The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-06-09
MORRO A PICTURESQUE RUIN.
MADE SO BY THE SHOTS FROM
AMERICAN GUNS.
Story Told by British Newspaper
Correspondent Who Witnessed
Battle at Santiago.

LONDON, June 9.-The Morning
Posts" correspondent cables in part as
follows from Kingston, Jamaica, under
date of June Sth, as to Mondays bonn
bardment at Santiago. The dispatch
was carried to Kingston by the dis
patch boat Premier
I'VE had a good view of Monday
bonn bardment. On Sunday Admiral
Sampson, in conference with Commo-
dOre Schley and the fleet Captains, de-
cided upon bombardment because of the
Spanish activity on the new batteries.
Monday morning was misty.
When the fleet opened fire the Span
ish batteries answered promptly.
though at first feebly. Then the heavy
batteries armed with Krupp and Arm
strong guns, poured out in a storm Of
flame The guns of these forts We're
brought to Santiago by the Montserrat
on her last voyage from Cadiz, and are
believed to have been manned by Ger
man and French experts. The Span
iards had boasted that no fleet could
live before them, but their aim proved
poor, and the warships suffered COM
paratively little damage.
THE Yankee Formerly Ell Norte)
manned by militia, kept in shore, fight
ing the batteries near the beach, and
did useful work, the militia giving good
proof of their value. They fought per-
haps with too much eagerness thus los
ing some efficiency.
During the bombardment a battery
of field pieces at the Cuban headquar-
ters on a mountain top to the north Of
Santiago opened fire with a ten mile
range.
The Dolphin shelled small fort
near the beach, where Spanish troops
We're seen, but no reply was made from
THE shore, and it was afterward dis
covered that the Spaniards had mount
ed several quaker guns. Only two
pieces were served east of MORO Cas-
tie, and these We're silenced.
The Marblehead and the New Or
leans were sent respectively west and
east to attack any isolated fortifica-
tons. They worked inshore, keeping
their guns going rapidly. During the
bonibardment a shell exploded on the
port quarter of the Vizcaya. 1t dis
mounted one Of her guns, damaged the
rudder and injured several seamen.
1.-The destroyer Furor, which was
cruising about Cayo Smith, in the har-
Dor. made several rushes out from her
post. In one of these a shell exploded
over her bow, tore open the forward
deck, damaged her turtle back, and
compelled her to take refuge further
up in the harbor.
Very little damage was done to the
Amesican ships. 1t is reported that the
Suwanee was struck by a shell which
burst and wounded a seaman in the leg
slightly. Some of the vessels suffered
from the recoil Of the heavy guns. The
shells did such execution that MORO
Castle has the appearance of pictur-
Fesuue ruin. From the Premier we could
see the shells striking the hill, tearing
trees down and scattering the rocks
and earth in all directions. Indeed, the
sky line near MORO from our view
point is. quite changed. and now shows
great gaps. Vegetation is extermin-
ated. and all the buildings are demol-
ished where the shells fell. The Span
ish guns on the sea-front, with the ex-
ception Of the smoothbOres in MORO
Fort were silenced, and many were
ruined -