The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-05-20

Killed aud wounded.
KEY WEST, Fla, May i3.-America's
irst dead fell Wednesday in fierce
and bloody combat off Cardenas, on
the north coast of Cuba. Five men
were blown to pieces and five were
wounded on the torpedo boat Winslow.
The dead are:
Worth Bagley, ensign.
John Varvers, oiler.
John Daniels and John Meek, both
first-class fremen.
Josiah Tunuell (colored), cabin cook.
The wounded are:
X. +. Cox, gunners' mate.
ID. Mckeon, quartermaster.
i. Patterson, fireman.
L. Gray.
Lieut.. j. Il. Bernadou.
The battle lasted IS minutes. 1t was
between the torpedo boat Winslow,
the auxiliary tug Hudson, and the gum
boat Wilmington on one side, and the
Cardenas batteries and four Spanish
gunboats on the other. The Winslow
was the main target of the enemy and
was put out of service. The other
American vessels were not damaged,
except that the Hudsons two ventila-
tors were slightly scratched by flying
shrapnel.
The encmy's loss is largely conjec-
tural. One of their gunboats caught
fire and the men of the Hudson think
it sank. The flames spread to the bar
racks and swept away several small
warehouses and for time the whole
water front seemed to be ablaze. The
Hudsons crew also believe that two
Spanish torpedo-boat destroyers were
disabled, but they admit that their
estimate of the damage is largely
guesswork, as the action was too sharp
for outside observations to be made.
The Winslow was within $500 yards
of the shore when the shells struck
her. How she came to be SO close
was told by her commander, Lieut..
John Bernadou. He said:
1--WE were making observations when
the enemy opened fire on us. The
Wilmington ordered us to go in and
attack the gunboats. We went in I'M
der full steam, and there's the result. "
lie was on the Hudson when he said
this, and with the final words he
pointed To huddlc of American flags
on the deck near by. Under the Stars
and Stripes were outlined five rigid
forms.
The story of the fight, as told by the
Hudson's men, is as follows:
The Winslow, the Hudson, the
Machias and the Wilmington were
among the ships of Cardcnas on the
blockade, the Wilmington acting as
flagship. The Machias lay about IL
miles out. the Wilmington $500 yards
and the Winslow and Hudson. being
small boats, were stationed close ia,
on what is called the inside line.
At s:45 o'clock yesterday morning
the Hudson, under Capt. Newton, was
taking soundings in Diana Caypars
and Pomero bay, just outside Cardenas,
SO close to shore, that she grounded,
but fioated off easily into the shallow
water.
At half past II o'clock the Whining
ton spoke the Hudson and the Win
slow and assigned them to duty, the
Winslow to start to the eastern shore
off Cardenas bay and the Hudson to
the western shore, while the Whining
ton took her station in mid-channel.
This work occupied two hours. Moth
ing was discovered on either shove
and the boats were approach ne
each other on their return when puff
of smoke was observed on shore al
Cardenas, and shell whistled over
them. The Winslow was on the in
side. nearer the shore. The Hudson
and the Winslow reported to the Will
mington and orders came promptly
to 90 in and open fire, but the Span
iards had not waited for a reply
to their first shot. The Cardena'
harbor shore had already become one
dense cloud of smoke. Shot with flashes
of fire. and an avalanche of shells wa,
bursting toward the little Winslow
This was 2.05 o'clock. and for 20 min
utes the firing continued from the
shore without cessation, but none o
the shots had at that time found theii
mark. though they were striking dan
gcrously near.
Meanwhile the IIudson's two six
Founders were banging away at
terrific rate. How many of the tor
pedo boats shots took effect is no
known. The first two Of the Hudson
shells cell short, but after these tw
every one foatcd straight into tn
smoi<c-cloudcd shore. The Spaniard.
aim in the meantime was improving
and IL was presently seen that tw
empty banks had been anchored OF
shore as ranges. 1t was IS min ate
before three o'clock when four-inc
she'll struck the Winslow on the star
board beam. knocking out her forwar
boiler and starboard engine and cripp