Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1898-06-23
SPANIARDS INSTANTLY FLEE AS USUAL
NJ Casualty Occurred In The Prompt Landing Of
Our Forces.
AN IMPORTANT ACTION NOW SEEMS IMMINENT

On board the Associated Press Dis
patch Boat Wanda, Baiquiri harbor,
Cuba, June 20, 5p. m. via KINGSTON,
Jamaica, June 80, $50 a m.-(Copy>
right)-A O'Clock this afternoon 5000
trained American soldiers are camped
in and around Baiquiri and 10000
more are at rest on arms on board the
transports ready to join those who
have debarked as soon as available
launches and boats can carry them
ashore.
Time and sea and weather were pro-
pitious for the invasion. The Navy
GO operated splendidly and as the big
warships closed in on the shore to pave
the way for the approach of the trans
ports and then went back again, three
cheers for the Navy went up from
10000 throats on the transports and
three cheers rose for the Army from
ship to ship as the troop ships moved
in to take their share in the hazardous
game. 1t was war and
1T WAS MAGNIFICENT.
The Cuban Insurgents, too, bore
their share in the enterprise hOnorably
and we'll. Five Thousand in the noun.
tain Businesses and the dark thicKets of
ravines, lay all last night on their guns
watching every road and mountain
path leading from Santiago to Guam
tanamo. One thousand were within
sight of Baiauiri, making the approach
of the Spaniards under cover of the
darkness, an impossibiity.
At 4 o'clock this morning, as the AS
sociated Press dispatch boat approached
Baiuuiri it was seen that many troop
ships which had been lying many miles
off in the offing had drawn in toward
the shore, while three or four war ships
lay menacingly near the harbor ap-
proach. ALI around the transports
steam launches and small boats were
bobbing about like corks, the first indi-
cation of the true object of the under
taking. An hour later the sun was
rising, touching the mountain tops with
patches of light green, revealing the
great semi circle of troop ships, some
close to the coast line and Others a
mile distant, with decks crowded with
the eager, expectant men impatient to
begin
TIE FIRST INVASION
by our army of foreign country in
half century. AS the dispatch boat
of the Associated Press ran closer in
where the New Orleans was lying with
her great guns trained on Baiquiri,
tongues of lurid flames and black
smoke were seen rising in the town, the
inevitable consequence of war and a
sure sign that the Spaniards had gone,
leaving ruin behind.
The Captain of the New Orleans
shouted the news to the dispatch boat,
adding, "You had better keep off lit
tie, you are in range. They have a
rifle gun on the hill on the eastern side
of Baiquiri. y This is steep rocky
hill known as Punta Baiquiri, rising
almost perpendicularly at the place in
dicated. 1t is a veritable Gibraltar In
its possibilities tor defense. From the
staff at its summit
SPANISH FLAG WAS DEFIANTLY
floating at sunset, last night; but it was
gone this morning, and with it a small
Spanish guard which had maintained
the signal station. Between nightfall
and dawn the Spaniards he'd taken the
alarm and fed from the place firing the
town as they left. The flames were
watched with interest from our ships.
Two sharp explosions were heard. AT
first they were thought to be reports of
guns from theSpanish masked batteries
but they proved
TO BE EXPLOSION OF AMMUNITION
from the burning buildings. A little
before O'Clock, the Dombardment OF
the batteries of Jaragua, was begun by
ships in Rear Admiral Simpsons fleet
This was evidently feint to cover the
real point of attack, Jaragua being q
about half way between Balquiri and
Santiago. The Bombardment
LASTED ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES.
The scene then quickly shifted bacl
again to the great semi-circle of tn,
transport fleet, before Baiquiri. A
$40 o'clock, the New Orleans opened
fire with a gun that sent shells rumblinI
and crashing against the hillside. Th'
Detroit, Wasp, Machias and Suwanee
followed suit and soon the hillside an,
valleys seemed to be abldze, as shot fol
lowed shot, in swift succession, anon
the
WILD AND EXCITED CHEERING
of the soldiers on the transports.
five minutes the sea was alive wit
f1otillas and small boats, headed b
launches, speeding for the Baiqui
dock. Some boats were manned
crews of sailors, while others wer
rowed by the soldiers themselves. Fac
boat contained sixteen men, every Oh
in fighting trim and carrying thre
days rations, a shelter tsnt, gun and 2(
cartridges ready to take the field o
touching the shere, should they
called upon. The firing of the warship
however,