Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-06-24
Six Thousand American
Soldiers on the island.
SCENES ALONG THESHORE
Army aud Navy Co-cperute to SPLENDID
advantage. Cuban Insurgents
Bear Their Share In the En-
terpriae Well. .g.

'dHi., thursday, June s3.-At 5 O'Clock
,hS afternoon SIX thousand trained
american soldiers are encalnped in tne
nils III and around B;,iquiri and 10 VOu
more rest on their arms on board trans.
ports Off shore. ready to join those. wnu
nave uebarkeu as soon as The. available
launches and small boats Gun carry
| them ashore.
Time. sea and weather were prop,-
tlous for the army OF invasion. The
! navy ana the army co-uper:,teu spIcn-
dldiy and as the big warships closed IN
on the shore to pave the way for the
approach of the transports and then
| went back again. three cheers for the
navy went UP from 10000 throats or
| the troop ships and three cheers for the
army rose from ship after ship as the
troop ships moved in to take their
! snare in the hazardous game. 1t was
war, and it was magnificent.
| The Cuban insurgents too. bore their
snare in the enterprise honorably and
Well Five thousand of them in noun
tain Businesses and dark thickc,s OF ra.-
vines. lay all last night,on their gun.
| watching every road and mountain
path leading from Santiago de Cuba
| to Guantanamo. a thousand of them
we're within sight OF Raiquiri. making
the approach of the Spanfards under
cover OF the darkness an impossible
thing.
at O'Clock this morning as the An
soci:lted Press dispatch boat approach
ed saiuuiri the entire island OF Cuba
seemed wrapped In soft mist like tina,
OF the dog days in northern latltudes
Distant objects doomed dinly, but 1,
was seen that many OF the troop shIps
that had been lying several miles in thu
citing had drawn in toward shore, whils
three or four warships lay menacingIS
near the harbor approach All around
the transports steam launches and
small! boats We're hobbng about like
cork5. the first indication of the true
object of the undertaking ahead
hour later the sun was rising In
the eastern sky. touching the mountain
tops with patches of light green anc
revealing the great semi-circIe of troor
Ships, some close to the coast line, 9th
ers y mile distant, with -.their decks
croWued eager, ex;;>>SSSss.;.s:1t men.
impatient to begin the great movement
OF destiny. to make new chapter in
the history of America. the first 1nvn-
sion by our army of n foreign country
in a half century.
AS the dispatch boat OF the Assoc,-
ated Press ran closer in near where
the New Orleans was lying with her
great Armstrong guns trained on Bal
uuiri. tongues OF lurid flame and black
smoke We're seen rising from the town,
the Inevitable consequence of war ana
u sure sign that the Spaniards had
sn',a. leaving ruin behind them.
Tie captain OF the New Orleans
shouted the news to the dispatch boat,
adding: You had better keep off
little. You are in range They have a
rifle on the hill on the eastern side OF
Baiquiri."
There is a steep. rocky hill, known an
Punta Baiquiri, rising almost perpen,
dicularly at the place indicated. 1t Is
q veritable Gibraltar in possibilities OF
has fnff trs, e.
the Spanish flag was deliantly floating
at sunset last night. but it was gone
this morning and with it the small
Spanish guard which had maintained
the signal station. Between nightfall
and dawn the Spaninrds had taken the
ing the town as they left The flames
we're watched with interest from the
ships. Two sharp explosions were
heard. At first they were thought to
be the report of guns from Spanish
masked batteries. but they proved to
be the explosion OF ammunition in the
burning building.
Three hours waiting made the men |
on The transports impatient to get |
ashore and In action. and every move |
OF the warshfps was closely watched |
by the soldiers.
A little before Q o'clock the bombar I'd
ment of the batteries Of Jaragua was
oS5haA ny kiS SltlpS Ol REAR AuTnlT1l
SIMPSONS fleet This was evidently a |
TENT to cover the real point of attack,
Jaragua being about half way between
BaiGuiri and Santiago de Cuba. The
eombardment lasted about twenty min
utes.
The scene then quickly shifted back
to the great semi-circle of the trans
port fleet before Baiquiri.
AT $40 O'Clock the New Orleans
Opened lire with q "a a mol |
runbllng and crashing against the hill
side. The Detroit, Wasp. Machias ana
Suwanee followed suit and soon the
hillsides and the valleys seemed to be
abiaze as shot followed shot in swift
succession amid the wild and excited
or the soldiers on the trans
ports.
In five minutes the sea was alive with
aotillas of small boats, headed by
launches speeding for Baquiri dock |
Some of the boats were manned by
crews of sailors. while others were
roWed by the soldiers themselves. Each
boat contained sixteen men. everyone
days rations. n shelter tent. a gun and
Two hundred cartridges ready to take
The field on touching the shore should
they be required to do so.
Ihe nring of the warships. however
proved to be needless precauiion, as
eHSli SHotS were not returned and no !
Spaniards We're visible.
. Two correspondents of the Associat TED
.ress, in small boat. Joined the first
1otliia that went ashore and Witnessed
he inspiring sight OF the landing.
General Shafter. on board the Segu-
ranca. closely watched the landing of
The troops.
y Brigadier General Lawton. who had
been detailed to command the landine
party. led the way in a launch accom-
panied by his staff. and directed the
ormation Of the line of operation.
EIhe Eighth (regular) infantry wa.
ne iirst regiment to land. followed by
General Skaters old regiment. the
infantry. the Tenth In
antry, the Fifteenth infantry. the
seventeenth infantry and Twelfth in
antry. the Second Massachusetts reg
nent and detachment of the Ninth
avalry. f7
\ The boats rushed forward simulta- !
Qously from every quarter In good 4
injured rivalry to be first and Their 9