Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-06-13
DETAILED STORY OF sILENCING OF
SANTIAGO BATTERIES.
sPANlARDs LEFT THEIR GUNS
SMOKE INTERPRETED GREATLY
WITH AIN OF AMERICANA.
Made Their ships . Good Target
While II Obscured Their View Of
the Enemy, Who Used Smoke.
less P0wder-Shooting
Was Splendid.


Was Splendid.
OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, June 6. VIA
KINGSTON. JAMAICA. June 7.-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 shortly
after o'clock until some time after 10
o'clock this morning. Orders for the at
tack were issued on Sunday night. All the
men were warned to retire early and prep
arations were made for breakfast at $3.50
a. m.
That the fire from the Spanish forts
would be severe was generally conceded,
but snatches Of song and the strumming
Of guitars and mandolins from the ships
gave anything but an impression Of deadly
warfare.
Early on the morrow the officers gath
cred on the quarterdecks and discussed the
situation and the possible effect Of the
shots. 1t was agreed that the earthworks
would be hard to destroy, and that great
deal Of ammunition would be wasted, espe-
cially as the forts were situated on high
the ships were not to move. and were to
stand in at 5000 yards. made them good
target, and 1t was judged that the drop Of
shots from the forts would be disastrous
in case Of hits. The line Of battle planned
was the same as In the movement Of 6atur-
day afternoon. The big battleships Texas.
Massachusetts, Oregon and Iowa moved
in on a straight line from the south. The
Brooklyn. .Marblehead 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. to the west. were the
New York, New Orleans and Yankee. These
faced the new earthwork battery opposite
Moro castle. while the Brooklyn, Marble
head and Vixen faced the Estrella battery,
Moro castle. the Catalina battery and the
earthwofk batteries on the western bank
and q couple Of new shore batteries.
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 a
pail and disarrange the aim OF the gum
ners. while the shore batteries, having
smokeless powder. would be able to fire
at the patches of smoke with little in
convenience.
Toward $50 o'clock the skies nghtened
and good breeze came along. At $50
o'clock the order to move into land was
given and as the columns formed, a beau
tiful and inspiring sight was witnessed.
Forming In two columns. at distance
Of six miles. the ships moved towards 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
Marblehead. Texas and Massachusetts,
and the New York let to the east. followed
by the New Orleans. Yankee Iowa and
Oregon.
When the ships had all turned into this
new formation, they moved in battle line
to within 5000 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 precisely
7:l o'clock q twelve-inch gun on the Iowa
shattered the silence. and from one end
to the other there was an instant response
to the firing. -+.-
Through clouds of smoke. the twelve-inch
Slell6 OF Inc Iowa COulO DC 0ccu SIIihlh6
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
flew far from the mark.
The great difiiculty seemed, SO far as the
American ships were concerned. to be the
dense clouds of smoke, which obscured the
gunners' and range finders aim, but. even
with that great difficulty. the shooting was
splendid.
The thirteen-inch guns from the Massa-
chusetts and Oregon struck into the hills
near the batteries and threw up mountains
of earth, even when they fell trifie 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 twelve-inch guns.
and the Iowa. with her FOUR big guns.
raked the entire hillside, while the Brook
lyn and New York poured In q heavy fire
from their destructive eight and fve-inch
guns.
The Brooklyn headed in further with her
squadron of fighters. when the smoke be-
came too Dense and then, obtaining new
range, the ships poured In a deadly rain OF
eight-inch and five-inch shells.
In the meantime, the shells from a little
Spanish fort on the waterfront, two miles
off Moro castle, opened on the Suwanee,
under the command OF Lieutenant Conn
mander Delehanty, and the Vixen, in COM
mand of Lieutenant Sharp. and they
moved in and. with a hot fire from their
small. guns, soon silenced them.
The great earthworks on the hill near
the flying squadron's end Of the line then
began putting shells in SO close to the
Brooklyn and Massachusetts that 1t was
determined to silence them II possible. 1t
was a difficult Job because the earthworks
were $50 feet above the water line, and 1t
! required great elevation Of the guns
At $40 o'clock. after three-quarters Of an
hour Of firing. Commodore schiey ordered
cease firing" and the ships on the west
moved further in until they had a good
| 1900 yard range. Eight minutes later. the
| command to open firing was given and the
guns began to crash away.
| Following the whistle OF the eight-inch
| shell from the Brooklyns after turret, in
| charge of Lieutenant Rush. there was a
| burst Of fire from blockhouse near this
| bsttery, and a great cheer from the men.
| Ten seconds later the Massachusetts land
| ed two ten-inch shells almost In the same
| spot and signaled that the battery was
| silenced:
Big guns could still be seen on the hill.
| but there were no gunners around them.