The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-13
SANTIAGO FORTS SILENCED.
GRAPHIC PEN PICTURE OF THE
COMMANDMENT.


to Have Lost Both Their Nerve and
Cunning-Not single One of Their
Drop Shots Struck ship.
Copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press. |
OFT Santiago de Cuba, June 6, via King
ston, jamaica, June 7. II a. m.-Delayed
in transmission) The Spanish water bat
terIes defending Santiago de Cuba were
badly wrecked to-day by the American
fleet in a bombardment lasting from short
ly after o'clock until some time after 10
o'clock this morning.
Orders for the attack were issued on
Sunday night All the men were warn
ed to retire early and preparations were
made for breakfast at $50 a. IN.
That the fire from the Spanish forts
would be severe was generally conceded.
but snatches of song aud the strumming
of guitars and mandolins from the ships
gave anything but an impression of deadly
warfare early on the morrow.
The officers gathered on the quarter
decks and discussed the situation and the
possible effect of the shots. 1t was agreed
that the earthworks would be hard to de-
stroy and that a great deal of ammunition
would be wasted, especially as the forts
were situated on high ground.
To the contrary. the fact that the ships
were not to move and were to stand in at
5000 yards, made them a good target and
It was judged that the drop of shots from
the forts would be disastrous in case of
hits.
The distance fought at made the sec
ondary batteries Of rapid-1re guns useless.
and they were silenced.
The line of battle planned was the same
as in the movement of Saturday after
noon. The big batteshps Texas. Massa-
chusetts Oregon and Iowa moved In on
a straight line from the south.
The Brooklyn, Marbehead and Vixen
moved In a line on a slight angle, the
Vixen close In shore and the Brooklyn
next to the Texas, in the most dangerous
place on the line, because, both she and
the Texas faced up the harbor which
rounds northeast
On the other angle, 10 the west, were
the New York, New Orleans and Yankee
These faced the new earthwork battery
opposite Moro Castle, which the Brook
lyn, Marblehead and Vixen faced the
Estrela battery, Moro Castle. the Cata-
lima battery and two earthworks.
The morning opened with heavy showers
and no breeze. Not a favorable outlook
because the dense smoke from the big
guns would hang over the ships like pall
and disarrange the aim of the gunners,
while the shore batteries having smoke
less powder, would be able to fire at the
patches of smoke with little inconveni-
ence.
Toward $50 the skies lighted and good
breeze came along.
At 6.52 the order to move into land was
given and as the columns formed. beau
tiful and inspiring sight was witnessed.
Forming in two columns at a distance
of six miles the ships moved toward the
entrance of the harbor, the Brooklyn lead
ing one column and the New York the
other
Slowly they moved up until within four
miles Of the forts.
Then they turned the Brooklyn to the
west followed by the Marbehead, Texas
and Massachusetts and the New York led
to the east, followed by the New Orleans,
Yankee, Iowa ana oregon
When the ships had all turned into this
new formation they moved in battle line
to within 1900 yards of the batteries, in
the positions originally detailed.
The Vixen and the Suwanee went on the
left flank to look out for rifiemen or rifle
pits, and the Dolphin and the torpedo
boat Porter did similar duty on the right
flank.
The forts remained silent, but at pre-
cisely TAI o'clock Pinch gun on the
Iowa shattered The silence and from one
end of the line to the other there was an
instant response to the firing.
Through clouds of smoke the 12-inch
shen of the Iowa could be seen striking
on the base of the Estrella battery.
Some Of the batteries on the hills opened
AT once but their good aim of last week
seemed destroyed by the shower Of shells
from The fleet, for the Spanish return shots
few far from the mark
The great difficulty seemed, 80 far as
the American ships were concerned, TO
be the dense clouds Of smoke which obs
scured the gunners' and range-hnders'
aim, but even with that great difficulty
the shooting was splendid.
The 13-lnch shells from the Massachu-
setts and oregon struck into the hills near
the batteries and threw up mountains Of
earth. even when they fell trife short
The moral effect Of the terrible power
must have been great for battery after
battery was deserted by the Spanish.
The Texas, with two l2-inch guns. and
the Iowa. with her four big guns, raked
the entire hillside, while the Brooklyn and
New York poured in a heavy fire from
their destructive and 5-inch guns.
The Brooklyn headed in further with her
squadron Of fighters when the smoke be-
came so Dense and, then obtaining a new
range. the ships poured In a deadly rain
Of s-inch and 5-inch shells
In the meantime the shells from little
snanish fort on the water front, two miles
vtast OF Moro Castle, opened on the 3u-
vance. under the command Of Lieutenant
Commander Delenanty and. the Vixen IN
command Of Lieut.. Sharp. and they moved
in and with a hot fire from their small
oitns soon silencod them.
The great earthworks on the hill near
the living squadron's end OF the line then
began putting shells in 50 close to the
RroolSlyn and Masaschusetts that IL was
determined 10 silence them IL possible. II
was a difficult JOB, because the earth
work was $50 feet above the water line,
and n required great elevation Of the
guns.
Al 500. after three-quarters Of an hour
~ firing, Commodore Schley ordered
"ceage firing" ana the ships on the west