The herald., 1898-07-24
THE NIPPING OF NIPf
STORY OF A BRIEF BUT BRIL-
LIANT BATTLE
The Jorge Juan With Its Heavy Guns
Sunk and It's Crew Takes to the
Woods for Safety


Santiago de Cuba, and after furious
pombardment took possession of the har-
Dor as base of operations for the Porto
Rican campaign. 1t is understood, how
ever, that the plans have been changed
since, in consequence of the occupation of
Santiago by the United States forces, and
that Nipe will not be used for the pur-
pose originally intended.
The vessels engaged were the Topeka.
Annapolis, Wasp and Leyden. In the
course Of an hour they silenced the forts,
sunk the Spanish gunboat Jorge Juan and
scattered the Spanish rifemen who had
taken part in the engagement.
For a week or more the Topeka had been
blockading the northeastern coast between
Cape Lucretia and Point Cabonico with
strict orders from Commodore Howell not
to attempt an entrance into any of the
harbors. A few days ago, while cruising
past Nipe, which is about midway in the
blockade line, and directly across the is
land from the city of Santiago, an armored
launch about 100 feet long came out and
fired two shells, both of which, however
fell short. The Topeka returned the fire
and chased the launch into the harbor, but
In consequence of Commodore Howell
orders could not follow her in.
On Thursday the Annapolis, Wasp and
Leyden came from Santiago and Captain
Hunker of the Annapolis, who is ranking
officer, was surprised to learn that Nipe
had not been taken. Admiral Sampson had
understood that this had been done, and
had orders for the monitors detailed for
the Porto Rican campaign to rendezvous
there. When the situation had been
cleared up. Captain Hunker ordered the
ships to go in. The Wasp and Leyden
being the smallest. led the way followed
by the Annapolis, while the Topeka, which
carried a heavier battery, brought up the
rear. The channel leading into the har-
Dor was very narrow, and on bluff to the
right, called Galory Point was a fort and
signal station. AS the American ships
entered the Spaniards were signalling in
lively fashion, apparently notifying the
Spanish ships in the harbor which were
the Jorge Juan, two smaller gunboats and
an armored launch. AS the Wasp and
Leyden rounded the point the fort fired
a dozen shots, none of which, however,
fell near them, and the Topeka returned
the fire with her three-pounders.
Almost Immediately the Spaniards de-
serted the fort and retired while the To-
peka continued to send shells into them.
A body of rifemen on the beach returned
the fire with few wild shots, but they
too were quickly dispersed by the To-
peka's smaller guns. The Topeka also dis
charged one of her torpedoes. At the same
time a small fort to the left also fired on
the American ships but it was silenced as
easily as the other.
In the meantime the Wasp and Leyden
had taken up position in the northwest
ern portion of the harbor and opened fire
across the water at the Jorge Juan, which
lay to the southeast, in front of the town
of Mayari. Her position was about mile
and a quarter from the beach, and behind
her third fort stood on an emnence. This
fort opened on the Wasp and Leyden and
as the Annapolis and Topeka came up the
Spanish gunboat Joined in the fight, and a
general battle followed. The Topeka
anchored in the middle of the harbor about
1000 yards from the Jorge Juan, and the
other three American boats drew up on
either side and formed semicircle. The
Americans then closed in on the Spanish
ships pouring in a destructive fire. The
Topeka sent four-inch shells crashing into
the Jorge Juan at such a rate that she
sank within twenty minutes.
When the firing grew heavy the officers
and the crew of the Spaniard put off in a
small boat made the shore under a heavy
fire and escaped into the woods.
Two shots from the Topeka's bow gun
fred on an elevation of $500 yards, dropped
square into Mayari Fort, the Spanish pen
nants disappeared and white flag was run
Up. This ended a short, but one of the
most vicious battles of the war.
All of the American ships sent small
boats over to the Spanish gunboat, that
of the Topeka being under command of
Lieut.. Niblack, the former naval attache
at Berlin, Vienna and Rome. They found
that the Jorge Juan's forecastle had been
entirely ripped away by the Topeka four
inch Shells and that her fore and mizzen
masts and Flagstaff were carried off. It is
thought the Spaniards scuttled her before
abandoning the vessel. Divers went down
and quite curious collection of relics was
found. One was the ships motto: "Be
brave and we will go home to SPAIN They
also brought up gun sights, signal flags
and a hundred other mementoes of the en-
gagement which were distributed among
the officers and men of the victorious ships
Four or five cats still alive, We're clingng
to the wreckage, and one dog, which had
been chained to the deck, was drowned. |
That part of tho rigging which protruded
from the water swarmed with rats, who
attempted to renew the battle with the
Americans, but were driven into the sea.
The harbor was found to be well mined
and two of the mines exploded, one about |
100 yards off the Topeka's bows and the
other two hundred yards from her port
quarters. AS the ships came out they saw
a contact mine floating on the surface of
the water. The engagement was hardly
over when the torpedo boat Dupont came
along with dispatches from Admiral Samp-
son for Commodore Remey, and the To- |
peka was sent with them to Key West. ar |
irving this morning. She had borne the |
brunt of the fight and bore herself nobly. |
Her Captain is William s. Cawles a broth |
er-in-law of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.
The Jorge Juan was a three-masted, one
funnel ship of 96O TONS and HOO horse-pow-
or. She was 800 feet long, So feet wide and
II feet draft. She carried a crew of lag men |
and had 1870 tons of coal. Her battery was
heavier than the Topeka's, being the bes |
of the four attacking ships, consisting of |
three AZ Hontoras, two is Krupp guns |
and two machine guns. |
Nipe Harbor Is twenty miles long and |
three miles wide. 1t is surrounded by noun |
tains and is admirably suited as base of
an army campaign.
The Topeka, on her way into this port,
passed the Terror, Puritan and Montgom-
cry, heading for Npe.