The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-20
THE FIGHT At SAN JUAN
Remarkable Escape of the Fleet
From Casualties.
ORIFTED IN The SMOKE
Spanish Guns Had a Tremendous Ad-
vantage, but Did Little Damage.
Fortihcations Hard Task for
the Best Battleships.

Key West. Fla. May 19-An on
locker Of the bombardment of the for
tifications Of san Juan de Puerto Rico
on May IL BY the fleet Of Rear Ad
miraI Sampson gave the following de-
tails Of that engagement. He said:
The most remarkable feature about
the bombardment was the escape of the
fleet with so few casualties. The
enemy's fire was heavy and continuous,
and the elevation of their batteries
gave them a tremendous advantage.
How they missed hitting the ships no
one knows. Their shots fell all around
and their guns had capacity for twice
the range. Yet they only landed two
projectiles with any serious effect. The
San Juan affair strengthens the opin-
ion that well-placed fortifications is a
hard task for even the strongest bat
tleships.
The secondary battery OF the ships
were not used after the line had
passed before the forts. This was
chiefly on account of smoke. Drifting
in front of the turrets. IL made the
handlers of the big guns liable to lose
all sight of land.
The admiral and his assistant chief
of stan. Staunton. were on the SUPER
structure on the lee side of the con-
ming tower. They did not go inside the
coming tower. which will probably not
be used in action unless the fire Is COM
ing from both sides. So far il has
proved a rather useless institution. In
the forecastle. in the lee forward L.
inch turret, were Lieutenant March,
flag secretary, and Ensign Bennett.
flag lieutenant. both of whom, with
Staunton. accompanied the admiral
from the New York. Bennett had sig
nal buoys with him. His signal flags,
in the canvas bags, were made fast
with line which ran around the tur-
ret barbette. This was to prevent them
from being shot overheard.
1t took about four broadsides to
wake the Spaniards up. In the mean
time. great yellowish white clouds were
rising from the hillside marking where
our shells had fallen. Then a few puffs
of white and little lines of flame came
from hooks in the BLUM. The water
spurted few hundred yards from the
Iowa and everybody was glad. because
they knew that the enemy was return
ing the fire. Before that the tackles
had been glum. BY this time the
smoke had begun to hang heavily and
the Iowa was moist and covered with
saltpetre. Marine glasses had to be
wiped every few minutes. The faces
OF the men were grimy and their
mouths were bitter from the saItpetre
When the big guns in the turret were
nred II seemed as IL the ship was AL
most drawn from the water in a strain
ing enort to follow the projectiles az
they whizzed shorewards. Behind the
Indiana's port side looked like a hinge
tort, her own smoke hiding her star
board side
when the Iowa was turned To eo
back to the starting point the entire line
was engaged. The New York. stately
standing high out of the water and
showing all her gracefulness. but max
ing an easy target. slowly ran the
gauntlet Of two miles While the ener,v's
nre was at its hottest. two jackies stood
al the lowa's bows. without any cover.
heaVing the lead. They worked lust as
calmly as IL in New York harbor.
They can't hit US. George sang out
one or the men to another in the lee
OF the turret. Just then a shell whizzed
by Rig line To that thing. laughed
the man in the chains. pointing derisiye-
~ To the water that spurted up so yards
ahead Of him.
The feature most discussed was the
Wonderful pluck Of the Terror and her
escape from being hit. Shells simply
rained about her as she lay within 500
yards of the forts and blazed away with
her five-inch rapid-fire batteries The
Amphitrite had trouble with her after
turrets, caused by an accident to the
gear which supplies the turret power.
Several slight accidents occurred ON the
ships, but on the whole they were not J.
as numerous as generally happen dur
Ing heavy target practice The strain
on the men was rather severe. The heat
or the sun was intense before s O'Clock.
The work done by the engineer officers
and their men. who for three hours were
under the battle gratings in the intense
heat, cannot be too highly praised. The
hring OF the monitors seemed hardly up
10 the mark OF the other ships. n very
heavy swell causing them trouble and
preventing any degree of accuracy OF
n