Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-24
A VICIOUS BAT TIE !. !.
tails of the Fighting al.
Nipe.
THE VESSELS ENGAGED.
Topeka, Annapolis, Wasp aud Linden Sink,
the Spanish Gunboat Jorge j uan aud
Silence Land Fortihcat iona.
Aarbor Mine. Exploded.

a (By Telegraph.)
KEY WEST, FLA, July 23.-11 so A..
M.--Acting under orders from Rear
Admiral Sampson four warships on
Thursday afternoon last entered the
farbor Of Nipe, on the northeast coast
OF the province Of Santiago de Cuba,
and after furious bombardment took
possession of the harbor as a base Of u
operations for the Porto Rico cam-5
pagn. 1t is understood, however, that
the plans have been changed since In z
consequence of the occupation of Santi-&
ago by the United States forces and
that Nipe Will not be used for the pur-F
pose originally intended. The vessels
engaged Mere the Topeka, Annapolis
Wasp and Leyden. In the course Of an
hour they silenced three forts, sank the
spanish gunboat Jorge Juan (not the
Juan Jorge, as before reported) and
scattered Spanish ritiemen who had
taken part in the engagement. 55s;%3st;s
The channel leading to the harbnri1
was very narrow and on a bluff to the
right called Galory Point, was a fort
and signal station. AS the American.
ships entered the Spaniards were sig;
milling in q lively fashion with a blue
ball and flag, apparently notifying the
Spanish ships III the harbor. WITCH Were
the Jorge Juan, two smaller gunboatss
and an armored launch. AS the Wasp
and I4ey1en rounded the point the fort
tired a dozen shots, none of which,
however. fell near them, and the To-
peka returned the fire with her three
Founders. Almost Immediately the
Spaniards deserted the fort and ran
While the Topeka continued to send
shells into them. A body of riflenen on
the beach returned the fire with aSfewS
wild shots, but they, too. were quickly;
dispersed by the TopekaS smaller guns
The Topeka also discharged two tor
pedoes. AT the same time another
small fort to the left of the channel
fired in the American ships, but 1t was
sienced as easily as the other.
In the meantime, the Wasp and Ley
den had taken up q position In the
northwestern portion OF the harbor and \
opened fire across the water at the
Jorge Juan, which lay to the southwest.
in front Of the town OF Mayari. Her
position was about a. mile and a quar-
ter from the beach and behind her8 a.
third fort stood on an seminence. This
fort opened fire On the Wasp and Leyse
den, and as the Annapolis and Topeka;
came up the Spanish gunboat Joined In
the fight and q general battle followed
The Topeka anchored in the middle
OF the harbor about 1000 yards from
the Jorge Juan and the other three
American boats drew up on the other
side and formed a semi-circle. They
then closed in on the Spanish ship.
pouring a destructive fire at her and
the fort beyond. The Topeka sent a.
inch shells crashing into the Jorge juan
at such a rate that she sank within
twenty minutes.
When the firing became heavy the Of
ficers and crew of the Spaniard put of
in small boats. made the shore under
a heavy fire and escaped into the
woods. n 3ss
Two shots from the Topeka's bows;
gun, fired on an elevation OF $500
yards, dropped square into Mayan FORT
The Spanish pennants disappeared and
a white flag was run up. This ended AZ
short. but one OF the most vicious bat-$
ties of the war. I;3s VI
All the American ships sent small
boats over to the Spanish gunboat.
They found that the Jorge Juran's
forecastle had been entirely nipped9
away by the Topeka's 4-inch shells and I
that her fore and mizzen masts and
flagstaff We're carried off. It Is thought
the Spaniards' scuttled before abandon
ing the vessel.
Divers We're sent down and quite az
curious collection of relics was found.
One was the ships motto: s$5ssss:
Be brave and you will go home tosS
SPAIN gf
Four or five cats, still alive, were
which had been chained to the deck.S
was drowned. That part of the rig-
ging which protruded from the water b
swarmed with rats, which attempted
to renew the battle with the Americans
but were driven into the sea The har-s
Dor was found to be we'll mined and u
two of the mines exploded, one about
100 yards off the Topeka's bow and the &
other 200 yards from her port quarter.
AS the ships came out they saw a cons
tact mine floating on the surface Of the,
water. SS5}
The engagement was hardly over
when the torpedo boat Dupont cameS3
along with dispatches from Rear Adj
miral Sampson for Commodore Remey,
and the Topeka was sent with them to-
Key West, arriving this morning. She
had borne the brunt Of the fight and 4
bore herself nobly. Her captain is VIM.
S. Cowles. a brother-in-law Of Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt.
The Jorge Juan was a three-masted, 4;
one funnel ship of $50 tons and LOO;
horse power She was 800 feet long, IS &
feet wide and - feet draft. She car
Grid q crew of lac men and had 100 tons 4
of coal. Her battery was heavier than q
the Topeka's, the biggest OF the four
attacking American ships. consisting
of three At Honotorias. two 20 Krupp i
guns and two machine guns. Nipe har-S;
Dor is 20 miles long and ten miles WIDE.
1t is surrounded by mountains and Isl
admirably adapted as a base for any
campaign.
The Topeka on her way into this ]
port passed the Terror, Puritan and
Montgomery, heading for Nipe.