The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-14
FOriS Appear RiddIed and Town
Also Hit.
SHIPS REPEATEDLY STRUCK
SpIinters Fly But the Vessels Not
Injured.

cThe Bombardment from the Flagship.
Copyrighted, 1898, by the Associated
Press
On Board the Flagship Iowa, San Juan
de Porto Rico. May 12 (via ST. Thomas,
Danish w. l., May 13).-The forts Of San
Juan de Porto Rico were bombarded by
part of Rear Admiral Sampson's fleet this
morning
The enemy's loss is believed to be heavy.
The American loss is two men killed
and seven injured.
After three hours firing the admiral
withdrew the fleet and headed for Key
West. lie said: 81 am satisfied With the
mornings work.
II could have taken San Juan, but
have no force to hold it,
Il only wanted to administer punish
ment This has been done.
81 came for the Spanish fleet and not
for San Juan"
The killed are:
SEAMAN FRANK wINDEMARK Of
the New York.
GUNNER's MATE - Of Che Amphi-
trite.
The latter died from the effects of the
extreme heat.
OF the injured men, three were on board
the Iowa and four on the New York.
The nemes of those slightly injured on
the Iowa are:
Seaman Mitchell.
Private Marine Merkle.
Private Marine Hill.
The injured on the New York are:
Seaman Samuel Fetman, seriously.
Seaman Michael Murphy.
Two other enlisted men, slightly injur-
ed.
The above named were injured by the
burtlng of a shell on the New York.
This is complete list of the killed aud
wounded.
The American ships were uninjured
The engagement began at SIS a. M,
and ended at 815 a. m.
The enemys batteries were not silenced.
The town in the rear Of the fortiications
probably suffered.
The ships taking part in the action were
the Iowa, Indiana, New York, Terror.
Amphitrite, Detroit, Montgomery, Wam-
patuck and Porter.
4. The enemys firing was heavy, but wild,
and the Iowa and New York were probably
the only ships hit They went right up
under the big guns in column, delivering
broadsides and then returned.
The line passed thrice in front of the
forts pouring tons of steel on shore.
It is impossible to Judge the amount of
damage done to the buildings and forts.
They appeared to be riddled with shot,
but the SpanIards were plucky.
The after turret of the Amphltrite got
out Of order temporarily during the en-
gagement, but she banged away with her
forward guns
After the first passage before the forts
the Detroit and Montgomery retired, their
guns being TOO small to do much damage
The Porter and Wampanack also staid
out Of range.
The smoke hung over everything, spoil
ing the aim OF the gunners and making IL
impossible to tell where our shots struck.
The officers and men Of all the ships be-
haved with GOODNESS and bravery.
The shots flew fast and thick.
The men of the Iowa were injured by
splinters thrown by an s-inch she'll which
came through a boat into the superstrue-
ture and scattered fragments IN all direc-
tons
The shot course was finally ended on an
iron plate an inch thick. Merkle (AfurteD
was shot in the arm and may lose It.
All were hurt by splinters and fire was
started in the boat, but was quickly ex-
tinguished
Moro battery on the eastward arm CT
the harbor, was the principal point Of
attack.
Rear Admiral Sampson and Captain
Evans were on the lower bridge of the
Iowa and had a narrow escape from splin-
ters. which Injured three men.
The Iowa was hit eight times, but the
ehelis made no impression on her armor.
The weather was fine, but the heavy
swells made accurate aim difficult. The
broadsides from the Iowa and Indiana
rumbled in the hills ashore for five min
utes after they were delivered.
Clouds of dust showed where they
struck.
AT o'clock in the morning all hands