The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-06-15
snain,. Losses mn to DATE.

The war with Spain has now been run
ming along for nearly month and half
Barring the battle of Manila there has
been no serious engagement between
fleets of the two nations, the work of the
American warships in Cuban waters be-
ing largely confined TO the smashing Of
forts and other work preparatory TO the
invasion of the island and the capture of
the Spanish strongholds. This work has
no doubt been well done, and Admiral
Sampson still keeps hammering away at
the forts near Santiago. By the time he
has finished with them they will be a
mass of ruins, the capture of which ought
to prove a worry easy task.
Admiral Dewey's great work at Manila
took away from Spain just about one-half
of her navy. Eleven warships belonging
to the dons were in that battle, and all
were either sunk or burned by the Span
iards TO prevent their capture. Two other
smaller vessels were captured later on, so
that altogether Spain lost thirteen ships
in that one engagement. There were bot
tied up in the harbor of Santiago four
cruisers and two torpedo boat destroyers.
which have been looked upon as about
the best vessels that Spain has left. One
of these cruisers, the Reina Mercedes,
has been sunk in that harbOr by shots
from the American ships, so that there
remain but three of these fighters. These
are rendering no service to Spain now,
and it is not likely they ever will again.
They are in harbOr, the entrance of
which is blocked, are being watched by
huge fleet of splendid vessels, and
their escape from either destruction or
surrender is utterly impossible. As a
reserve fleet at home or at Cadiz or some
where else, Spain has now probably only
three vessels, outside of few auxiliary
ships, that cOutd be of any use to her or
that could be sent across the Atlantic.
with fair chance of not going 10 the
bottom before they got here. so, in real
ity, Spain's navy now consists of five
bOttled-up vessels at Santiago and little
fleet nearer home, which is not likely to
take any part at all in the war, unless
Uncle Sam decides to send squadron
across the Atlantic to take il in.
Spain's policy of preysricatiOn in re-
gard to every engagement makes it al
most impossible 10 estimate the loss of
life on her side. In the battle of Manila
the most reliable reports show that two
hundred were killed on the ships, nearly
the same number in the forts and fully
six hundred wounded. The losses in the
Cuban cities and at San Juan cannot well
be estimated. but they are several hun
dred more. Altogether it is likely that
Spain has lost thousand men or very
near that number so far.
on the A merican side. had it not been
for the perilous undertaking of the Wins
low under the guns at CIrdenas there
would hardly have been life lost. Eight
men were captured from the Merrimae
and are now prisoners of war. Two ma
val officers high in rank have died in the
service since the war began. The Wins
low was badly damaged, and the Merri-
mac, collier. sunk for specificpurpose.
Barring these, not vessel in the United
States navy has been hurt. Spain's navy
is already hors du combat, and it will not
be long before her army in Cuba is in the
same condition.