and the
A-inch guns adding their smaller hail When
the smoke blew away Punta Gorda was dotted
with dust clouds that looked like miniature
eeysers springing suddenly from the earth Each
showed where shot had struck
-, AT this stage the guns In the Quintas da Re
creo battery were observed to he firing the
flagship This fort is the eastward arm 81
the harbor, 1000 yards from where the flagship
was lying II is provided with four S-inch guns
The fagships fire at once directed upon IT,
OTHER SHIPS JOIN ~.
Up to this period the New-York had been FIR
ing alone Captain Harrington, on the Puritan,
and Captain Chester. on the Cincinnati had
drawn up and were vigorously signalling for
permission 10 fire When this was reported ~
Admiral Sampson he said "Al right; tell them
IN go ahead" SO. while the New-York was
opening fire on Quintas ia Recreo. the Puritan
took a position 70 the eastward and opened on
the same point The Cincinnati went 70 the
westward and pounded a rapid fire broadside
into the earthworks on Punta Gorda-
Occasionally shots from Quintas da Recreo
could be seen coming In the direction Of the
New-York. All fell very short and at no time
n,1U on re-
believed TO have been fred from this battery
during the whole engagement. However. there
may have been more. 1t is possible that its guns
have been disabled. as two S-nch shells were
distinctly seen 10 land square IN the fort It's
distance from the ship was so great and the
smoke. which the wind took In rs direction. so
thick. that II was hard Judge the effect Of the
fire and still harder 10 get good aim. For about
five minutes Quintas da Recreo got the fuH
benefit OF the port broadsides OF the New YORK
and the Puritan.
GETTING CLOSER TO TIE MARK
What its ultimate fate would have been IL
hard 10 tell had not attention been diverted
from It by A shell from Punta Gorda that
whizzed over the New-YOrk and fell niue
short OF the Cincinnati. Leaving Quintas ia
Recreo 10 the tender mercies Of the PURITAN
which still merrily banging away captain
Chadwick put his helm TO starboard until the
port battery once more bore on the Punta "orua
earthworks. Another shell came from shore
whizzing along the flagship. TOO high
hut better shot than-I thought they couId
make" said officer Then the cincinnati ana
the NewYors poured shot into the yellow earth-
works and the surrounding land until the smoke
hid everything from view. Only one more shot
from Punta Gorda was noticed. 1t fell short OF
the New York by about two hundred yards II
was believed 70 have come. not from the earth-
works. but from field battery on the bro" OF
slight hill about half a mile further inland than