Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-15
A TERRIFIC FIGHT.
Cutting the Cable Connecting Habana
Wlth Santiago de Cuba.
ONE AMERICAN KILLED.
Six Of Our Men Probably Fatally
Wounded.
MANY sPANIARDs BITE THE DUST.
Lieutenant Winsiow and = Number
of others ON Our Vessels slightly
Hurt-One Cable sun Remains to
Cuba.
ONE AMERICAN KILLED.
MANY sPANIARDs BITE THE DUST,

Copyrighted. 1898, by the Associates
Press)
KEY WEST. May ii.-The United
States cruiser Marblehead, the gunboat
Nashville, and the auxiliary cruiser VIM
dom steamed up 10 the harbor Of Cien-
fuegos early Wednesday morning with
orders to cut the cable connecting Ha-
bana with Santiago de Cuba. This task
was accomplished. but only after ter
rifle fight between our warships and seve-
raj tLoesand Spanish troops. which lined
the shore and lay concealed behind Inn
provised breastworks.
One man, a seaman named Reagan, ef
The Marblehead. was killed In one of the
small boats, and six men were severely
wounded. In addition, large number
on board the ship received minor wounds.
Captain S. Z. Mcguire, of the Window.
believes that several Of the six badly
wounded men who were brought TO Key
West this morning on the Window cam
not recover.
The following is the list Of killed ana
badly wounded.
kEAGANt sealndu the MAI OCu~10s
BADLY WOUNDED.
JOHN DAVIS. of New York
JOHN J. DORIAN. of Fall River. Mass
ERNEST sUNTZEANICKLE.
HERMAN w. HOCHNEISTER
HARRY HENDRICKSON.
All above OF the Marblehead.
ROBERT BOLTz. North Carolina. 81
the Nashville.
SMALL BOATS LAUNCHED.
Soon after the arrival of the warshipg
off Cienfuegos, four boats were launched,
and proceeded in-shore for the purpose
OF graphing for the cable In order ia
cut it. The warships lay-to, about l0oe
yards or more of the harbor.
1t was observed that the Spanish troops
had assembled ashore. but II was not
known that heavy guns had been placed
In battery. and that tho old lighthouse.
far out on neck of land, had been trans
formed into formidable fort.
When the commanders of the Marble-
head and the Nashville called for voIun-
teers to man the boats and cut the cebls.
the men responded with jump.
Lieutenant McR. Winslow. of the Nash
Vile, took command Of the Nashvills's
boats.
The Bhore surrounding the entrance
| Of the harbor was frst shelled, and thsu
the boats proceeded In.
SPANISH OPEN FIRE.
The work Of finding the cable was SOW
| ly and cautiously proceeded with. Tho
| cable was deep I'm the channel. and was
| found with difficulty. One OF the relays
| of the cable had been cut when the Spa
| Lish opened fire.
| The marines in the boats replied at
| once, and machine gun on the forward
| launch.sent in a stream OF bullets. while
| heavy shells from the warship drove the
| Spaniards from the rihe-pits at the shore
| many OF them seeking refuge In the light
| house fort, which was afterwards torn
| to pieces by a shell from the Window.
| AS there were great numbers Of Spaniards
| in and behind the forts at the time.
| there is no doubt that mahy OF them
| were killed.
THE CABLE CUT.
With desperate courage the American
sailors remained calmly at their posts.
| and succeeded in dragging up the second
! relay OF the cable and seyering It. Seven
men badly wounded was the count. and
one of them, Reagan, died while on the
| way back TO the ship. Lieutenant Wins
| low was shot in the hand and number
| Of others were more or less injured.
On the Nashville Captain Maynard was
standing forward with an ensign. when
| q Spanish bullet passed through the en-
signs shoulder and struck Maynard on
| the chest near the heart, wounding him
| only slightly.
| WARSHIPS STRUCK OFTEN
The Marbehead was struck scores OF
| times by bullets from machine-guns, and
| the Nashville suffered TO about the same
| extent. The Window also had many
marks OF the fray. Her shell. blowing up
the lighthouse and scattering the Spa
niards In all directions, ended the battle.
Botz and Hendrickson, who, with four
others of the wounded, are at the naval
| hospital here are expected to die.
| The remains OF Reagan were buried at
| sea-.
THE SEVERED CABLE.
The cable which was cut at Cienfuegos
| extended from that city TO Santiago dc
| Cuba. II does not sever cable commune
cation with Cuba. as there Is another line
in operation between Santiago de Cuba
and Kingston. Jamaica. The severed ca
BILE IS owned by the Cuba Submarine
| Company. The one operating to King
| ston IL owned by the West India ana
| Panama Company. The latter is the only
] line not in control OF the United States
| Government. The cable from Habana TO
| Key West is controlled by United States
| officials.