The record-union., 1898-05-29


cables at that point The graphing i'm
plements were secured from the tug
Wamptucket on May 10Th, and at IL
p. m. the expedition in the small boats
left the cruiser for the entrance of San
tiago. 1t was then perfectly dark and
hazy, and the Santiago light was burn
ing brightly. Moonrise was not until
$40 a. m. After the departure of the
| cable-cutting party signals from two
gunboats were seen. At 3 a. m, May
18th, the expedition returned with part
of one cable, but it had failed to find
the second, which is close under the
fort, and was protected by two patrol
boats.
Then a start was made to cut the
cable on the other side of the island At
Z a. m. the st. Louis fired its first gun
at the forts protecting the entrance to
Santiago harbor, and after a little time
the fire was returned by one gun which
must have been a 2-pounder. At 8 a.
m. the St. Louis was about two miles
distant from the fort, which seemed
tG be unprotected by modern guns. At
ter three hours graphing in over 500
fathoms, the cable had not been found.
At 12:1 p. m. the guns of MORO Cas-
tie opened fire, followed by the shore
batteries on the southerly point, and
also the west battery.
The St Louis kept up a constant fire
from her bow guns, and soon succeed
ed in silencing the guns of MORO Cas-
tie. The garrison Spaniards could be
seen running in all directions. Most of
the shots from the forts fell short of
the ships. Shells from the mortar bat
terry went over the cruiser and explod
ed in the water quite close to the ST.
Louis. The mortar battery ceased at
1915 p. m, after a fusillade of forty
one minutes. After the firing the cable
was grappled, hauled on board and cut.
THE st. Louis crew behaved in
very cool manner under fire, and Cap
tains Goodrich and W. G. Randle, the
latter Of the American line, at the close
of the engagement complimented all
hands for their bravery"
Captain Randle says there is a mis-
take of a day in the date of the bonn
bardment of Santiago de Cuba, as CIV
en- in the copy of the cruisers log. He
says that after the graphing on May
10th, when the st. Louis had to slip
away on account of the presence of two
Spanish gunboats, the cruiser and the
Wampatuck remained out of sight of
Santiago all the next day. The bonn
bardment took place, Captain Randle
says, on May 18th. Morro Castle was
practically undefended, but the new
forts on the shores kept up a savage
fire.
The craftsmanship of the Spaniards
behind the forts was very poor, not
Isingle shot from her guns striking near
the st. Louis. The shells from the
mortar battery on Caspar Island in
side the harbor of Santiago, were quite
heavy, and apparently well directed
T e cruisers siX-pounder not being
alb to reach the mortar battery, after
the cable had been cut, the ST. Louis
and her consort retired. During the
bombardment the st. Louis fired 172
shots and the Wampatuck fired seven
ty-six rounds.
That night Captain Randle says the
Icruiser and the Wampatuck lay twenty
miles to the southwark of Santiago,
and on the morning of May 10Th pro-
ceeded to Guantanamo, where they
grappled for a cable at the mouth of
the harbor. The cruiser was not able
Ito make a cutting before Spanish gun
boats, armed with 6-inch rifles, opened
fire on it. A company of soldiers on
hill also blazed away with their small
arms The gunboats finally forced the
St. Louis and Wampatuck out to sea.
The cutting of the cable was aban-
doned.
Mole ST Nicholas was visited May
Goth, and from there dispatches were
sent to Washington. The Wampatuck
was ordered to proceed to Key West
from that place, and the st. Louis pro-
Iceeded along the north coast of Hayti,
where it met the st. Paul. They parted
in about an hour, and then the St.
Louis went to Cape Cabaropo to sever
the cable running from Porto Rico and
San Domingo, but the bottom was so
foul that the submarine line could not
be located.
Last Saturday the st. Louis cruised
along the coast of Porto Rico, and ran
within two miles of the batteries at
Ponce Sape Malaspague was visited
on May 23d, and at st. Thomas next
day the cruiser got orders to proceed
to New York to take on her heavy
guns, and then to go to Cramps Ship
Yard at Philadelphia to be armor-
plated The big guns We're put aboard
the cruiser to-day, and tomorrow at
3 a. m. the st. Louis will start for
Philadelphia.
Captain Randle says that neither
Schley nor the Spanish fleet were sight
ed or heard of during the trip of the
ST. Louis in the West Indies. The
cruiser succeeded in cutting three ca
bles in all, one being on the south side
of Porto Rico, one at Santiago de Cuba
and the third at Guantanamo.
CRUISER HARVARD.