The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-06-04
.bOMbARDMENT Of SANTIAGO
CANN0NADING WAS HEAVY.
Combined Squadrons of Sampson
and schIey Make Furious On
sInught, Infictfng Great Damage
10 the FortiGcations-span
Tins.

Port au Prince, Haiti, May 3l.-About
? o'clock this afternoon a squadron com
posed of IA warships of which the cruiser
New York displayed the flag of Rear Adj
miral Sampson, and a number of torpedo
boats began bombardment with heavy
guns off the ports and the harbor of San
tiago de Cuba. The American fire was di-
rected principally against the fortitica-
lions and the harbor. The forces of Nor
TO castle, La Socapa and Punta Gorda sui-
fered especially. The cannonading was
very persistent and can not have failed 10
be destructive. 1t lasted until 3:45 p. III.
The town of Santiago de Cuba, which is
situated near the inner end of the harbor,
escaped damage.
Firing Extremely Heavy.
Cape Haitien, May 3l.-Advices just re
ceived from Havana say that since ?
o'clock this afternoon the American fleet
at Santiago de Cuba has been cannonad-
ing the batteries of Moro castle, La So
capa and Punta Gorda. At the same time,
it is added, the American ships have been
engaged with the Spanish warships. The
firing was extremely heavy.
At 3:45 p. m. the cannonading became
less heavy against the Notifications and
was more accentuated in the locality
where the fleets were engaged.
MORO castle is at the entrance of the
harbor of Santiago; La Socapa, also shown
on the maps as La Socapa, is short dis
lance inside the harbor entrance, and Pun
Ia Gorda is situated on point we'll inside
the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, showing
that the American fleet has entered the
harbor, according to the Havana advices
via Cape Haitien, and has engaged the
Spanish fleet in those waters.)
$40 p. NAT this hour the Santiago
cable is still working from Santiago. Pri-
vate messages intimate that there has
been a severe fight between the American
fleet and the outer Notifications and the
Spanish fleet. The fight lasted the greater
part of the afternoon. The advantage APP
pears to have been with the Americans.
According to the latest advices the com
bat is still in progress
Persons who climbed Lookout noun
tain at the entrance of Cape Haitien har-
Dor declared that they heard cannonad
ing low but distinct to the west and to
the north beyond Tortugas island.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press, who was at the signal station
about the same time, also heard sounds
resembling a cannonading. The wind
was in the right direction to carry the
detonations to him. 1t seems certain that
the fleet the Haitien gunboat saw pass
ing Cape Maysi going northward founC
an opportunity of turning backward
, across the front of an opposing force.
ll:l5 p. m.-According to a dispatch
from Spanish source IA American war
ships and two torpedo boats were en-
gagged in the combat at Santiago.
careful fire was directed against the bat
} teries of Moro castle until 3:45 p. IN.
when discharges of cannon began to b.
| heard at sea off the port. These dis
charges continued until o'clock, ther
entirely ceased.
From the Spanish account, it is impos
, sible to judge as to the exact merits 0
the encounter.