The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-05-19
Ko,, yVost Fla Nav l4-Tbe Uni

with orders to cut the cable connecting
Havana with Santiago de Cuba. This
task was accomplished, but only after
terrific fight between our warships
and several thousand Spanish troops
which lined the shore and lay conceal
ed behind improvlsed breastworks. One
man. seaman named Reagan, OF the
Marblehead, was killed In one OF the
working small boats, and SIX men were
severely wounded. In addition, a large
number on board the ship received
minor wounds. Captain S. E. Mcguire
of the Window, believes that several OF
the six badly wounded men who were
brought to Key West this morning on
the Window, cannot recover.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED
The following is the list of killed
and wounded:
Kllled-Regan, seaman OF the Mar
blehead.
Badly Wounded-John Davis, OF
New York John Doran, of Fall River,
Mass. Ernest Suntzeanickle, Herman
w. Hochneister, Harry Hendrlckson,
all Of the Marblehead Robert Boltz, OF
Carteret county, North Carolina, OF the
Nashville.
Soon after the warships arrived off
Cienfuegos, four boats were launched
and proceeded in shore for the purpose
of graphing for the cable, in~order to
cut 1t. The warships lay-to about
1000 yards off the harbor.
| It was observed that the Spanish
troons had assembled ashore but it was
not known that heavy guns had been
placed In masked battery and that
/. the old lighthouse, tar out on neck OF
land had been transformed into
formidable fort.
When the commanders of the Mar
blehead and the Nashville called for
volunteers to man the boats and cut
the cable, the men responded with
, lump. Lieutenant G.. MGR. Winslow,
of the Nashville, took command OF the
Nashvllle's boats.
CUTTING THE CABLE.
The shore surrounding the entrance
of the harbor was first shelled and then
, the boats proceeded In. The work OF
: | finding the cable was slowly and eau
tiouslv proceeded with. The cable was
: deep in the channel and found with
2 difficulty.
9 One OF the relays OF The cable had
, been cut when the Spaniards opened
: fire. TIE marines in the boat replied
at once and machine gun from the
o forward launch sent in stream OF bull
let's while heavy shells from the War
i. silis, drove the Spaniartis from the rifle
4 pits at the shore, many OF them seeking
1 refuge in the lighthouse fort, which
q was afterwards torn to pieces by a she'
+. from the Window. AS there were
= mum bers of SpaniarGs i'll and behinc
i the tort at the time, there Is no doub
y that many Of them were killed.
a With desperate courage the Amer
! can sailors remained calmly at thei
h posts and succeeded in dragging VI
L the second relay of the cable and sever
ing it.
o Seven men badly wounded, was th
a count, and one of them, Reagan, die
~ while on the way back to the shlI
If Lieutenant Winslow was shot in tn
q hand and a number of others wer
st more or less injured.
On the Nashville, Captain Magyar
ri was standing forward, with an ensign
h when Spanish bullet passed throug]
to the ensign's shoulder and struck Ma,
o. nard on the chest, near the hear
= woundlng him only slightly.
IN The Marblehead was struck scores {
N times by bullets from machine gun
4 and the Nashville suffered to about til
re same extent. The Window also ha
"a many marks of the fray. Her shel
blowing up the lighthouse and seattle
n, ing the Spaniards in all direction
nj ended the battle.
ID ANOTHER BATTLE.
wv There was an engagement off H
o,l vana Saturday:
hi Key West, Fla, May 15.-(On boal
CO. the Associated Press dispatch boz
,as Kate Spencer, off Havana, May Il,
~ p. m.-Captain-G General Blanco, tv
m hours before shutdown tonight, attemr
no ed to execute ruse, which, it success
av full, would have cleared the front
cd Havana of six ships on that blockade
station. Unable to come out to {
,ds battle he adopted the tactics of tt
,al spider and cunningly planned to dra
nd the prey into his net but though clev
no and pretty scheme. as an original pro
osition, 1t was practically a repetitit
nd of the trick by which the gunbo
H. Vicksburg and the little converted re
ito enue cutter Morrill, we're last week q
1lv coyed by fishing smack under t.
lis big Krupp guns of Santa Clara ii
teries.
,st- TWO SPANISH WARsHIPS.
wa Late this afternoon the ships on t
en- Havana station were dumbfounded
va see two ships steam out of Havana b.
Iie Dor and headed east. Dense smo
IA was streaming like black ribbons frc
;. at their stacks and a GLANCE showed th
IN they were under full head of stea
ON BY aid of 81 asses Commander Lilly,
'he the Mayflower, which was flying
lhe pennant, made out the larger vessel
leu the two, which was about 200 feet 10
* and 4 500 tons displacement, to be t
'he cruiser Alphonso XII, and the small
r4t. one to be the gunboat Legazpi, both
OUT which were known to be bottled up
'at- Havana harbor. At first he suppos
lar that they were taking advantage of t
OF" absence OF the heavy fighting ships a
e1- we're making bona-fide run for t
Ter open sea, AS superior officer, he ]
are mediately signalled the other ships
Il