The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-15
San JUAN COMMANDMENT.
New York WorId Correspondents
STORY OF the Affair.
THE SPANISH FIRE WAS VERY WILD.
Little Damage Done the Fleet, while
MORO Fort Was Pounded to Atoms
by Americans.

paTumcnt OF san Juan:
Admiral SIMPSONS feet lay within sigh
OF San Juan de Porto Rico all OF wednes
day night At 3 o'clock on Thursday morn.
Ing all hands on oil the ships were called
For an iionr and a half each ship was tn.
scene of an orderly confusion as tho cccl
sailors stripped their ships, their guns sbd
themselves BY 1880 everything woS in
readiness for tho battle to begin. the Sec
ond great engagement OF the war.
At O'Clock In the morning came The
call ITO quarters" and instantly every
man was at his post and ready and eager
to strike blow In atonemant for the
Maine. The object Of attack lay In rllin
view straight ahead Of the fleet. The iorts
and batteries OF San Juan dc poHo Rico,
guarding the entrance 10 the hat JJr were
TO be attacked IL was a glorious mot var e.
the sky unclouddd the air cool ami biigN.
long heavy swell rolled toward the shu re
ana broke against tho reef wnose forts
seemed to be asleep.
To mark the limits OF the line OF LATHE
the Detroit and tug Wampatuct steamed
shoreward the Detroit to the eastward I'M
III she was opposite the Nattcrn, the Wam-
patuck to the westward until she was auie
to anchor her small boats In ten fathoms
or water just out OF the ;alge of The egl,g
OF san Juan MORO. which rises or =, hill
at the end OF the eastern otn OF the lar
Dor. MORO, or course, was to be no Gun
ter OF attack. In II were me scyen az
inch guns which Spain sent over as srtn
as the war became certain a.il Nhicl had
bcen hastlly mounted and manned with lie
best gunners in the colonial army
Soon after the Detroit ind Wa ranck
were IN place Admiral sampson lofnn
of nAft Inn ff.FV
move down upon the Silent aud snerliutty
sloping fortressos and batteries aluna me
coral reef
In the van was the Iowa the fltptlip.
with the battle cry of the navy s.raapne
In brilliant colorod (lags from her mast -
REMEMBER THE MAINE" Neat ,an,e
inc huge Indiana OF such enormous lux
,nht she rode almost steady c,cn uIon tbat
heavy sea
Then followed tho New York. as farm'1-
able as battloshlp, the ow-lyuS r.,ui-
tors Amnhltrte and Terror Tlty hote
straight for the shore in 7ingle rtlo Lang
before tho flagship was IN range theic "a mo
fash, a cloud OF smoke. a rulr and
shsll from the walls OF MORO Tho s,,ti
fell FAR short. The roar clod ava, atd
for fifteen minutes the scene Nes as pcate-
full as before.
Suddenly tho Iowa turned sharp "a the
east. She came around pcHurru',y dntl
her starbotra battery was pon ing tai at
MORO, One OF her great l3-inch guns lilst
into flame and shell sailed toward Mo-
70, II fell short but tho resl1l4n en- f---
roar from tho batteries and forts aiolg
the shore tremendous burst Of ro,nd
ana smoke and flame, ahovnr of sbols
that wasted themselves In tho sea. 50
Wild was the voliey that even had The
Iowa been In range none OF the shots
would have hit her, The Iowa was now
nearer and the entire line OF shlus Was In
position 10 attack the Spanish sbc:, line.
Each ship was now firing and o. n shore
gun was answering. But while the Spau'sh
aim was wild, the American gunnets lirtd
with the calmness and precision OF expert
enced target practice.
The Meet as soon enveloped In smoke and
also the shore, Only outlines could le made
out, but It was apparent that wlNr tho
Spanish shells issued from the smcLc Of
the shore to fall into the sea, the AnoriNn
shells rushed from the fleets anvriu1el Of
smoke to bury themselves In the smoke
on shore. And now and then, as tho v md
driftcd the thick gray curtain aside Il
could be seem that the Amorl,lh shibs
were mninjured and that on shore ths Inc
OF fertilization that had been unNrcken was
torn and ruined In many places. When
the Iowa came up 10 tho WamnatucE che
turned and led the column hack psqin
across the line OF fire, Our fleet was nav
nearer and Spanish shells fell oil aroup
the ships. Some struck agalns, tha arr;or
OF the battleshtps-hig six-ipca shcli iut
they bounded OFT leaving hcr win only
dent. Tho Spanish shells struck a boat on
tho Iowa, passed through II anl entered
the superstructure. scattering spin rrs In
every direction. Three men were injured
Admiral Sampson and Captain E9anS were
on the lower bride aud narrowly ostarod
the flying fragments. In all Tho Iowa was
hit nine times Later shell blr,it on the
New York. killing one man. iniuring an
other severely and several slgntly
Al Z o'clock the day had become iuriouslv
hot--So hot that men we're lalntlng below
the decks and at the guns the gunners
were streaming sweat as no man over sweat
even In the hot room of Turkish bath
One man. a gunnors mate on the Amphl-
trlte. was overcome and died in q few
hours, But the battle went on
The fleet was now steaming across the
fortified front OF the city Many OF the
Spanish guns were sIlenced and while the
showers Of shells seemed as thick IA ever,
the thinner cloud. tho leapoug flames from
burning houses close to the shore. but he
hind the Qualifications, made the Amcri-
cans know that their work was NOT In vain
as was the trenscd firing OF the spaniards