The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-14
COST OF A COMMANDMENT.
About $2OO.OOO Worth of Ammunition
Used at Santiago Last Week.


Copyright. 1898. by the Associated Press)
OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, with the
blockading fleet, Wednesday, June s, Sis
p. m, via Kingston. jamaica June 9, 1850
a. m. DELAYED in transmission -Approxi-
mately 100000 worth of ammunition was ex-
pended in Mondays bombardment, but ap-
parently it has not checked Spanish activity
on the earthworks The war ships losr a
quantity of crockery and other easily break
able things from the conclusion of the big
guns
Monday afternoon the lookout man on the
Brooklyn saw a boat approaching from a
point about four miles west of Ell Moro.
The Vixon went to meet it and brought to
the flagship three insurgents, who asked
for vessel to shell a Spanish force with
which the insurgents were then engaged
near the shore. The Marblehead. which had
been doing target practice, was sent on this
mission, and soon scattered the Spaniards,
with the result that the insurgents captured
the Spanish camp, tents and quantity Of
ammunition. One Of the Marblehead's shells
killed a Spanish captain and lieutenant,
fatally wounded a surgeon and injured sew
eral soldiers The exact losses of the Span
iards could not be determined, but they beat
a hasty retreat.
Yesterday (Tuesday), just before daylight,
there was another false alarm of a torpedo
attack, which called all the men to quar-
tiers. The moral effect of these repeated UNI
necessary calls is bad, and to obviate them
In the future, as far as possible, close
blockade of the harbor mouth by steam
launches will be maintained nightly.
The weather has been exceedingly rough
and has seriously interfered with coaling,
but this afternoon it shows signs of mod
Grating.
While the work of arming and feeding the
insurgents is pushed vigorously the Span
iards in Santiago are reported suffering
from an incipient famine, and Cuban Off
Ger, OFF shore yesterday. asserted that the
surgents. Yesterday Lieutenant Commander
armed three thousand Cubans with rifles,
ammunition and machetes. To-day he
landed three thousand rifles. 100000 rounds
of ammunition, large consignment of
machetes, quantity of medicine and sew
eral tons of bread and bacon.
The Cubans are very active, expressing
the greatest confidence and promising to
maintain a close blockade of Santiago on
the land side. Strict supervision is exer-
cised in the landing of arms and supplies,
and nothing is given to an insurgent camp
beyond what it can successfully defend
against any probable Spanish force The
insurgents represent their numbers as rap
idly increasing. Certainly they have shown
their ability in the neighborhood of Guam.
tanamo, where they have got possession of
the railway and telegraph termini. The
fine harbor there will make a good Amer
lean base.
The insurgents say that they watched
Mondays bombardment from the hills at
the rear of Santiago, that as many as 800
Spaniards were killed and several hundred
dismounted. Terrible execution was wrought
by the twelve-inch shells of the Texas III
their statement can be relied on, the Span
ish garrison at Santiago is on half rations,
and the town itself is even much worse off,
the military authorities refusing to sell citi-
zens provisions at any price. The insur-
gents predict that famine will cause the
speedy capitulation of Santiago.