Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-01
7iRTN ON SANTIAGO.
,...,,so American Warships Begin The Bonn
bardment.
,osrs At SANTIAGO DE CUBA TESTED

, Prince, Haiti. May al.-Abo

,,., mn Prince, Haiti, May 3l.-About
s,J,cl, this afternoon a squadron
messed Of fourteen warships, OF
'V'i, the cruiser New York displayed
W. dag of Rear Admiral Sampson
"a number Of torpedo boats, began
"n,mbardment with heavy guns of the
80 and the harbor Of Santiago de
c,,h, The American fire was directed
.,,rclpally against the forts and the
harbor
IN. forces of Moro Castle, La So
md punta Gorda suffered es
,,ri.lIy The cannonadc was very per-
I,s,ept and cannot have failed to be
los,ructlve. 1t lasted until 3:ij pm.
rs,. town. which is situated near the
timer end Of the harbor, escaped dam
age. ,t,o c,rr,,odc di,,ir-
,.L.5 About o'clock cannon dis
nsnrrcs were heard at a distance (pre-
sinably at sea), continuing for some
linz when the firing ceased com
Pm spanish authorities maintain
strlnt silence as to the number of vic
inns. who were apparently numcr-
Gus. -. r.. e..,,,,,.,,
source fourteen American warships and
t,rn torpedo boats were engaged in the
1,,,,tat nd Santiago. a careful fire was
diracted against the batteries of Moro
castle until 3:45 p. M, when dis
charges Of cannon began to be heard
nj sea of the port. These discharges
continued until o'clock, then entirely
ceased. From the Spanish account 1t
was Impossible to judge of the exact
merits of the encounter,
sCHLEY AT WORK.
washington, May U.-Persistent ru-
,,,ors from various sources Indicate
that schley IL engaging Cervera's fleet
and forcing him out Of the harbor OF
Santiago Intense interest Is manifest
cd The navy department has no con-
frmation of the reports, but naval OIL
GERS believe them entirely probable.
A private cablegram to the Washing
Ton Post from Jamaica at half past
o'clock announces a heavy engagement
between Schley's fleet Mt Santiago and
the forts and fleets ut that point and
saws schlcy has forced his way into the
outer harbor, and at last reports wa'
engaging both shore batteries and fleet
FLEETS ENGAGED.
Cape Haitien. May .-tCopyrighted
ISIS by the Associated Press. l--Ad'
vices Just received from Havana say
that since o'clock this afternoon the
American fleet at Santiago de Cuba ha'
been CannonndinE the batteries of Nor
70 castle, La ScCapa ana Punta Cardn
At the same dime, 1t IS added, tn
American ships have been engaged
with the Spanish warships. The irni
was extremely heavy. At 3:45 p, nj
the cannonading became less heav!
against the fortiflcations, but wa
much more accentuated IN the localit.
where the fleets were engaged.
Morro castle is at the enhance OF tn
Nsrbor OF Santiago de Cuba, La Sccepn
also shown on the maps as La Socap
ostle, Is short distance inside tn
hrbor entrance, and Punta Carda
situated on point well inside the har
Dor Of Santiago Re Cuba, showing tina
the American fleet has entered the hat
bort according TO the Havana advice
via Cape Haitien, and has engaged I'll
Spanish fleet in those waters,
The correspondent of the Associate
Press. who was at the signal static
about the same time also heard sound
resembling n cannonadc. The win
was in the right direction to carry N
detonatiuns to him.
II seems certain that the fleet II
Haftlen gunbont saw passing Car
Maysi going northward found its OF
portunity Of turning backward acro'
the front Of an opposing force.
REPORT DISCREDlTED.
Washington, May 3l.--Naval onlcia
absolutely discredit the news fro
Cape Haitlen to the effect that Con
modore Schley forced the entrance
Santiago bay and engaged the SPANS
fleet In the harbur.
While no official ndvices have bee
received from Schley since the battle
r4IRFtGn tp hnNn occurred naval oil
cials declare with positiveness that
is not only improbable but under Il
circumstances almost impossible tn
an attempt should have been made
the American commander to force
entrance to the bay.
The latest official advlces recelv
from Commodore Schley We're 60
tanned In a cablegram which came la
this afternoon, and In that the comm
dore gives no indication of an intenti
To try to enter the harbor of Santinr
While the contents Of the dispatch we
not made public, the bulletin lssu
upon 1t by the navy department IND
Gates that Commodore SChley Is ct
cndeavnrlnE to determine just VIII
Spanish vessels are in the harbor. T
bulletin follows:
Commodore Schley's fleet has slgf
ed another vessel Of the Vizcaya ella
In Santiago harbor."
The navy officials declare that Schl
would not endeavor to force his W
into the harhOr in view of the gre
difficulties Of navigation which wot
have TO be surmounted In the eifo
The entrance to the harbor Is n cha
mel nearly three-quarters of a mile loi
and at one point only about 100 yar
wide. While the channel has plenty
water to float the ships, It is tortuo
and at places dangerous. At one po
1t twists sharply to the loft as "
sol enters, and naval officers say N
1t might become necessary at sol
stages Of the tide for a warshlp
como almost II not quite to full st
ms she made the turn. Shore batter
line both sides Of the channel, and
vessel running It would afford tar
which even n Spanish gunner could
fan to hit.