Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-06-02
THE CUTTING OF THE Cable
Story of Heroic Work in Front
of Cienfuegos.
ROWED INTO THE FACE OF DEATH
And Labored With Bullets Fly
ing Around Them.


| after tho epoch of eagarneAs for latest
news of the war hes pasaeG, somebody
| will tell the true story of the cutting Of
the cable of Cienfuegos. And when
that story ua told people will under.
stand more clearly than they undsr
stand to-day what sort lof stuff Uncle
SANS navy is made OF.
1t was theme for Victor Hugo or a
picture for Meissonl Yer, that three
hours OF heroism, determination and
death in The lay of Cionfucgoa that
bright May morning. The men knew
that death awaited them. They know
when the small boats were lowered from
the ships and they pulled toward the
shore, that while they worked thousand
Spaniards were concealed in the tall
grass and underbrush on the shore,
waiting to shower bullets upon them.
The loosouts from the masts knew this.
The officers knew it, the man knew it,
but the order to cut the cable had boon
given and tina command was obeyed.
Small sections of the cable which these
brave seamen cut that morning are
much sought for souvenirs at the Key
West hotels. since the warships brought
back the dead and wounded after the
work was done.
Lieut.. Winslow OF the Nashville told
this story
"The Marblehead Nashville and
WindOm were detailed to do the peril
Gus work.
''It was the plan OF the Americans to
send out tine small boats from the ships
and proceeding close to the shors, pick
up the cables with grappling irons and
cut ont a section Of sufficient length to
prevent the possibility of mending them
by reuniting tho several ends.
when daylight came the three war
ships were in position short distance
out from the shore. With the first rays
of light the lookouts began to scan the
shore, and il was soon discovered that
the Spaniards were expecting them and
evidently knew the mission OF the
ships Rifle pits were plainly dis-
tinguiHhed at the very water edge and
commanding the point where the cable
was supposed to bs and where the
Americans would have to 60 in their
small boats.
"The little hotilla that did the
hazardous work consiated of two small
launches, two steam launches and half
n dozen ordinary row. boatH. The
launches wara armed with machine
guns and were designed TO do what they
could in protecting tho men in the
small boats rs they worked and tow
them back to the ships in case the men
should no so badly disabled as to be
unable 20 uae the oars.
with steady nerves and strong arms
the sailors pulled directly in shore
toward the cablehuuse. On they went
until they could see the faces of the
Spanish soldiers psering out from
behind the buildinga and over the rife
pits.
"At last a point within 100 feet of
thu cRblehonse was reached. They were
within 200 feet OF the rifiepitH where
the Spaniards were lying, ready to open
fire upon the buats. Lieut.. Winslow
stuod up in the boat and gave the COM
maud for the men to throw uut the
anchor and begin graphing for the
cable. All this time the men on the
Nashville, Marblehead and Window
stood at their guns, ready to rain SHOT
and shell up1n tine shore the moment
the first puff of smoke was seeu to
come from tho rifepits
1.-The men in the boats worked on
steadily ana in silence. Lieut.. Wins
low urged thsm to work speedily, telling
them that any moment vollsy might
come. They made no reply, but bent
to their work. At last one of the
grappling hooks caught something
few inches below the soft white sand,
and the arms OF two strong sailors soon
brought the cable into view. Thcn
came tho first shot. IL was just flash,
sharp snap, singing over the heads
of the suiors, and splash in the water
beyond. 1t was the signal for the open
ing of a deadly fire upon the men in
the hoats. 1t was promptly answered.
by the guns in shipa out in the bay. A
hurricane of shells shriehed and hissed
above the heads Of the sailors in the
boats, and tore to fragments the earth
whore the Spaniards were crouching
and hiding, A mighty crash from the
Nashville, and the callehouse flew into
the air, torn into numberless frag gments.
Another crash from tho Marbleheal,
and the ilockhuuse was in ruins Then
this iron storm from the sea swung
around and swept the hillside. 1t shat
tered the rocks and trees 1t pluwud
great burrows in the soft sand. 1t drove
| throng of panic.stricssn men acurry-
ing to shelter. Then it lowered again
like the rays nf a mighty searchlight,
| and raked and riddled the riaepits.
, What workmanship; tina terrible fire
pouring in upon the ri6epits passed
, only few feet above the sailors work
ing in the boats Who but Yankee
: gunners could do thut-would do it
i and who but Yankee sailors would
! work on like heroes under such blast
! furnace of destruction?
, 'Snap. snap, crash, from hundred
, different points came the fire from the
Spanish rifles, and eight brave men
sank down in the boats. Two were
/ dead and six we're wounded.
: but the Spaniards were too late.
i Already ono cable had been hauled up
, and $50 feet cut out OF it. This was
the cable that ran to Batahano and con-
nected with Havana.
After the volley had been fired by
{ the SpanIards, the msn transferred the
, dead and wounded to another boat and
: began looking for the other cable which
I ran east TO Santiago. This was soon
3 found and section OF so feet was taken
: from that one. After this anothsr
, smaller cable, running to some local
) point east. was cut aud Captain. General
> Blanco's last line Of communication
, with the world was apparently severed.
The Workmanship was marvellous.
, Fret the small house about the base
3 of the tower was literally torn to atoms,
and then, like an BxemBn cutting down