The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-15

New York, May IA correspond
ent of the World sends the following
dispatch from St Thomas. descriptive
of the bombardment of San Juan: Ad-
miral SIMPSONS fleet lay within sight
of San Juan de Porto Rico all Of We'd
nesday night. At 3 o'clock on Thurs
day morning au'hands on all the ships
were called. For an hour and Il half
each ship was the sleue Of an orderly
confusion as the 2,O00 sailors stripped
their ships, their guns and them
selves.
By 4:30 everything was in readiness
for the battle to begin-the second
great engagement of the war. AT 5:l5
came the call ITO quarters" and in
stantly every man was at his post and
ready anG eager to strike a blow IN
atonement for the Maine
The object of attack lay in plain
view, straight ahead to the south. The
forts and batteries of San Juan de
Porto Rico are on the coral reef guard
ing the entrance to the harbor.
1t was a glorious morning, the sky
unclouded, the air cool and brisk. a
long, heavy swell rolled toward the
shore and broke against the reef,
whose forts seemed to be asleep.
To mark the limits of the line OF bat
tie. the Detroit and the tug Waump9u-
tuck steamed Shoreward, the Detroit 10
the eastward, until she was able to
anchor her small boat in ten fathoms
of water lust out Of range of the great
fort of San Juan, MORO, which rises
on a hill at the end of the eastern arm
of the harbor.
MORO, OF course, was to be the center
of attack. In it were the seven six-inch
guns which Spain sent over as soon as
the war became certain and which rad
been hastily mounted and manned
with the best gunners in the colonial
army.
REMEMBER THE MAINE.
Soon after the Detroit and Waum-
pautuck were in place, Admiral Samp-
sons column of floating fortresses and
batteries began 70 move upon the
quiet and seeming sleeping fortress. In
the van was the Iowa, the flagship,
with the battlecry of the navy stream
ing in brilliant colored flags from her
mast Remember the Manner
Next came the huge Indiana, OF such
enormous bulk that she rode almost
steady, even upon that heavy sea The
New York followed, as formidable
battleship: then the low-lying mont
tors Amphitrite and Terror. They
bore straight for the shore IN a single
file. Long before the flagship was in
range there came a fash. cloud OF
smoke a roar. and - shell from the
walls of MORO. The shell fell far short.
The roar died away, and for IS min
utes the scene was as peaceful as be-
fore.
Suddenly the Iowa turned sharply to
the east She came around peacefully
until her starboard battery was point
ell Of nv7a Of hav aaf
inch guns burst into fame and a shell
sailed high toward Morro. 1t fell short,
but the response came-a roar from
all the batteries and forts along the
shore. A tremendous burst of sound
and smoke and fame. a shower of
shells that wasted themselves in the
sea So wild was the volley that even
had the Iowa been in range, none Of
the shots would have hit her.
The Iowa was now nearer and the
entire line of warships was in position
to attack the Spanish shore line. Each
snip was now firing, and each shore
gun was answering. But while the
Spanish aim was wild, the American
gunners fired with the calmness and
precision of experience in the target
practice.
The feet was soon enveloped in
smoke. and also the shore. Only out
lines could be made out, but it was ap-
parent that while the Spanish shells
issued from the smoke of the shore to
fall into the sea, the American shells
rushed from the fleets envelope of
smoke to bury themselves in the smoke
On shore.
FORTIFICATIONS DAMAGED.
And now and then, as the wind drift
ed the thick gray curtain aside, it
could be seen that the American ships
nd CHI
line of fortifcations that had been IN
broken was ruined in many places.
When the Iowa came up to the Waum-
pautuck stakeboat she turned and led
the column back again across the fire.
The fleet was now nearer and the Span
ish shells fell around the ships. Some
struck against the armor of the battle
ships-big six-inch shells-but they
bounded off, leaving hardly a dent be-
hind
one Spanish shell struck boat on
the Iowa, passed through it and en-
tered the superstructure, scattering
spIinters in every direction Three men
were injured. Admiral Sampson and
Captain Evans were on the tower
bridge and narrowly escaped the fly
ing fragments. In all the Iowa was
hit nine times.
Later q shell burst on the New York |
killing one man, injuring another Sc
verely and several slightly.
AWFUL HEAT.
At o'clock the day had become fur /
iously hot so that men were fainting |
below the decks and at the guns the |
gunners were streaming sweat as no |
man ever sweats, even in the hot room |
of Turkish bath. One man, a gun
ners mate on the Amphitrite, was
overcome and died in a few hours.
But the battle went on. The fleet was /
now steaming across the fortified front |
Of the island for the third time. The |
firing from the ships was undated, but |
many of the Spanish guns were silenced
and while the shower OF shells seemed
as thick as ever, the thinner cloud Of /
smoke, the leaping flames from burn
ing houses close TO the shore but behind
the Notifications, made the Americans