The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-24
NAVY'S BOLD DASH AT NIPE.
ToPEKA,s GUNS SOON SILENCE
SHORE BATTERIES.

Spanish GunbOat Jorge Juan sub
iccted to a Terrific Fire and Sent
to the bottom I'm Twenty Minutes.
Her Crew Take to the shore in
Boats Mines in the Hnrbor EN-
pIoded by the Spaninrds Ineffect-
lively.
Key West, Fla, July %, 1850 a. m.-Act-
ing under ordeas from Rear Adnlrai
Sampson, four warships on Thursday al
| ternoon Hast entered the harbor OF Nlpe
on the northeast coast of the province OIL
Santiago de Cuba, and after a furious
bombardment took possession of the mar
bor as a base of operations for the Porto
Rico campaign.
1t Is understood however that the plans
have been changed since, in consequence
of the occupation of Santiago by the Unit
ed States forces, and that Nipe will not be
used for the purpose originally intended
The vessels engaged were the Topeka,
Annapolis, Wasp and Leyden. In the
course of an hour they stieneed three forts
sank the Spanish gunboat Jorge Juan mot
| the Juan Jorge as before reporteO ana
scattered Spanish rihemen who had taken
part in the engagement.
The channel leading into the haGbor was
very narrow. and on a bluff to the right
called Galory Point, was fort and signal
| station AS the American ships entered
the Spaniards signalled in lively FASH
ion with a ball and flag, apparently noti-
fying the Spanish ships In the harhor
which were the Jorge Juan, two smaller
gunboats and an armored launch.
AS the Wasp and Leyden rounded the
point, the fort fired a dozen shots, none
Of which, however. fell near them, and
the Topeka returned the fire with her
| 3-pounders.
Almost Immediately the spanlards de-
serted the fort and ran, while the Topeka
continued to send shells into them A body
of rifemen on the beach returned the IRE
with few Wild shots, but they, too, were
quickly dispersed by the Topeka's smaller
! guns The Topeka also discharged two tor
| 2edoes.
At the same time another small fort to
the left of the channel fired on the Amerl-
can ships, but it was silenced as easily as
| the other.
In the meanwhile the Wasp and Ley
den had taken up position in the north
| western portion OF lhe ndIbOit am OP1i-
ed fire across the water at the jorge Juan,
| which Law to the southeast in front or the
| town of Mayari. Her position was ABOUT
a mile and a quarter from the beach ana
behind a third fort stood on an emlnence.
| This fort opened fire on the Wasp ana
Leyden, and as the Annapolis and Topeka
came up the Spanish gunboat joined IN the
! fight and a general battle followed.
The Topeka anchored in the middle oil
the harbor about 400 yards from the
Jorge Juan, and the other three Amerl-
can boats drew up on either side and
formed a semi-circle. They then closed
in on the Spanish snip, pouring a destruc-
tive fire at her and the fort beyond. The
Topeka sent 4-inch shells crashing into
the Jorge Juan at such rate that she
sank within twenty minutes. When the
firing became heavy, the officers and crew
of the Spaniard put off in small boats,
made for the shore, under heavy hre,
and escaped into the woods.
Two shots from the Topekas bow gun,
| fired on an elevation of 1850 yards, drop
ped square into Mayari fort, the Spanish
pennants disappeared and a white flag
was run up This ended a short, but one
of the most vicious battles of the war.
All the American ships sent small boats
over to the Spanish gunboat. They found
that the Jorge Juan's forecast,e had been
entirely shot away by the Topeka's 4-inch
shells, and that her fore and mizzinmasts
| ana HaSSIaHS were CdIIicu Oil II 10
thought the Spaniards scuttled her before
| abandoning the vessel
Divers were sent down, and quite a curl
GUS collection of relics were found. One
was the ships motto: "Be brave and you
viii go home to SDain.'
Four or five cats, still alive, were cling
ing TO the wreckage, and a dog which had
been chained to the deck was drowned.
That part of the rigging which protrud-
ed swarmed with rats who attempted to
renew the battle with the Americans, but
were driven to the sea.
The harbor was found to be well mined,
| and two of the mines exploded one about
100 yards off the Topekas bow and the
other 900 yards from her port quarter. AS
the ships came out they saw a contact
mine floating on the surface of the water.
The engagement was hardly over when
the torpedo boat Dupont came along with
dispatches from Rear Admiral Sampson
for Commodore Remey, and the Topeka
was sent with them to Key West, arriv-
ing this morning.
She had borne the brunt OF the fight and
bore herself nobly. Her captain is Will
| lam S. Cowles, a brother-ln-law of Col
| Theodore Roosevelt.
The Jorge Juan was three-nasted fun
mel ship of $50 tons and 1,100 horsepower
She was S2O feet long, 35 feet wide, and 12
feet draught. She carried a crew of 146
men and had 100 tons Of coal.
Nipe harbor is twenty miles long and
three miles wide. 1t Is surrounded by
mountains and is admirably adapted as
a base for any campQign.
The Topeka on her way into this port
| passed the Terror, Puritan and Montgom-
cry, heading for Nipe.
OTIS SAILS FOR MANILA.