The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-05-19
SAN JUAN BATTLE.
Enemy's Loss Believed to BE Heavys Amer.
ican Loss, Two Killed, seven Wound.
ed-kiring Lasted Three Hours

Nl
On BOARD THE FLAG SHIP Iowa OFF
SAN JUAN DE ZORRO RICO, May ~ (via
st. Thomas, Danish West Indies, May
forts of san Juan de Porto
Rico were bonn barded by part of RI.
Adm. SIMPSONS feet Friday morn
ing. The enemy's loss is believed to
be heavy. The American loss is two
men killed and seven men injured.
After three hours firing the admiral
withdrew the fleet and heading for
Key West he said:
II am satisfied with the mornings
work. / could have taken San Juan;
but have no force to hold it. only
This has been done. l came for the
Spanish fleet and not for San Juan" :
The men killed were: Seamen Frank
Widemark, of the New York. Gum
ner's mate, of the Amphitrite; the lat
ter died from effects of extreme heat
OF the injured men, three were on
board the Iowa and four on board the
New York. The names of those slight
ly injured on the Iowa are: Seaman
Mitchell; Private Marine Merkle and
Apprentice HILL The injured on the
New York are: Seaman Samuel Felt
man, seriously; Seaman Michael
Murphy and two other enlisted men,
slightly injured. All the above named
We're injured by the bursting of shell
on the New York. This is complete
list of the killed and wounded.
The American ships were uninjured.
The engagement began at 5:15 a. m.
and ended at S:l5 a. m.
The enemy's batteries were not ST.
lenc.d. The town in the rear of the
fortitications probably suffered.
The ships taking part in the action
were the Iowa, Indiana, New York,
Terror, Amphitrite. Detroit, Mont
gomery. Wampatuck and Porter. The
enemy's firing was heavy but wild, and
the Iowa and New York were proba-
bly, the only vessels hit. They went
right up under the guns in column de.
livering broadsides and then returned.
The line passed thrice in front of the
forts. pouring tons of steel on shore.
1t is impossible to Judge the amount
of damage done to the buildings and
forts They appeared to be riddled
with shot; but the Spaniards We're
plucky The after turret of the Am
phitrite got out OF order temporarily
during the engagement, but she banged
away with her forward guns. After
the first passage before the forts the
Detroit and the Montgomery retired,
their guns being too small to do much
damage. The Porter and Wampatuck
also stayed out of range. The smoke
hung over everything, spelling the aim
of the gunners and making it impossi-
BILE to tell where our shots struck.
The officers and men of all the ships
behaved with GOODNESS and bravery.
The shots flew thick and fast over all
our ships.
MORO battery on the eastward arm
of the harbor, was the principal point
of attack. Rr. Adm. Sampson and
Capt. Evans were on the lower bridge
of the Iowa and had narrow escape
from flying splinters, which injured
three men.
The Iowa was hit eight times but
the shells made no impression on her
armor. The weather was fine but
the heavy swells made accurate aim
difficult. The broadsides from the
Iowa and Indiana rumbled in the hills
ashore for five minutes after they were
delivered. Clouds of dust showed
where the shells struck; but the smoke
hung over everywhere. The shells
screeching overhead and dropping
around showed that the Spaniards
still stuck to their guns.
Thrice the column passed from the
entrance of the harbor to the extreme
eastward battery.
Utter Indifference was shown for the
enemy's fire. The wounded were
quickly attended, the blood was wash.
ed away and everything proceeded
like target practice. At 7:45 am.
Adm. Sampson signaled: ''Cease
firing" Retire" was sounded
on the Iowa and she headed from the
shore. The Terror was the last ship
in the line and failing to see the sig
nal, banged away alone for about half
an hour, the concert of shore guns
roaring at her and the water flying
high around her from the exploded
shells. But she possessed a charmed