The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-24
In HE THlCK OE LIE FRAY

New York. June 22-The British freight
er Aldborough. which lay in the harbor
OF San Juan, Porto Rico. while shells from
Simpsons feet few over her mascs dur
ing the three hours terrific bombardment
of May Il, arrived in this port yesterday.
She was hit once, but the shot carried
away only one OF her backstays. and when
she tied up yesterday afternoon at Wood
rufus Stores pier, Brooklyn. she bore no
scar.
II spent a month in the San Juan arriv-
ing there on May g." said Captain Far
rant yesterday to a Journal reporter. Il
was anchored close 20 the main front Of
the town. On May 10 one OF my crew
sighted the Harvard and the Yale scout
ing close to Moro Castle. Their appear
ance was decided hint Of what was com
ing.
''At o'clock on the morning of May
IL. 1 was awakened by tremendous
noise. and knew the fun had commenced.
The air was shaking with the detona-
ton of the American and SPANS guns
and my ship trembled in the water.
Shells began to scream over the Aid
borough, and l feared every moment We
should be struck. 1 told my men that
those who wished might go ashore.
80 fast were the shells falling and
bursting around US that 1 saw no better
place for US or the ship than where we
were. SO we did not bulge. The can
nonading lasted for three hours, and il
was hot and peppery. 1t was wonderful
We were not seriously injured. A shell
tok away one of our backstays, but that
al he ID
1T was difficult for me TO tell what dam
age had been done to the fortiications,
The Iowa seemed TO have inflicted the
greatest damage. and I Understand the
craftsmanship other gunners, IS applied
against the sandstone walls of Moro. was
particularly accurate.
THE American fiet stod four miles, as
well as 1 could JUICE, off the main forth
fications. Many of the shells flew over the
town into the suburbs. An unexploded
13-inch shell was found four miles inland,
and l was told that twenty or thirty shells
intact have been discovered from two to
four miles in shore.
The people of San Juan said the dam
age both to the forts and the town had
been light. heard one report that seven
persons had been killed.
when 1 left San Juan the torpedo boat
destroyer Terror and the troop ship AL
phonso XIII. were in the harbor. They
had arrived there, after touching a Ponce
and at Mayaguez, to land supplies, several
days after the bombardment. didn't see
any troops aboard the Alphonso Kill
Preparations were fast making, when
I left, to resist a new attack expected at
any moment. Six new guns have been
mounted, and all the damaged forts have
been repaired.
Il heard that 1900 tons of coal were
stored in San Juan. It is held above price
You cannot buy a ton Of IL. There SEEM
ed to be plenty Of provisions in the town,
but they are steadily advancing in price.
The electric light and ice plants are burn
ing dry cane-anything but coal which
has ben confscated by the Spanish gov
eminent.
much surprise was expressed by the
Spaniards OF Porto Rico that the bonn
bardment had not been prolonged and
that the feet had left after doing 50 little
damage"
The AldbOrough brought 1900 bags OF
sugar. 200 hogsheads OF sugar and 420
bales Of tobacco