New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-01
WORKS
Violet
BRAVE WORK AT CIENFUEGOS
HOW THE CABLES WERE CUT UNDER
SPANISH FIRE FROM SHORE.
1JFI-rENANT v-INs1Ow.s MEN IN RowBoATs
GRAPPLED WHILE SHOT AND SHELL
SHRIrKED AROUND THEM AND
DEATH sEEMED CERTAIN.

sHRIEKDD AROUND THEM AND
DEATH SEEMED CERTAIN.
Copyright: 1895 The Associated Press
Key West, Fla May 2'.-Some day after the
och OF eagerness for lates, news Of the war has
passed somebody will tel the true story Of the cut
ting o. the cables al Cenfuegos. And when thar
story is told people will understand more clearly
than they understand to-day what sort OF stun
Uncle Sans Navy made Of
The knew that death awaited them they
knew when the small boats were lowered from the
ships and they pulled toward the shore that "Alie
they worked "a thousand Span.ards We're concealed
In the tall grass and the underbrush on the shore
waiting 10 shower bullets upon them. Tho look
outs from the masts knew this. The officers knew
II, the knew 1t. but the order to cut the cable
had been given. and the command was oheyec.
LIEUTENANT WINSLOW TELLS THE STORY.
Lieutenant c. NJ. r Winsow. of the Nashville.
who was command OF the expedition. came into
the hotel last evening. and was soon surrounded
by group Of friends eager to hear his story OF
the affair in which he was the principal figure. He
had been wounded in the let hand and his arm
was yet IN sling. lie was not eager 10 talk o.
the matter but little by little the details were
drawn out and this IS the story about he tod il:
The Maib!ehead. the Nashville ard the Window
were detailed to do the perilous work. The cable
house. which the Americans desired TO destroy. was
very near-wlthin few feet OF the water Not far
from this on one side was lighthouse and on the
other side old bockhouse or lookout
1t was the plan OF the Americans TO send out the
small boats from the ships. and. proceeding close
to the shore. pick up the cables with srappngirons
and cut out section OF sufficient length 10 prevent
the possibility OF mendng them by reuniting the
severed ends
When daylight came the three warships we're IN
position a short distance out from the Shore With
the first RAYS OF lsht the lookouts began to scan
the shore and 1t discovered that the Span
ards expecting them and evidently knew the
of no sh n hat inc re
plainly distinguished at the waters edge. and com
handing n cruel rake over the point where the
cable supposed 10 be- and where the Amerl-
cans would have to go I'm their small boats Rapid
fire guns and small cannon could be seen. Squads
Of infantry swarmed like insects upon the shore.
Groups OF cavalry were galoping here and there
and constantly racing up and down dusty white
path that led from the shore the side OF the
bluff to the hilltop
THE FLOTILLA THAT DID THE WORK,
The little hotilla that did the hazardous work
consisted OF two small launches. two steam
launches. and half dozen ordinary rowboats car
rying the men Who did the work. The launches
armed with machine guns and designed
to do what they could In protecting the in
the small boats as they worked. and tow them
back to the ships In the badly
disabled that they were unable to the
The sailors pulled directly inshore toward the
cable-house. until they could see the faces Of the
Spanish soldiers peering out from behind the build
ings and over the rife pits. They knew 1t was only
q matter of minutes when fire would he opened
upon them. but the regular swing OF the did
not falter. Al last point within hundred feet
OF the cable house was reached. They within
two hundred feet Of the rife pits where the Span
iards were lying ready TO open fire upon the boats
Lieutenant WinsIow stood up in The boat and
gave the command for the men 10 throw out the
anTspr and gsgn sappn Lof me eu ne
Hight penetrated IT, and every object upon the bot
tom was clearly seen The men bent over the
Ali this time the men on the Nashville. Marble
head and wndcm stood at their guns, ready TO
rain shot and shell upon the shore the moment the
first puff Of smoke was seen TO come from the rifle
The men in the boats worked on steadily and in
silence. Lieutenant Winsiow urged them to work
might come At last one s' Of the srapplns hooks
s caught something few inches below the soft
the cable into view.
THE FIRING BEGINS.
Then came the FIRST shot There was no white
puff from the shot. The Spaniards were using
smokeless powder. But 1t the signal for the
% ssd @ g the on The he sSn
out in the bay. hurricane of shells shrieked and
sna s 0GSe the iS in the Ss
.srds were crogching and hiding Again and again
the great clouds of dust and debris rose on the
snS the ne & S a4 n
Hnmberless iragm s io another crash from the
this iron storm from the sea swung around and
swept the hillside. 1t drove throng of panic
S%s5si sgsIS saa 1sxsS ana 5adIsd The r atn
he s ea wss ana h }hf lone q
ond would have slaughtered the men in the boats.
But there came a moments pause in the awful
the fatal one. Fro'a q banarsd dneren. points MS
the fire from Down n' IS h rass end eA
dead and six were wounded.
PULLING Up THE CABLES.
But tho Spaniards were too late. Already one
cable had been hauled W and hundred and fifty
feet cut on: OF II. This was the cable that ran to
Batabano and connected with Havana II was
slow iaborous work. The heavy cables had to be
hauled UP across the small boats and then by de-
frees the tough steel wires were hacked Off with
sxes chisels and saws.
the men transferred the dead and wounded to an,
other boat and began looking for the other cable
and again under the CANOPY Of shot and shell from from
re SHIPS ,aey aS bes ssn from on Hn section
this another smaller cable running TO some local
last line CT ccmmunlcation with the word was ap
parently severed
was the Intention to ALLOW the sht6ouse to remain
standing but he men on the MarS,ehead discoy-
the ilenthouse The guns Of Inc MaTSeS"ad wcre
rhouied the commander from me bridge and the
Mar5lehead's guns again Numbered
MARVELLOUS MARKSMANsHIP
The craftsmanship marvellous First the
small house about the base OF the tower was lit
orally torn TO atoms and then. Ike an axeman
cutting down a of the great guns OF the
ship. with shot after shot. biz OF the great tower
al the top. This done a range OF a thou
sand yards with a heavy rolling Then H. was
all over and the small boats were lowed back 10
the warships. with random shots from the shore
following them
1t was just O'Clock in tho morning when the
small boa Is pu, of nn1 the perilous work was
begun. and !, I0:lb when the boats were
again hauled up with the dead and the nvng
% M Cka ~ he chi Eorp thr