The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-13
SMELLING BY THE SHIPS.
Navy Solves "A Pretty Mathematical
Problem nt Santiago.

OFF Aguadores, July Il, 2 p. m, via
Kingston. Jam, July 12 21O p. m.-The
United States navy has the following
problem presented to it:
What is the best manner Of effectively
bombarding a city, distant four and
half miles and concealed from view by
range of hills 25O feet high at it's lowest
part? The problem has been satisfacto-
rily solved.
So, if the army hereafter never fired
shot and merely guarded the roads the
navy could make Santiago untenable, If
indeed, it did not totally destroy 1t in
few days. Sunday and to-day the sea
was calmer than usual, so the opportunity
for good practice was afforded.
In pursuance of Gen. Skaters request,
Commodore Sohley, Read Admiral Samp-
son being absent at Guantanamo, at
o'clock on Sunday afternoon, ranged the
Brooklyn Indiana and Texas within 500
yards of the shore, at a point almost due
south of the city of Santiago, distant
a little over four and a half miles The
ships were about half mile apart.
The army signal men were on the beach
opposite the ships and also on the crest
of hill overlooking both the ships and
the city. These men wig-wagged the re-
suit of each shot, telling the gunners if
the shell was aimed too high or too low,
or not in line. Sundays practice was
good, but IL was better to-day, when the
firing was opened by the New York,
which returned from Guantanamo bay
during the night.
The New York, Brooklyn and Indiana
were the ships which participated In the
shelling this morning.
The ships ran out their big guns on the
side opposite to firing IN order to secure
the desired list to port or starboard.
Gen. Shafter signalled about noon that
''some of the shells fell in the bay and
some in the city. The latter do not ap-
pear to do great damage"
Comment on this subject was changed
Immediately by a message saying: The
last shot struck st. MichaePs Church,
where powder was stored, blowing up
the same and doing great damage"
The bombardment closed for the day at
1 p. m, at Gen. Skaters request as he
was about to send a flag of truce into the
city In order to demand Its surrender for
the third and last time.
The whole proceeding was business-like
In the extreme. The ordinary avocations
on SHlDOOdEu went OIls phnCNudNSO at
tervals of five minutes by the roar of the
big guns, the scream of projectiles and
the echoes from the mountains IN the rear
of MORO castle. plainly visible TO the
westward, and having the bombarding
ships we'll in range.
But not a gun was fired by the Span
iards. The effect of the shells. when they
did hit, can be easily imagined. when it is
known that each of them carries 25C
pounds of explosives and travels 925 feet
per second. When such a missile lands at
distance of four and a half miles from
the mlzzle 20 the city, it occupies twenty
two and ne-quarter seconds in its flight.
Four shells during the bombardment to-
day started fires in different parts of the
city, proving the feasibility of burning
The place by using the guns of the fleet
alone.
1t was strange to see our soldiers repair
ing a locomotive on the railroad track
running along the beach, while, like the
strokes of a SLOW clock, the guns were
fired and sent shells screaming over the
men at work.
Death must have come to many In the
city by reason of the shelling, but it Is
impossible to do more than surmjse as
to the extent of the mortality.