The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-23

| Rico campaign to rendezvous there.
| When the situation had been cleared up
| Capt. Hunker ordered the ships to so
| IN. the Wasp and Leyden, being the
| smallest of the quartet led the way, fol-
/ lowed by the Annapolis, while the To-
| peka, which carried a heavier battery,
| brought up the rear.
The channel leading into the harbor
| was very narrow and on a bluff to the
| right, called Galory Point. was a fort
| and signal station. As the American
ships entered the Spaniards were sig
Mailing in a lively fashion with a blue
ball and flag, apparently notifying the
Spanish ships in the harbor which We're
the Jorge Juan, two smaller gunboats
and the armored launch before men
toned.
AS the Wasp and Leyden rounded the
point the fort fired a dozen shots. none
of which however fell near them and
the Topeka returned the fire with her
3-pOunders.
Almost Immediately the Spaniards
deserted the fort and ran, while the
Topeka continued to send shells into
them. A body of rifiemen on the beach
returned the fire with a few wild shots,
but they, too, were quickly dispersed by
the TOpeka's smaller guns. The Tope-
ka also discharged two torpedoes.
At the same time another small fort
to the left of the channel fired on the
American ships but it was silenced as
easily as the other.
Fight Becomes General.
In the meantime the Wasp and Ley
den had taken up a position in the
| northwestern portion of the harbor and
opened fire across the water at the
Jorge Juan which Law to the southeast
in front of the town OF Mayari. Her
position was about a mile and a quar-
ter from the beach and behind her a
third fort stood on an eminence. This
fort opened fire on the Wasp and Ley
den and as the Annapolis and Topeka
came up the Spanish gunboat Joined
in the fight and a general battle fol-
lowed. The Topeka anchored in the
middle of the harbor about 1000 yards
from the Jorge Juan and the other
three American boats drew VI, or either
side and formed a semi circle. The
Americans then closed in on the Span
ish ships, pouring in a destructive fire
and on the fort behind. The Topeka
sent 4-inch shells crushing into the
Jorge Juan at such a rate that she
sank within twenty minutes
When the firing became heavy, the
officers and crew of the SpaniaTd put
off in a small boat, made the shore un-
der a heavy fire and escaped into the
woods.
Two shots from the Topeka's bow gun,
fired on an elevation of $500 yards, drop
ped square into Mayari fort the Spanish
pennants disappeared and white flag
was. run up. This ended a short, but one
of the most vicious battles of the war
All of the American ships sent small
of the Topeka being under command Of
Lieutenant Niblack, the former naval at
tache at Berlin, Vienna and Rome. They
found that the Jorge Juan's forecastIe
had been entirely nipped away by the To-
nd and ~ Rn mass ahd @ agsta ass har we're fere
carriG.f off. 1t is thought the Spaniards
scutft4l her before abandoning the yes
sell Divers were sent down and quite a
curious collection of relics were found.
One was the ships motto: BE brave and
you will go home to Spain"
Bore Herself NObIy.
They also brought up gun sights.
signal flags and a hundred other me-
mentoes- of the engagement which were
distributed among the officers and men
OF the victorious ships. Four or five
cats still alive We're cling1ng to the
wreckage and one dog which had been
chained to the deck, was drowned. That
part of the rigging which protruded
from the water sWarmed with rats who
attempted to renew the battle with the
Americans, but were driven into the
sea.
The harbo was found to be well
mined and two of the mines exploded,
one about 100 yards off the Topeka's
bow and the other 200 yards from her
port quarter. AS the ships came out
they saw a contact mine floating on
the surface of the water.
The engagement was hardly over
when the torpedo boat Dupont came
along with dispatches from Rear Ad-
miral Sampson for Commodore Remey
and the Topeka was sent with them to
Key West, arriving this morning. She
had borne the brunt of the fight and
bore herself nobly. Her captain is VIM.
OOWI0S, d OEOlu6E- lIl-ldW u Col. 4n0-
odOre Roosevelt.
The Jorge Juan was tFres-masted,
one funnel ship, of $50 tons and 1,100
horse power. She was 800 feet long,
35 feet wide and u feet draft
Her battery was heavier than the To-
peka, the biggest of the four attacking
American ships consisting of three 81
Hontorias, two Is Krupp guns and two
machine guns.
Nipe harbor is twenty miles long and
ten miles wide. It is surrounded by
mountains and is admira bly, adapted as
a base for any campaign.
The Topeka on her way into this port
passed the Terror, Puritan and Mont
gomery, heading for Nipe.