The record-union., 1898-06-20
SITUATION AT CAIMANERA.
Residents to Burn the Town at APP
pearance Of Americans.

ON BOARD THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS DISPATCH BOAT DANDY,
OFF GUANTANAMO, Saturday, June
IS, 3 p. m. Via Kingston, Jamaica,
Sunday, June 10, $50 a. NO. Copy
right, 1898, by the Associated Press.)-
Cuban scouts report to-day that the in
habitants of Caimanera have strewn
the streets with straw and oil, with the
intention of destroying the city and
fleeing to the hills.
Caimanera lies four miles up the bay
from Camp McCalla, under the guns
of the American ships, and the situa
ton is desperate. Starving and famine
stricken, convinced of the ultimate tri-
umph of the American arms, and with
out faith in the protection of the Span
| ish soldiery, the people are believed to
| have determined to leave their houses
| in ashes behind them and seek safety
| in the hills of the north. The scouts
declare that every building of the town
| is being rapidly prepared for the torch.
The situation of the besieged is a
| fearful one. The people are eating
| horses and mules. and are securing the
| hills for fruit and herbs. Occasionally
| brief bombardments by the American
| fleet leave the helpless citizens terror
| stricken no preparations for defense
! being made. 1t is also stated that the
| Spanish gunboat at Caimanera has
been loaded with infiammables, and will
| be burned with the city, her commander
| declaring that she will never become
an American prize.
! The scouts also say that the Spanish
soldiers are in almost as complete q
! state of panic as are the civilians and
/ that they could easily be induced to
| surrender. Some OF the prisoners taken
/ by the marines also say they believe
| the Spanish troops are on the verge of
surrender, owing to the lack of food.
Captain McCalla of the cruiser Mar
| blehead and Lieutenant Colonel Hun
| tington, in command of the marines,
are not so sure, however, Of the report
| ed Spanish rout. They received nfor
nation yesterday that a general attack
j by force of $500 Spanish soldiers and
guerrillas on Camp McCalla is contem-
| plated within night or two. Prepar-
| alton was made for an assault. When
! the Associated Press dispatch-bo boat
| Dandy arrived in Guantanamo the hills
/ about the marine camp We're brilliant
| under the shifting rays of the search
/ lights of the Marblehead, Dolphin and
| Scorpion, and the marines We're lying
! in the rifle pits, at the guns, ready
/ and anxious for a battle; but the night
/ passed without the firing of a shot.
/ The same watchful care was exercised
| to-day as Captain McCalla is convinced
| that an attack is likely to occur at any
/ time
The Iowa Joined the fleet here this
| morning and later the Admiral came
| over on the flagship to inspect the for
| tifications and confer with Captain
| McCalla and Lieutenant Colonel Hun
| tington.
The coast in the vicinity of Guantan-
amo is dotted with the bright-hued
Cuban flag. Numerous camps of the
| insurgents have been established along
/ the beach between Santiago and this
| place, and are used by the Admiral as
means of communication with the Gu
bans in the interior. The aid which
| these men have given has proved highly
valuable to the Americans. Their stor-
| les of the destitution and revolt among
| the Spanish soldiers in this vicinity
| have been corroborated by interviews
with prisoners captured around the
| camp.
General Perejo, who is in command
| of the Spanish forces here, is undoubt-
/ edly desperate in regard to the cb-
1 tanning of food for his men, The pris-
oners who have been captured appear
/ to have been ill-fed. and are apparent
ly Indifferent to their fate
| Another body of five Spaniards was
/ captured yesterday by Ensign A. A.
Pratt of the Marblehead. While cruis-
| ing in a steam launch outside the bay
he picked up forty-foot sloor con-
tanning Spanish Captain by the name
/ of Toroes and four sailors. They said
they were on their way to Guantanamo
| to get supply of oil for the light
house at Cape Maysi, but the papers
| found on the sloop proved tha. they
4 had been sent to obtain information
relative to the American fleet The
crew of the sloop asserted that they had
been ill-fed and frightfully iIl-treated
! by the Spanish commander of the Cape
| Maysi forces.
| There was a brief bombardment of a
| blockhouse up the bay by the battle
ship Oregon yesterday and it is be-
i lieved that at least a score of Span
iards We're killed. Scouting parties re-