The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-05-08
VIEWED BY
INSURGENTS
IN TREETOPS

Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett.
ON BOARD THE HERALD-CALL
DISPATCH BOAT ALBERT F. DEW
Ely, with the bloekading squadron off
Cuba, via Key West, Fla, May T.
There was a second battle at Matanzas
yesterday and Lieutenant Commander
Kimball of the Dupont was laughing
about 1t this morning. When the Dewey
found the torpedo-boat ten miles to the
east of that port to exchange news,
got boat DOWN and went to the Du-
pont, where the blithe commander told
me that his boat and the Hornet, with
their light guns, had shelled the block
house beside the lighthouse at Point
Maya, near tPo mouth of the harbor of
Matanzas, and Fo4t Garcia, which is an
old haci, ida used as a blockhouse and
lies three and one-half miles to the
east
AS the Dupont was leaving her posi-
ton off the lighthouse point big shell
was fired from the middle embrasure of
battery Of the other side of the har-
Dor called Gorda. The line was perfect,
but the elevation was bad and the
range too long. The shell fell a thou
sand yards short.
Lieutenant Commander Kimball. on
learning that the Dewey had an agent
of the Junta on board and was in
search of messenger from the insur-
gents in Matanzas province. told me it
might be Of interest for me to know
that some Spanish cavalry was scour-
ing the coast off which we were talking.
l asked if he would run in with the
Dewey and allow us to take a messen-
ger off under cover of the Dupont's
one-pounder.
With pleasure" he replied, and a
little later the trick had been done and
the dispatch boat was on her way to
Key West with brown-skinned Am
brosia Diaz, who has messages of i'm
portance for the Junta- He was landed
on the coast by the Leyden on May f.
Since yesterday morning he had been
waiting in the mangrove bushes which
fringe the coast by the little village of
Boca de Camarioca, eight miles east
of Matanzas
He completed Lieutenant-C Command
er k1mball's story by telling US that
while the Hornet was throwing shells
into the block house beside the light
house yesterday afternoon the in
southwark climbed into the trees to
see the performance from reserved
seats, and cheered madly as the Hor-
nets men got the range and hit their
target Lieutenant Commander Kim
ball, when he found it advisable to call
up the Hornet, with her Founders,
told her commander not to destroy the
lighthouse tower, but only the block
house of the garrison, and left the
tower for the cover of the neighbor
trees. This was at o'clock in the af-
ternoon. The Hornet fired twelve
shells, half of which struck the mark.
The Dupont, after making sure that
Point Maya was being made too warm
for Spanish occupation, steamed down
to a blockhouse opposite called Garcia
Red, and prominent landmark to the
eastward, and turned loose her one
Founders.
Here, as in the other place, the in
fantry men had urgent business behind
the forest woods and hills. After max
ing sure that they had gone to stay
the Dupont resumed patrol duty. The
cavalry afterward appeared at For
tina. but remained there only long
enough to see the torpedo boats men
acing one-pounders off shore.
Diaz, with his son Ramon and a col
ored insurgent soldier, had seen this
cavalry on their way from Rojas camp
TO the beach near Boca de Camarioca,
where old Practice" was to be picked
I'D. Just behind the fringe of man
grove bushes on the shore is a road
running parallel with the coast. and
the guerrilla cavalry had been moving
east. and then west along it.
Once across the road and on the sea-
side of the bushes the insurgents were
fairly safe. but did not relish the idea