Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-06-23

Copyright, 1898, by Associated Press.)
Or Santiago, via Kingston. Jam.
June IS. - Rear Admiral Simpsons
fleet boi-l;arded the batteries at San
tiago de Cuba for the third time at
daylight yesterday morning. For
hours the ships pounded the batteries
at the right a1{s lett of the entrance,
only sparing Ii Nero, where Lieut..
Hobson and his companions of the
Merrimac are in prison. The western
batteries, against -!hich the main as
sault was directed, were badly
wrecked. One was utterly destroyed
In others many guns were dismounted.
At first the Spaniards replied passion
ately and wickedly, but impotently
Soon most of the guns We're deserted.
Not a ship was struck nor q man in
jured Oh the American side. 1t is be-
lieved the enemy's loss of life was
heavy. AS a preliminary to the ham
mering given the batteries, the dyna-
mite cruiser Nesuvius at midnight was
given another chance. Three $50
pound charges of gun cotton were sent
over the Notifications at the en-
trance. The design was to
Dropped Them Into the Bay
around the angle, back Of the emf
nence on which Ell Moro is situated,
where it was known the Spanish tor
pedo boat destroyers were lying. Two
charges went true, as no reports were
heard-a popularity of the explosion
of gun cotton in water. Whether the
destroyers We're demolished is not
known, but the destructive area Of
gun cotton is large and it would not
be surprising if it is subsequently as
certained that one or both We're de-
stroyed. The third charge exploded
with terrible violence on Cayo Smith
and crater big enough to hold a
church was blown out of the side Of it.
At 5:2O a. m. the New York opened
with a broadside from her main bat
terry at the works at the east Of the
entrance Of the harbor. All the ships
followed with red streams of flame.
The gun captains had been cautioned
not to waste ammunition, but to fire
with deliberation, yet the fire was so
rapid that there was almost continu-
GUS roar. The Dons responded spirit"
eddy at first, but their frenZied, half
craZed fire could not match the cool
nerve, trained eyes and skilled gun
merry of the American sailors. Our
fire was
Much More Effective
than in the preceding BON bardments.
In fifteen minutes one western battery
was completely wrecked. The Massa-
chusetts tore a gaping hole in the en-
placement with thousand-pound pro-
jectile and the Texas dropped shell
into the powder magazine. The ex-
plosion wrought terrible havoc. The
frame was lifted, the sides were blown
out and a shower of debris flew in
every direction. One timber carried
out of the side of the battery went
tumbling down the hill. The loss Of
life must have been great. Tho bot
teries on the east of Moro were harder
to get at, but the New Orleans crossed
the bows of the New York to within
500 yards of shore and played tatto
with her long eight-inch rifles, hitting
them repeatedly, striking a gun
squarely in the muZZle. lifting it off
it's trunchons and sending it sweeping
somersaults high in the air. When the
order came at 6:3O to cease firing every
gun of the enemy had been silenccd
for ten minutes, but as the ships drew
off some of the Spanish courage re.
turned and half-dozen shots We're
fired spitefully at the Massachusetts
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