The Republican., 1898-06-09
THEY ARE NON N RUINS
Santiago's FOrtifiCatiOns
Riddled by Shot
and Shell.
THE REINA MERCEDES WRECKED.
Many Spanish Officers Killed or
Fatally Wounded.
LAND FORCES IRE ALSO SUCCESSFUL

NEW YORK, June S.-A dispatch
from Cape Haytien, describing the
bombardment of Santiago de Cuba
on Monday says that the forts about
the harbor are now a mass of ruins
The Moro is shapeless pile of
ruined masonry and dismantled guns,
and the Estrella battery is utterly
ruined.
This result, the dispatch says, was
the work of 10 American ironclads,
which passed back and forth from
Fort Cabrera on the west, to Port
Aguadores on the east of the harbor
entrance, discharging their heavy
guns as they steamed along, so that
scarcely yard of the coast escaped
the deadly cannonading.
Blown to Dust.
At Port AguadOres the fort recent
ly constructed by Col. Ordonez. the
famous artillery expert, was blown to
dust, and Col. Ordonez himself was
badly wounded by the flying splinters
and debris.
Captain Sanchez and Lieut.. Yrizar,
artillery officers, were also wounded.
Two infantry lieutenants, Garcia
and Perez, and 21 privates are report
ed fatally wounded.
Wrecked the Mercedes.
Later in the day the American
ships moved closer toward the mouth
of the harbor, where the old cruiser
Reina Mercedes had been discerned
attempting to place explosives about
the hull of the Merrimac to blow her
TO pieces and clear the channel. A
13-inch shell from the Oregon landed
squarely abaft her pilot house and
tore all her upper works to shreds.
Her second commodore five of
her sailors and marine were killed.
A second lieutenant of the Reina Mer-
cedes and 16 of her seamen were very
seriously wounded.
Shower of Shot and Shell.
A perfect shower of shell and shot
fell upon and around the old cruiser,
and she was so badly damaged that
her crew, by orders of Admiral Cevera,
abandoned her and sought the shore
for safety.
Spanish Land Force Defeated.
About noon, according to the Cape
Haytien dispatch, a landing party of
American marines near Daiquiri was
attacked by Spanish infantry. The
insurgents were posted in the neigh
borhood, and with their aid the ma
rines successfully took up a position,
holding it and later making it base
from which they operated. The
Spanish force was defeated with
heavy loss and driven back toward
Santiago, leaving their wounded be-
hind them.
To Besiege the City.
! The Americans are now entrenched
near Daiquiri and are landing heavy
guns, preparatory to moving them
toward Santiago and laying seige to
the city.
There is panic in Santiago. The
residents who can leave are fleeing to
the country, joining the insurgents
or doing anything to get away from
the certain destruction that now
awaits Cevera's fleet and the forces
of Pando and Linares.
CAPE HAYTIEN, Hayti, June T.
9:05 a. m.-The fighting before and in
the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba con-
tinued the greater part of yesterday,
from 7;45 a. IN, until nearly II o'clock.
Ten of the American warships main
tanned a steady and carefully directed
fire against FL Moro Castle and the
batteries at Punta Gorda, Socapa
and Cincoreales, in addition to BON
harding the Spanish fleet in the har-
Dor. The percentage of effective pro-
jectiles was very large.
Immense Damage Inflicted.
1t appears from the best informa-
tion obtainable at this place, the ca -
BILE station connecting with Santiago
de Cuba, that immense damage was
inflicted on the enemy. The Span
iards admit that the bombardment
from the American fleet was most
destructive About 1900 projectiles
are e,said to have been fred by the
Americans, and it seems that the re-
sponsive fire from the Spanish forts
and ships was scarcely felt at all by
the Americans.
Riddled with Shot and Shell.
The Notifications near the entrance