The evening times., 1898-08-06
4 VISIT TO MAhzAN|Ll0
The Blockaded City Ready 10
Surrender Internationally.
WITHOUT MEANS OF DEF. NSE
The Beach Strewn With Wrecks of
sie1bOats and Merchant Vessels.
Insurgents Under Salvador Rios
Pressing the TOwn-COm:nnnde
Of the Place Has Given Up Hope:

New York Aug. 6-The Herald corre-
spondent at Santiago telegraphs to that
paper. under yesterdays date, as fol-
lows:
Manzanillo. blockaded by the Hist and
Hornet with the wrecks of six eunboats
and three large merchant vessels strewn
along the beach. and with the insur-
gents under Salvador Rios pressing the
city closely from the east, is anxious to
surrender to the American troops
Negotiations tc this end already have
been started. and Commander Lucien
Young, of the Hist, yesterday sent COM
munication to Commodore Sampson suS-
gesting that another demonstration be
made before Manzanillo by a part of the
American feet, to pave the way for the
city's surrender.
Col. Sanchez Pirron, the Spanish gov
ernor in Manzanillo, is cut of from all
communication, has only 1000 troops,
many of whom are sick, and recognizes
the futility of further defense. lie Is
ready TO surrender Manzanii!o uncondi-
tionally, provided the American fleet Will
make demonstration before the city OF
such force as to save him from being
court-martialed for surrendering- The
only important defense the city had, the
pontoon Maria, which was equipped with
I2-pourder smooth bores. was sunk during
the bombardment on July IS. by the Wasp
and other warships commanded by Com
mander Todd and this left the place with
nothjng available for withstanding an
attack by sea.
Through the courtesy of Gen. Shafter
the Herald was allowed to send a re-
porter on the San Juan when 1t went
from here to Manzaniilo TO get the fami-
lies and baggage of Gen. Escario's ON
GERS. As l have explained in previous
dispatches this service was promised to
tine Spanish prisoners who came to San
tiago from Manzanillo to re-enforce Gen
Linares.
The San Juan eft the Moro at o'clock
on Monday evening. and arrived in Man
zanil:o on Tuesday evening. She entered
the harbor flying a tablecloth. which was
used as a flag of truce. IT was dusk, and
the inhabitants apparently did not COM
prehend the nature of the flag on the
San Juan. They thought the place was
to be bcmbarded again. as it had been
on July IS. and fed in CONSERVATION to
the north and east of the city.
Major Diario de la Puerte and Lieut..
jose Hernenez. the commissioners ap-
ish soldiers on board were sent ashore
TO explain :he object of the San Juan's
visit They asked Col Pirron to give
me permission to go ashore. and / re-
ceived a message the next morning
granting the request. provided / would
not visit the forsifcations
In both the town and harbor could be
seen the terrible effect of the lombard
ment by the American vessels Against a
wooden pier lay the steamship Jose Gar
cia. only her Smokestack boiler and
tangled, twisted iron post remaining yisi-
Die. This vessel had been gutted BY fire
me Purisima Conception is on the beach
io' yards TO the SOUTH while a little fur
tnef out. with only the top of her fun
mel and masts visible above the water
is the Gloria
This vessel had been filed with ex-
plosives. set atire and allowed 70 drif,
out of the harbor, in the hope that an
american ship would take it alongside
ana be blown up when the Gloria was
DESTROYED To the disappoin ment of
the Spaniaris. no American vessel took
the bait. and the Gloria was sunk alone
The pontoon Maria. the most formida
Die water battery in the harbor, was
burned. and Is now a charred mass
me gunboats. Cuba. Espanola. Guiana
namo. Estrella. De,gado Pareso and
Sentineila. all were sunk or beached In
front of the town.
Little damage was done in Manzanil-
10 by the shots from the American ves-
sels. Our fire was not directed at the
town itself although one shell set fire
TO the hospital. which burned to the
ground. Three soldiers and one woman
were killed
Arriving on shore. 1 found that Col.
firron had delegated Joseph Stack
mann. Norwegian consul and formerly
United States consular agent, to show
me about the place.
/ told Col. Pirron that the Madrid
government had sued for peace. and out
lined the terms that were being consid-
cred. 1t was the first he had heard of
the negotiation and he seemed to be
kecnly interested.
Il am glad that peace seems so near
at hand" he said. The terms are hard
very hard, for poor Spain.''
Col. Pirron gave a characteristic shrug
and then added:
What can We do? We never were
able 10 cope with the American forces.
and with the destruction of Admiral
Cervera's fleet and the fall of Santiago
the contest practically ended"