Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-14

Key West, Fla. May 14.-(Copy-
righted. 1898, by the Associated Press)
The United States cruiser Marble
head. the gunboat Nashville and the
auxiliary cruiser Window steamed up
to the harbor OF Cienfuesos early
Wednesday morning with orders to
cut the cable connecting Havana with
Santiago de Cuba. This task was ac-
complished but only after terrific
fight between our warships and sever
al thousand Spanish troops which
lined the shore and lay concealed be-
hind improvlsed breastworks. A sea-
man named Regain, of the Marblehead.
was killed outright in one of the work.
ing boats and six men were severely
wounded. In addition large number
on board the ship received minor
wounds. Captain Mcguire of the Win
dom believes that several of the six
badly wounded men who were brought
to Key West this morning in the Win
dom cannot recover. Following is the
list of killed and badly wounded;
Killed: - Regain. seaman.
Badly wounded: John Davis OF New
York; John j. Donran of Fall River,
Mass; Ernest Suntzenickle; Herman
Hochneister; Harry Hendricksson all
of the Marblehead. Robert Boltz, Cas-
ter county, n. c., of the Nashville.
WENT TO CUT THE CABLE.
Soon after the arrival of the war
ships off Cienfuegos four boats were
launched and proceeded In shore for
the purpose of graphing for the cable
in order to cut it. The waships lay to
about 1000 yards or more off the har-
Dor.
II was observed that the Spanish
| troops had assembled ashore. but it
was not known that heavy guns had
been placed In masked battery and
that the old light house. far out on
neck of land, had been transformed in
to a formidable fort.
The small boats proceeded cautious
ly and for more than an hour worked
unmolested on the cable. Suddenly.
just as the work was about completed
the shore battery fired a shell at the
boats. 1t was followed by others and
the Spanish Infantry opened fire then
with their rifles.
Then, like flash, the Marblehead
sent shell inland and followed 1t with
perfect shower of shot. Then the
Window cut loose with her four pound
ers.
In the meanwhile Spanish bullets fell
In every direction around the small
boats. Though the attack had come
suddenly and fercely. the blue jackets
were not dismayed. and protected by
the terrific return fire of the warships
work was continued and the cable cut.
When the boats returned to the ships
Regan. who was in one of the Marble
heads boat, OF which there were two,
was found to have been killed. Six
men We're badly wounded.
mo Snnriarde had by this time suf-
fered severe loss. Their shots from
the light house struck the warships
several times and although they did
not do much damage. the fire aroused
the determination Of the American off,
GERS to exterminate the forts. There
after. for the moment. the fire of the
ships was concentrated on the light
house and the improvlsed fort was
blown to pieces. As there were great
numbers of Spaniards In and behind
the fort Mt the time, there Is ~ doubt
that many of them were killed.
The Marblehead and the Nashville
used their heaviest guns as wen as
their small rapid fire guns, and hun
dreds of shots were thrown into the
Spanish troops. On board the ships
a number of men were slightly wound
ed. Commander Washburn Maynard of
the Nashville, was slightly wounded
by a spent bullet,
DID THE WORK WELL.
When the commanders of the Mar
blehead and the Nashville called for
volunteers to man the boats and cut
the cable the men responded with
jump. Lieut., Winslow OF the Nash
Vile took command Of the Nashviiles
boats. The shore surrounding the
entrance of the barbor was first
shelled and the boats proceeded In.
The cable was deep in the channel and
was found with difficulty. one of the
relays of the cable had been cut when
the Spaniards opened fire. The ma
rines in the boats replied at once and
machine gun from the forward
launch sent in a stream of bullets
while heavy shells from the warships
drove the Spaniards from the rife pit
at the shore.many of them seeking ref
uge in the lighthouse fort, which
was afterwards torn to pieces by a
shell from the Window.
With desperate courage the Ameri-
can sailors stuck to their posts and
succeeded in dragging up the second
relay OF the cable and severinV II.
Seven men badly wounded was the
count and one of them, Regain. died
while on the way back to the ship.
Lieut.. Winslow was shot in the hand
and a number OF others were more or
less injured.
on the Nashville. Captain Maynard
was standing forward with the ensign.
when a Spanish bullet passed through
the ensign's shoulder and struck May
nard on the chest, slightly wounding
him. The MHrhlehead was struck scores
of times by bullets from machine
guns. and the Nashville suffered to
about the same extent. The Window
also had many marks OF the fray. Her
shell blowing up the lighthouse and
scattering the Spaniards in all direc-
tions, ended the battle.
Botz and Hendricks. who, with four
others OF the wounded are at the naval
hospital here, are expected to die.
The remains Of Regain were buried at
sea.
SPANISH LOSS Is 400.
New York. May IA special dis
patch from Key West reports that in
the fight at Cienfuegos, Commander