Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-05-19

confirming the report of severe en-
gagement at Cienfuegos last Wednes-
day. He transmits the report of Capt.
McCalla of the Marblehead, showing
that one man was killed, Herman Rea-
gan, marine, on the Marblehead, and
several injured. Severe losses were in
hicted upon the Spaniards, and the
main object of the attack, which was
to cut the cable, was accomplished.
Story of the Battle.
KEY WEST, Fla, May 1.-THE United
States cruiser Marblehead, the gun
boat Nashville and the auxiliary
cruiser Window, steamed up to the
harbor of Cienfuegos early Wednesday
morning with orders to cut the cable
connecting Havana with Santiago de
Cuba. This task was accomplished,
but only after terrific fight between
our warships and several thousand
Spanish troops, which lined the
shore and lay concealed behind
improvised breastworks. One man,
a marine named Regain, of the Marble
head, was killed outright in one of the
working small boats, and six men were
severely wounded. In addition, a
large number on board the ship re-
ceived minor wounds.
Capt. MaGuire of the Window be-
ieves that several of the six badly
wounded men who were brought to
Key West ON the Window can not re-
cover.
Following is list of killed and bad
ly wounded:
Herman Regain, a marine, of the
Marblehead.
BADLY WOUNDED.
John Davis, of New York.
John J. Donran, of Fall River, Mass.
Ernest Suntzfanickle.
Herman Hochneister.
Harry Hendrickson, all of the Mar.
blehead.
Robert Boltz, Carter county, n. c., OF
the Nashville.
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 warships lay
to about 1000 yards or more off the
harbor.
1t 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 lighthouse, far out on a
neck of land, had been transformed
into formidable fort.
The small boat proceeded cautiously
and, for more than an hour, worked
unmolested on the cable. Suddenly,
just as the work was about completed,
the shore battery fred shell at the
boats. 1t was followed by others, an6
the Spanish infantry opened fire then
with their rifles.
Then, like a flash, the Marblehead
sent a shell inland, and followed it
with perfect shower of shot.
The Nashville was quick to follow
suit, and the little Window cut loose
her four-pounders.
Meanwhile Spanish bullets fell in the
small boats. Though the attack had
come suddenly fiercely, the blue jack
is were not dismayed, and, protected
by the terrific return fire of the war
ships, work was continued and the ca
BILE cut.
When the boats returned to the
ships Regain, who was in one of tn,
Marblehead's boats, of which there
were two, was found to have beer
killed. Six men were badly wounded
The Spaniards had by this time suf
fered severe loss. Their shot from the
ligh thouse struck the warshipi
several times, and, although
they did not do much damage.
the fire aroused the determination
of the American officers to exterminate
the fort. Thereafter, for moment
the fire of the warships was concen.
trated upon the lighthouse and the i'm
provised fort was blown to pieces.
The dispatch adds that the Spanish
loss is estimated at 400, and that of the
United States fleet four killed and four
wounded.
The lighthouse was demolished, it is
reported, the arsenal destroyed and
the batteries on shore silenced. The
town was set on fire by shells from the