Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-05-20
BATTLE OF SAN JUAN.
ANOTHER GREAT NAVAL EN-
GAGEMENT.


at Porto Rico-A Vivid Dcscrip.
ton of Il Conflict in Which Our
Sailors Suffered as Much From
Tropical Heat as the Enemy's
Guns.
On the morning of the 18th, at 3
O'Clock, all hands of SIMPSONS heet,
off Porto Rico were called. For an
hour and a half each ship was the
scene of an orderly confusion as the
1000 sailors stripped their ships,
their guns and themselves.
By 4 80 everything was in readiness
for the battle to begin-the second
great engagement of the war. At 5:l5
came the call "To quarters" and in
stantly every man was at his post and
ready and eager to strike a blow in
atonement for the Maine.
The object of the attack lay in plain
view, straight ahead to the south.
The forts and batteries of San Juan
are on the coral reef guarding the en-
trance to the harbOr.
1t was glorious morning, the sky
unclouded, the air cool and brisk. A
long, heavy swell rolled toward the
shore and broke against the reef,
whose forts seemed to be asleep.
To mark the limits of the line Of
battle the Detroit and the tug Waum-
patuck steamed shoreward, the Detroit
to the eastward until she was opposite
the Valtern, the Waumpatuck to the
westward until she was able to anchor
her small boats in ten fathoms of wa
ter just out of range of the great fort
of San Juan Moro, which rises on a
hill at the end of the eastern arm Of
the harbor.
Moro, of course, was to be the GEN.
ter of attack. In it were the seven
six-inch guns which Spain sent over
as soon as the war became certain and
which had been hastily mounted and
manned with the best gunners in the
colonial army.
Soon after the Detroit and Waum-
patuck were in place, Admiral Samp-
sons column of floating fortresses and
batteries began to move upon the
quiet and seemingly sleeping fortress.
In the van was the Iowa, the flagship,
with the battle cry of the navy stream.
ing in brilliant colored flags from her
mast" Remember the Maine"
Next came the huge Indiana, of
such enormous bulk that she rode al
most steady even upon that heavy sea.
Then followed the New York, rs for
midable as battleship; then the low
lying monitors Amphitrite and Terror.
They bore straight for the shore in a
single file. Long before the flagship
was in range, there came flash,
cloud of smoke, a roar and shell
from the walls of Moro. The shell
fell far short. The roar died away
and for fifteen minutes the scene was
as peaceful as before.
Suddenly the Iowa turned sharply
to the east. She came around peace.
fully until her starboard battery was
pointing full at Moro. One Of her
great 13.inch guns burst into flame
and shell sailed high toward Moro.
1t fell short, but the response came in
a roar from all the batteries and forts
along the shore. A tremendous burst
OF sound, smoke and fame, shower
of shells that wasted themselves in the
sea. So wild was the volley that even
had the Iowa been in range none of
the shots would have hit her.
The Iowa was now nearer and the
entire line of warships was in position
to attack the Spanish shore line.
Each ship was now firing and each
shore gun was answering. But while
the Spanish aim was wild the Ameri-
can gunners fred with the calmness
and precision of experience in target
practice.
The feet was soon enveloped in
smoke and also the shore. Only out
lines could be made out, but it was
apparent that while the Spanish shells
issued from the smoke of the shore to
fall into the sea, the American shells
! rushed from the fleets envelope of
smoke to bury themselves in the smoke
on shore. And now and then as the
wind shifted the great curtain aside it
could be seen that the American ships
we're uninjured and on shore the line
|, of Notifications that had been un-
broken was ruined in many places.
When the Iowa came up to the Waum-
patuck stakeboat she turned and led
the column back again across the line
OF fire. The fleet was now nearer and
the Spanish shells fell around the
ships. Some struck against the armor
of the battleships-big six-inch shells
but they bounded off, leaving hardly
dent behind. One Spanish shell
struck a boat on the Iowa, passed
through it and entered the superstruc.
ture, scattering splinters in every di.
rection. Three men were injured.
Admiral Sampson and Capt. Evans
we're on the tower bridge and narrowly
escaped the flying splinters. In all the
Iowa was hit nine times.