The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-06-24
SITUATION IS
DISTRESSING
Spanish Soldiers at Santi-
ago are Starving.
FEEDING ON HORSE FLESH.
Swarms of Vultures Tell of Death by
Food of Herbs and Roots.

From this nest In the mountains
Col. CebrecO is watching Santiago,
its bay and Admiral Cerveras ships.
Every day little boat goes to Ad-
miral Sampson with detailed infor-
nation. Every two days faithful
pacificOs risk there lives TO enter the
trebly-guarded city for details of its
starvation.
Yesterday the Spaniards ate horses
within the Notifications.
To day the extreme Spanish cav
airy outposts, on cleared patch on
the mountain side, in plain view from
here, are cooking their pack ami
mails.
The condition of non combatants
is beyond description. Already 1000
women and children are existing on
roots and the fruits of the mountains,
but those in town are starving.
The dead carts are inadequate to
carry the victims away.
This information [ obtained from
Spanish prisoners who were captured
at Guantanamo June l5.
l. is reported that the Spanish
General FNril and several members
of his staff were killed by the shots
fired by the Vesuvius. The first
bomb struck cruiser anchored be-
hind Smith Caya near the harbor
entrance.
situation at Caimanera.
On board the Associated Press
Dispatch Boat, off Guantan amo,
Saturday, June 18, via Kingston, ia.
maica, June l9.-Cuban scouts re-
port to-day that the inhabitants Of
Caimanera have strewn the streets
with straw and oil with the inten.
tion of destroying the city and flee
ing to the hills.
Caimanera lies four miles up the
bay from Camp McCalla, under the
guns of the American ships, and the
situation is desperate. Starving and
famine-stricken, convinced of the
ultimate triumph of the American
arms, and without faith in the pro-
lection of the Spanish soldiery, the
people are believed to have deter
mined to leave their houses in ashes
behind them and seek safety in the
mountains of the north.
The situation of the besieged is a
fearful one. The people are eating
horses and mules, and are securing
the hills for fruits and herbs.
The scouts also say that the Span
ish soldiers are in almost as COM
plete state of panic as are the civil
ians, and that they could easily be
induced to surrender. Some of the
prisoners taken by the marines also
say they believe the Spanish troops
are on the verge of surrender owing
to lack of food.
A careful inspection of the fOrtifl-
cations along the crest of the hills
defending Santiago harbor since the
bombardment Thursday morning
shows that the American gunnera
spread havoc and ruin everywhere
Some of the batteries were demol-
ished bevond repair. The vultures
which circled on level wings over
the hills as thick as swallows around
chimney for hours after the firing
ceased furnished grewsOme evidence
of the fatality among the Spanist
soldiers. Hundreds of troops coulC
be seen from the ships digging il
: mounds of earth piled up by the eX
plosion of the projectiles from th'
heavy guns, for bodies, while thei
heads were famed by the wings o
the black scavengers of the battle
/ field. There were two spots, one ol
the east and the other on the west o
the harbor entrance, which were de
nuded of the foliage. The hilltop
seem literally blown away. Thes
| marked the places where the two
hundred-pound charges of gun-cot
ton blown by the Vesuvius landed.