The record-union., 1898-06-13

Iowa shattered the silence, and from
one end of the line to the other there
was an instant response to the firing
Through clouds of smoke the lo-incn
shells of the Iowa could be seen strik-
ing on the base Of the Estrella battery.
Some of the batteries on the hills
opened at once, but their good aim of
last week seemed destroyed by the
shower of shells from the fleet, for the
Spanish return shots flew far from the
mark.
The great difficulty seemed, so far as
be the dense clouds of smoke which
obscured the gunners' and range firers'
aim, but even with that great diff
Guilty the shooting was splendid.
The 13-inch shells from the Masachu-
setts and Oregon struck into the hills
near the batteries and threw up mount
aims Of earth even when they fell
trifle short.
The moral effect of the terrible power
must have been great, for battery after
battery was deserted by the Spaniards.
The Texas, with two 12-inch guns,
and the Iowa, with her four big guns,
rained on the hillside while the Brook
lyn and New York poured in a heavy
fire from destructive eight and five
inch guns. The Brooklyn headed in
further with her squadron Of fighters
when the smoke became too dense and.
then obtaining a new range, the ships
poured in a deadly rain of eight-inch
, and five-inch shells
In the meantime the shells from a
little Spanish fort on the water front
two miles off MORO Castle, opened on
the SuWanee, under the command of
Lieutenant Commander Deiehanty, and
the Vixen in command of Lieutenant
Sharp, and they moved in and fired
from their small guns, soon silencing it,
The great earthworks on the hill near
the flying squadron's end of the line
then began to throw shells in so close
to the Brooklyn and Massachusetts,
that it was determined to silence them
II possible. 1t was a difficult jCb, be-
cause the earthwork was 100 feet
above the water line and it required
great elevation of the guns AT S:22
O'Clock, after three-quarters of an hour
OF firing, Commodore Schley ordered
cease firing and the ships on the
west moved further in until they had a
good l,S0U-yardf range. Eight minutes
later the command to open fire was
away.
Following the whistle of the eight
1nch shell from the Broklyn's after
turret in charge of Lieutenant Russ
there was burst of fire from a block
mousse near this battery and a great
cheer from the men. Ten seconds later
the Massachusetts landed two 1O-inch
smells almost in the same spot and sig
naled that the battery. was silenced.
Big guns could still be seen on the
hill, but there were no gunners around
then In the meantime shells from
lew batteries of the enemy. which
were Keeping up a desultory firing.
were railing either very short or lust
over the ships. One burst over the
brooklyn and two others went danger
ously close to her. But only a few stay
lights We're injured.
In the meantime the four big battle
shlps We're pounding away at the Es
tfeila battery and the inside harbor de-
Iehses, ana the frightful explosion Of
the great shells could be seen causinp
terrible havoc.
DoWn at the eastern end of the line
the New York and New Orleans put
the cave batteries out of action in fif-
teen minutes. and then devoted the fire
OF their guns to the batteries on the
NIL, there being two masked batteries
west of MORO that We're very nasty
in their fire. The guns of the New
Orleans did deadly work. and the fir
ing from the Spaniards grew more and
more fitful.
The Estrella and Catalina batteries
We're silenced first and the blockhouses
on the eastern end We're burning.
AT 3:l9 o'clock the ships turned so
as to bring their unused port batteries
into play and opened a still more dis
astrous fire
At 3:3O o'clock the fitful fire from one
or two guns on the fortifications showed
that the Spaniards had practically de-
serted their batteries and would not
return the fire
Lieutenant Doyle's eight-inch guns
in the starboard turret of the Brooklyn
and Lieutenant Simpsons forward
eight-inch pair landed right in the
midst of the earthworks several times
with evident disastrous effects. The
flagship signaled at 9:31 O'Clock that
the batteries were evidently slenced,
but it was not until 1905 o'clock that
the firing was stopped. At that time
it was known that not a single shot of
the enemy had taken effect on our
ships.
When the firing finally stopped the
warships moved slowly away and
shot struck near the flying squadron's
end of the line. giving evidence that
the Spaniards had not been altogether
driven away from their guns, but had
run away from them only to come back
when the opportunity offered. One or
two stray shots struck Morro Castle.
but il was only slightly damaged about
the upper works.
1t is believed that both the Catalina