The western recorder., 1898-05-26


On Thursday morning. May IL. the
gunboat Wilmington steamed close In
to the coast and keys on the town OF
Cardenas. Crba- Its gun crews were at
their stations and every man on board.
from Captain Todd to the signal boy,
had but one burning idea. "Avenge the
Winslow."
The watchword along the crowded
decks and In the heated engine room.
where the blackened giants toiled
stripped to the waist. was Remember
the winslow." and Damn a pacific
blockade"
Within range of the powerful four
inch broadsIdes were the Spanish gun
boats which had decoyed the Winslow
up to the masked batteries and had
dealt out sudden death. and near the
forts lay two schooners at anchor.
Reports Of mines planted in the en-
trance to the channels were disregard
ed. The Wilmington was no longer
blockader. 1t had become destroyer,
and for e. s,eur hurricane OF explod-
ing projectiles beloved and shrieked
into the harbor of Cardenas. not
against the town, but against the ships
and defenses, and the Spanish troops
and sailors. The gunners OF the VIII
mington do not waste ammunition, and
the execution was remarkable.
Nearly 300 four-inch. one-inch, and
six-pound shells screamed shoreward
like a steel cataract, and afoat and
ashore signal stations. masked batter
les. and forts were knocked to pieces
and the Spanish had to fee like rats
from sinking ship. They left behind
many dead and dying.
1t was the most destructive lombard
ment yet attempted on the Cuban
coast. In the harbor two Spanish gun
boats without steam up were riddled
and sunk. their crews having fled to
the shore In small boats. They had no
time to offer show of fighting their
guns. The two schooners at anchor
were sunk where they lay. and one
block house caught fire from an explod-
ing shell and famed out like war
beacon. The Wilmington was not
touched by the few shells flung at it.
The attack was sudden and superbly
effective. The Wilmington in an hour
swept Cardenas bare of defenses as one
would brush crumbs from table
cloth.
Tho town OF Cardenas Is three miles
back from the gulf entrance to the har-
bor, so that non-combatarts probably
suffered but slightly. OF course. It is
impossible to know the Spanish losses,
I. Iar fx,u ,,Jo b..s o.
the last two weeks troops have been
massing in front OF Cardenas in antici-
patton OF n possible choice of this
point for an invasion MS the base of
supplies by the American forces. Hun
dreds OF men were working on earth
works and block houses overlooking
the harbor, and masked batteries
were being planted. one of which sur
prised and made sad havoc on the tor
pedo boat Wlnslow. This death trap
was located by the Wilmington and
men and guns were blown high into
the air.
1t was terrific punishment at close
range. this fierce onslaught OF the VIII
sx,sueton. ma 1t was the hrst real DEM
onstration against the Cardenas Span
ish, who had become Indifferent to
American warships that were always
lowering outside. while only smaller
torpedo boats had opened fire and dash
ed menacingly shoreward. 1t was an
other matter. however, when the Will
mington, with its eight four-inch guns
and secondary battery and nest of
machine guns in It's formidable fight
Ing top. slowly circled over the smooth
sea which gave its gunners platform
as steady as solid rock 1t was no
longer target practice. but spectacle.
It was death in the squirting flame and
enveloping smoke cloud. and the only
respite came when the sweating gun
ners paused to let the smoke fog drift
away.
The commander OF the Wilmington
hailed us next morning and reported
terseIy that che had thrown nearly 800
shells into Cardenas. inflicting consid-