The evening times., 1898-06-20
cA1MANERA TO BE BURNED.
The Inhabitants Are Reported to he
Panfc-SfrfcEen.

OF Guantanamo, June is, via Kingston.
today that the inhabitants of Caimanera
have strewn the streets with straw and oi,
with the intention of destroying the city
and fleeing to the hills. Caimanera lies
miles up the bay from Camp McCalla,
under the guns of the American ships,
and the situation is desperate. Famine
stricken people, convinced of the ultimate
triumph of the American arms. are de-
termined to leave their houses in ashes
behind them and seek safety in the noun
tains of the north. The scouts declare
that every building of the town is being
rapidly prepared for the torch.
Horses and mules are being eaten 'by
these starving people, and they are scour-
ional bombardments by the American fleet
leave the helpless citizens terror stricken,
no preparations for defense being made.
1t is also stated that the Spanish gum
boat at Caimanera has been loaded with
infiammables and will be burned with the
city. her commander declaring that she
shall never become an American prize
Spanish soldiers are in almost as COM
plete a state of panic as civilians. the
scouts say. and they could easily be in
+ duced to surrender. Some of the pris-
oners taken by the marines also say they
believe the Spanish troops on the verge
of surrender owing to the lack of food.
Capt. McCalla. of the cruiser Marble
head. and Lieut.. Col Huntington. in
command of the marines, are not so GER
tain of those conditions. They received
Information yesterday that a general at
tack. by a force of $500 Spanish soldiers
and guerrillas, on Camp McCalla is con-
teinplated within a night or two. Every
preparation was made last night for an
expected assault.
The hills about the marine camp were
brilliant under the shifting rays of the
searchlights of the Marblehead, Dolphin,
and Scorpion, and the marines were ly-
ing in the rifle pits, at the guns, ready
and anxious for battle. but the night
passed without the firing of a shot. The
same watchful care was exercised today,
as Capt. McCalla is convinced that an
attack is likely to occur at any moment.
The Iowa Joined the fleet here this
morning, and, later. the admiral came
over on the flagship to inspect the forth
fications.
General camps of insurgents have been
established along the beach between San
tiago and this place. from which the Gu
ban flag Is flying. and they are used by
the admiral as a means of communication
with the Cubans in the interior. The aid
which these men have given has proven
valuable to the Americans.
Another body of Spaniards was caa-
tured yesterday by Ensign A. A. Pratt.
of the Marblehead. While cruising in a
steam launch outside the bay he picked
up a fifty-foot sloop containing Spanish
captain Of the name of Lores and four
sailors. They said they were on their
way to Guantanamo to get a supply OF
oil for the lighthouse at Cape Maysi, but
papers found on the stoop proved that
they had been sent to obtain information
relative to the American forces. The
crew OF the sloop asserted that they had
been Ill fed and frightfully Ill treated
by the Spanish commander of the Cape
Maysi forces.
There was a brief -bombardment Of q
blockhouse up the bay by the battleship
Oregon yesterday, and 1t is believed that
during the firing several Spaniards were
killed. Scouting parties report that the
blockhouse was completely destroyed.
The flagship New York was with the
fleet on Santiago de Cuba late this after
noon.