The record-union., 1898-06-24

This is a steep rocky hill known
as Punta Baiquiri, rising almost per-
pendicularly at the place indicated. 1t
is veritable Gibraltar in possibilities
of defense. From the staff at its sum-
nit the Spanish flag was defiantly
floating at sunset last night, but it was
gone to-day, and with it the small
Spanish guard which had maintained
the signal station. Between nightfall
and dawn the Spaniards had taken the
alarm and fled from the place, firing
the town as they left. The flames were
watched with interest from the ships.
Two sharp explosions We're heard. At
first they Were thought to be the re-
ports of guns from Spanish masked
battery, but they proved to be the eN-
plosion of ammunition in the burning
buildings
Three hours waiting made the men
on the transports impatient 10 get
ashore and in action, and every move
of the warships was closely watched
by the soldiers. A little before 8 O'Clock
the bombardment of the batteries of
Jaragua was begun by the ships Of
Rear Admiral SIMPSONS fleet. This
was evidently feint to cover the real
point of attack, Jargua being about
half half way between Baiquiri and
Santiago. The bombardment lasted
about twenty minutes.
The scene then quickly shifted back
again to the great semi circle of the
transport fleet before Paiquri. At
9:iO O'Clock the New Orleans opened
fire With a gun that sent shell rum
bling and crashing through the hillside.
The Detroit, Machias and Suzanne fol-
lowed suit and soon the hillsides and
the valleys seemed to be ablaze. as
shot followed shot in swift succession
amid the wild and excited cheering Of
the soldiers on the transports.
In five minutes the sea was alive
with fiotillas Of small boats, headed by
launches, speeding for Baiquiri dock.
Some of the boats were manned by
crews of sailors, While others We're
rowed by the soldiers themselves. Each
boat contained sixteen men, every one
in fighting trim, and carrying three
days rations, shelter tent, gun and
200 cartridges, ready to take the field
on touching the shore should they be
called upon to do so. The firing of the
warshiTs, however, proved to be
needless precaution, as their shots We're
not returned and no Spaniards were
visible.
Two correspondents of the Associated
Press in a small boat joined the first
1otilla that went ashore, and witnessed
the inspiring sight of the.landing.
General Shafter, on board the Seguer-
anca, closely watched the landing of
the troops.
Brigadier General Lawton. who had
been detailed to command the landing
Of the troops, led the way in a launch
ACCOMPANIED by his staff and directed
the formation of the line of operation
The Eight regular infantry was the
first regiment to land, followed by Cen
eneral Skaters old regiment, the FIJI
Infantry. Then came the Twenty fifth
Infantry, the Twenty Infantry,
the Tenth Infantry, the Fifteenth In
fantry. the Seventeenth Infantry and
the Twelfth Infantry, the Second Mas
sachusetts and a detachment of the
Ninth Cavalry.
The boats rushed forward simulta-
erously from every quarter, in good
natured rivalry to be first and their
occupants scrambled over one another
to leap ashore.
AS the boats tossed about in the surf
breaking against the pier getting
ashore was no easy matter, and the
soldiers had to throw their rifles on
the dock before they could climb up
themselves, and some hard tumbles re-
suited but nobody was hurt
At the end of the pier the companies
and regiments quickly lined up and
We're marched away.
General LawtOn threw a strong de-
tachment for the night, about six miles
ho
other detachment was posted to the
north of the town among the hills The
rest of the troops We're quartered in the
town. some of them being housed in the
building Of the iron company Other
troops were quartered in deserted
houses, while others still preferred the
shelter of their tents in the adjoining
fields
The mornings fire, it was seen de-
stroyed the roundhouse. the repair
shops and several small dwellings,. The
town was deserted when the troops
landed, but women and children soon
appeared from the surrounding thick
est and returned to their homes
The sun-bronzed soldiers in their
slouch hats and service uniforms
quickly searched the buildings and
beat up the thickets after landing in
search of lurking foes, and marched
into the unknown country beyond at
nightfall with long, swinging stride
and the alert-bearing of the old from
tier army men, ready to fight the
Spaniards Sioux fashion or in the open,
they could be found.
The cheers of their comrades still
waiting on the transports and of the
and the strains of Yankee
Doodle from the bands on the troop
ships saluted them as they disappeared
from view over the hills of Baiquiri.
The landing was accomplished with
out loss Of life. the only casualty be-
ing the woundng of an insurgent on
the hills by a shell from one of our
ships. He will lose his arm The in
surgent troops at Baiquiri are COM
manded by General Castillo. and are
estimated to number a thousand men.
ACCOUNT OF THE
LANDING
ON BOARD THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS DISPATCH BOAT DAUNT-
LESS. OFF BAIQUIRI, SANTIAGO
DE CUBA, Wednesday, June -, 10 a.
m. (via Playa del Este, Guantanamo
Bay, June 23, 1 D. m)-(Copyrighted
1898, by the Associated Press.)-The
landing of the United States troops
from the transports began at the Bal
quiri iron pier, twelve miles east of the
City of Santiago de Cuba, at 10 o'clock
this morning. simultaneously the
American fleet made diversion to-
ward Moro Castle and westward
However secretly the plans were made
the Spaniards seemingly had full warn
mo of the hoIlr and p1aca for tho land