St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-06-15
WAR NEWS.
Our Flag Over rlore Islands.
The LadroBes.

Our Flag Over nore Islands.
The LadroBes.
1t is announced that the cruiser Char
lesion will, on her way to Manila, stol
at one Of the Ladrone islands long enough
to gobbe it and set the United State
flag flying. The Charleston is a pro
tected cruiser that cost $1017,000. IT
speed is 10 knots, armament two eight
inch guns, four six pound guns and II
smaller guns.
The islands thus temporarily raised
from tleir geographical obscurity have
three nahies. Magellan, who discovered
them three or four centuries ago named
them officially the islands "Velas Lati
mas" or the islands OF the Lateen Sails
but unofficially he called them the islands
Lies Ladrones," or the islands of the
Thieves, in compliment to the larcenous
character of the natives, and this name
has stuck to them.
The Ladrones are fifteen in number and
lie in the North Pacific, 300 miles from
the Carolines and 1900 from Manila,
from which they are governed. A broad
channel divides the Ladrones into two
groups, the total area OF which is AT
square miles and the total population
about 5000. The northern group con-
sists OF ten islands, now uninhabited. OF
the five southern islands, four are inhab-
tied. On Guahan, the largest and southern
most OF the group, is the only town that
the islands can boast of, San Ignacia de
Agana, and the fortified harbor OF Umata.
This is undoubtedly the place where the
Charleston will mount Old Glory on
flagstaff.
The Caroline.
Another dispatch was that the mont
tor Monterey will stop at the Caroline
islands on her way to the Philippines
sufficiently long to take possession of
one or two Of the group. The Monterey
is two-turreted coast defence monitor.
is 1854 tons displacement and 10 6
knots speed. She carries two twelve.inch
and two ten.inch breech-loading rifles,
six six pound and four one-pound rapid
f1re guns and two gatlings. She cost the
government 81 ,62S, $50.
These islands are about 500 in number.
most OF them the tiniest of islcts. They
are situated just above the equator and
from 500 to 600 miles northeast of New
Guinea and about 400 to 1900 miles
south and east of the Philippines.
They form scattering archipelago in
Micronesia. that remote section of the
South Pacific, still scarcely more than an
expression to most people in this country.
The larger portion of the 10000 inhabi-
tants are Malays. In 1543 the islands
were discovered and were named after
Charles v, Emperor of Germany and
King OF Spain. The Spanish have always
lad claim to them as belonging to the
Philippines. In 1885 Germany advanced
claim in pursuing policy Of extension
IN the Pacific. Later both Germany and
Great Britain admitted the Spanish SOW.
ereignty.
Thirteen Hour Battle.
Lleut.-Col. X. w. Huntington's batal.
lion OF marines, which landed from the
transport Panther on Friday and en-.
camped on the hill guarding the aban-
doned cable station at the entrance to
the outer harbor of Guantanamo. has
been engaged in beating off a bush attack
by Spanish guerillas and regulars since
8 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The fight.
ing was almost continuous for 10 hours
until O'Clock Sunday morning, when
reiniorceinents were landed from the
-Four OF our men were killed and one
was wounded. The advance pickets nm.
der Lieuts. Neville and Shaw are unac. |
counted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Surgeon
John Blair Gibbs, son of Major Gibbs of |
the regular army, who fell in the Custer
massacre. His home was at Richmond.
va, but ne has been practicing in New
fork and he entered the service since the
war began. He was very popular officer.
The Others killed are Sergeant Charles II.
Smith of Smallwood, Private William
Dunphy OF Gloucester, Mass, aud PR.
vate James McColgan of Stoneham.
Mass. Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but was
probably considerable. The splashes of
blood found at daylight at the positions
The Spaniards occupied indicate fatalities
but their comrades carried off the killed
and wounded.
The engagement began with desultory
bring at the pickets thousand wards
inland from the camp. Capt. Spicer's
company was doing guard duty and was
1riyen in, finally rallying on the camp
and repulsing the enemy at s O'Clock.
The bodies Of privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot in the
head. The large cavities caused by the
bullets, which inside range OF 500 wards
have rotary motion, indicate that the
victims were killed at close range.
American Commander Dead.
The collier Pompey arrived at Kew
West from Norfolk, Va, June Z, with her
commander, E. W. Surrey, dead on hoard.
de was i'll when the boat sailed. There
were no physicians on board.
Santiago Bombarded.
An official despatch from Havana
dated June 10 says:
This morning eight of Admiral Samp.
sons ships recommended the lombard.
nent oil Santiago de Cuba. At the same
time number of boats, towed bv a
steamer, approached and ATTEMPTED 70
make landing. The cannonade lasted
three hours. '''