Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-02
THE FLEETS PREPARATIONS.
How sampson and His Ships Went
Into Action.

L
How sampson and His Ships Went
| Into Action.
| Copyright, 1893 BY the Associated Press)
| OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July i, via
! Kingston. Jamaica, July 2, s a.m-Before
| O'Clock this me rning the crew of the flag
ship were astir, eating hurried breakfast.
and at $50 general quarters was sound
| ed and the flagship headed in toward Aqua
| dcfes. about three miles east of Moro Cas-
| tie. The other ships retained their block
! aiding stations.
Along the surf beaten shore the smoke
| OF an approaching train from Altares was
seen. 1t was composed OF open cars full of
Gen. Duffiel1s troops. At the cutting, a
| mile east of Aguadores, the train stopped
and the Cuban scouts proceeded along the
railroad track. The troops got out of the
cars and soon formed in a long. thin line,
standing out wildly against the yellow
rocks. that rose perpendicularly, shutting
| them off from the main body of the army.
which is on the east side of the hill several
miles north.
The Signal.
From the quarter OF the flagship there
was signal b. a vigorously wigwagged
letter, and few minutes later from s
lump of green at the waters edge, came
an answer from the army.
This was the first cooperation for Of
fensive purposes between the army and
navy. The landing of the army at Bal
Quiri and Altares was purely a naval affair
With the flag in his hand the soldier
ashore looked like a butterfly.
Are you waiting for us to begin?" was
the signal made by Rear Admiral Sampson
TO the army.
General Duffield is ahead with the
scouts" came the answer from the shore
to the flagship.
BY this time it was o'clock, and the
admiral ran the fiagships bow within
three-quarters of a mile of the beach.
Astonished the Pilot.
She remained almost as near during the
forenoon, and the daring way she was
handled by Capt Chadwick, within sound
of the breakers, made the Cuban pilot on
board stare with establishment.
The Suwanee was in company with the
flagship, still closer inshore, and the Glou-
cester was to the westward. near Moro
Castle. From the southwark the Newark
came up and took position to the west
ward. Her decks were black with LEGO or
more troops. She went alongside of the
flagship and was told to disembark the
troops at Aicares.
Then Admiral Sampson signaled to Gen.
DIffield, when do you want us TO COM
mence ffring?'
In a little while white flag on shore sent
back the answer:
when the rest OF the command arrives.
Then will signal you"
1t was a Long and tedious walt for the
ships before the second fifty carloads of
troops came putting along from Altaires.
By $50 the last of the soldiers had left
the open railroad tracks, disappeared in
the thick brush that covered the eastern
side of Agudaores in.
No Sign of Enemy.
The water of the sponge tubes under the
breechers of the big guns was growing hot
in the burning sun. Ashore there was no
sign of the enemy. They were believed to
be on the western bluff.
Between the bluffs runs a rocky gully
leading into Santiago city. On the ex-
tremity of the western arm was an old,
castellated fort, from which the Spanish
flag was flying, and on the parapet on .he
eastern hill, commanding the gully, two
stretches of red earth can easily be seen
against the brush. These were the rife
pits.
At 10:15 signal flag ashore wig-wagged
to Admiral Sampson to commence firing,
and a minute later the New Yorks gun
blazed away at the rife pits and at The
old fort.
Commenced Firing.
The Suwanee and Gloucester Joined in
the echoes which rumbled around and
filled the gully. All the stored-up thunder
of the clouds seemed to have broken loose,
the gully was shut out from view.
Then the firing became more deliberate.
OF our troops ashore in the brush nothing
could be seen, but the ping ping OF the
small arms of the army floated out to sea
during the occasional lull in the firing Of
thu big guns. which peppered the rifle pits
until clouds of red earth rose above them.
An eight-inch shell from the Newark
dropped in the massive old fort and clouds
of white dust and huge stones filled the air.