The herald., 1898-04-30
FIRED DURING BOMBARDMENT
OF MATANZAS
BLANCO'S REPORTS TO SPAIN
Assert That No Damage Was Done
Beyond the Massacre of One
Lonely Mule
Press Special Wire

| helBnt ana after IL hau Deen III progress for
10 minutes, Rear Admiral Sampson ordered
Cease firing" to be sounded A few shots
| rang out from the Cincinnati and Puritan
before they caught the signal. On the
| shore all was quiet. Not a soul could be
seen, and there was no more firing The
| earth works a quarter of an hour before
had presented fairly regular outline but
now they had a jagged appearance. Big
gaps plainly were vsbly at Quintas Da
| Recreio, but there was not a sign of life
there. Admiral Sampson had effectually
stopped the work on Punta Gorda. He had
drawn the fire out of the enemy and mad
discovered exactly the quality and location
of their batteries, besides affording his
three ships good target practice. Incident
ally he had put the fear of American guns
| into Spanish hearts. 1t would have been
perfectly feasible for these three ships un-
aided to have steamed past the fortfica-
tions right into Matanzas and taken it or
shelled it at pleasure. The only risk run
would have been from mines. However,
| Matanzas was not wanted luckily for it
After Satisfying himself that his object
haH been accomplished, Admiral Sampson
headed back to Havana.
| The Puritan and Cincinnati were left to
| look after Matanzas and they will see to
| it that Matanzas is not the scene of much
fortification work in the future. The reaoi
ness to assume this task can be judged
| from the fact that shortly after the signal
| Cease firing had been given, Captain
Chester asked permission to reopen. This
| was refused, Admiral Sampson evidently
| thinking that Matanzas had had enough
for one afternoon. During the lombard
| ment the New York's engines at intervals
went slowly around, keeping a steady range
| of 1000 yards on Punta Gorda and 1000 on
| Quintas de Recreio, the machinery working
perfectly not only in the engine room but
| throughout the whole ship. This is especi-
| ally true of the electric ammunition hoists
| and turret training gear, two of the most
| essential parts of ships equipment dur
| ing action.
| From the naval point of view few if any
| lessons were learned from the lombard
| ment, though the range at which the shoot
| ing was carried on was a satisfactory test
| of craftsmanship. The distance, however,
prevented the staff from ascertaining the
! effect of the heavy explosive projectiles on
| the earthworks. Quntas de Recreio ap-
| peared to be an old-style of fort, low and
| lying near the waters edge. The battery
was probably behind a recently construct
ed sand works.
From the lay point Of view, the bonn
bardment appeared to demonstrate several
| things. 1t proved that the officers, from
Rear Admiral Sampson down, are perfect
| y cool in the face of danger and action,
that they have superior control over the
men at the most exciting and trying mo-
ments, and that the latter are as steady
and as courageous when the guns roar and
the shells whistle as when they muster TO
morning and evening quarters in time Of
peace. In the second place, the lombard
ment gave a very thoughtful, though
frightful illustration of warship's death
dealing powers Had a single ship been in
the place where the shells fell. it seems as
If she would have been blown to bits be-
fore she could have returned the fire. When
ten thousand-ton ship, usually as steady
as a rock, shakes and trembles like a
frightened child; when firmly fitted bolts
start from their sockets and window panes
and wood works are shattered; when the
roar peals UP from port and starboard and
you feel your feet leaving the deck and
your glasses jumping around your fore
head, while binding black smoke hides
everything from sight, then you first real
lie the terrible power of a modern war
ships batteries.
Scenes of intense interest occurred on the
flagshp's' deck during the bombardment
The center of attraction naturally was
about the forward bridge where Admiral
Sampson paced up and down, his long glass
in hand. pausing now and then to watch
the effect of the shots impassive as if al
target practice off the Dry Tortugas Can't
Chadwick was at his side, in his usual
capacity of chief of staff and captain of
the ship, equally calm and giving orders
continuously regarding the direction of the
fire and the handling of the ship. Lieut..
Stanton, Assistant Chief of Staff Lieut.
Commander Potter, Executive officer of the
ship, and Lieut. ]. Roller, the navigator,
all were on the bridge and as busy as they
could be. Three men We're at the wheel and
the usual staff lookouts and signal boys
We're in their places.
The coming tower with it's heavily pro-
tected sides was without an occupant. The
whistling of a few shells could not drive the
men who directed the fighting squadron
from their unprotected point of vantage.
Directly beneath the bridge on the super
structure, just aft of and slightly above
the forward turret, stood Chaplain Royce,
ready to give the last consolation. The
Chaplain and three doctors were the only
persons on board who sincerely hoped they
would have no work to do. Near the
Chaplain stood Richard Harding Davis,
representing the London Times; Ralph d.
Paine, representing the Philadelphia Press,
and the correspondent of the Associated
Press. All others on board were at their
regular stations, directing the guns, rush
ing up ammunition from below or stand
ing patiently in their engine room waiting
to back or go ahead as the telegraph
sgnaled.
The way the jackies worked at their
guns was splendid. Many of them were
stripped to the waist. The muscles stood
out on their bare tattooed arms. The pers-
piration ran down their faces and mixing
with the gun powder made grim streaks
of black over their skins. When "Cease
firing" sounded disappointment was writ
ten visibly on all their faces. But The
decks were quickly swept, the shrouds re-
hooked, the guns cooled and washed, ana
at dinner when the band played "The
Stars and Stripes Forever there were
York had gone into action for the first time
in her career.
About three hundred shots were fired
during the bombardment. 104 of which were
from the New York. The cruiser Cincin-
natl did wonderfully quick and rapid work
with her batteries. The monitor Puritan
probably fired fewer shots than the Others
Ixy ,nt n mi