The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-17
The Engagement Lasted Three Hours, and
Tons of Steel Were Hurled at the
Enemy.--The Spaniards
were Piucky.

Key West. he said:
Il am satisfied with the morning:
| work. | could have taken San Juan; bu
! | nave no force to hold it. | only wante.
to administer punishment. This ha.
been done. | came for the Spanish flee
and not for San Juan"
The killed are:
Seaman Frank Widemark, of the New
York.
Gunner's mate - of the Am
phitrite.
The latter died from the effects of til,
extreme heat.
OF the injured men three were OF
board the Iowa and four on the New
York.
The names of those slightly injure,
on the Iowa are:
Seaman Mitchell.
Private Marine Merkle.
Apprentice Hill.
The injured on the New York are:
Seaman Samupl Feltman. seriously.
Seaman Michacl Murphy.
Two other enlisted men. slightly III.
jured.
All the above named were injured by
the bursting of Il shell on the New York
This is n complete list of the killed an,
wounded.
The American ships were uninjured.
The engagement began at 5:15 a. M.
and ended at SO a. m.
The enemy's batteries were NOT 81
fenced. The town in the rear of the for
tlhcatlons probably suffered.
The ships taking part i'm the action
were the Iowa. Indiana. New York. Ter
ror. Amphitrite. Montgomery. Wampa-
tuck and Porter. The enemy's fire was
heavy. but wild. and the Iowa and New
York were probably the only ships hit.
They went right up under the bic guns
III column. delivering broadsides and
then returned. The line passed thrice
III lroht or the forts. pouring tons Of
steel on shore.
1t is impossible to judge the amount
of damage done to the buildings and for
1lllcatlOns. They appeared to be riddled
with shot: but the SDaniards We're
plncky. The after turret of the Amphi-
trlte got out Of order temporarily during
the engagement, but she banged away
with her forward guns. After the first
passage before the forts the Detroit and
the Montgomery retired. their guns he
ing 100 small to do much damage. The
Porter and Wampatuck also STAYED out
of range.
The smoke hung over everything. spoil
ing the aim Of the gunners and making
It impossible TO tell where our shots
struck. The officers and men of all the
SHIPS behaved with GOODNESS and bravery.
The shots flew thick and fast over onr
ships.
The men of the Iowa were injured by
spllnters thrown by an eight-inch shell.
which came through !: boat into the sun
erstructure, and scattered fragments i'm
all directions. The shots c0urse was
finally ended on an iron plate an inch
thick. Merkle tMurteD was struck in
the arm. and may lose it. All were hurt
by SDlinterS. and 4 fire was started in
the boat. but was quickly eXtinguislled.
MORO battery, on the eastward arm
OF the harhor. was The PRINCIPAL noint
of attack. Rear Admiral Sampson and
captain Evans were IN the lower bridge
OF me Iowa and had Il narrow Escape
from SplinterS, which injured three men.
Inc l0W;, was hit eight times but the
smells made no impression on her armor.
The weather was fine but the heavy
SWellS made accurate aim difficult. The
.broadsidcs from the Iowa and Indiana
l1imbled in the hills ashore for five min
utes after they We're delivered. Clouds
''N tHtN StIutk.
At ; o'clock in the morning all hands
were called on the Iowa. a few final
touches in clearing ship were made. and
at . General Quarters sounded. The
men were eager for the fight.
The W~ampatuck went ahead and an
chored. her small boat to the westward
showing ten fathoms. but there was not
Il sign of life from the fort. which stood
boldly against the sky on the eastern
hills hiding the town.
The Detroit steamed far to the east
ward. opposite Naltern. The Iowa head
ed straight for the shore. Suddenly her
helm flew over. bringing the starboard
battery to bear on the Notifications. At
$40 m. the IOwa'S forward 12-inch
guns Numbered out at the sleeping hills:
and for fourteen minutes she poured
brOadsides on the coast. Mean
while the Indiana, the New York and
other ships repeated the dose from the
rear. The Iowa turned and came back
to the Wampatuck'S BOAT and again led
the column. the forts replying tiercely and
concentrating on the Detroit. which was
about seven hundred yards away, all the
batteries on the eastward arm of the
harbOr. Thrice the column passed from
the entrance of the harbor to the ex-
IRENE eastward battery.
Utter Indifference was shown for the
fire. The wounded were quick
iy attended. the blood was washed away
and everything proceeded like target
practice. At 7:45 a.. M, Admiral Samp-