Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1898-06-16

GUANTANAMO BAY, June 10, via
KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 16.-The
defenses of Caimenara have been de-
molished by the Texas, Marblehead
and Suwanee.
AN EXPERIENCE GAINED.
On board Associated Press Dispatch
Boat Daunt.ess, Guantanamo Bay,
June 14-via Kingston, Jamaica, June
15 However unpleasant the expert
ence and unjusttied by precedent, the
landing of a small detachment of Ma
rines, mostly raw men, in an enemy's
country, has taught some lessons to the
officers and men here, and possibly also
to the authorities at Washington. 1t
has been shown that the Spaniards are
daring bush fighters and has proved
that that every American camp must
be compactly built and as we'll pro.
tected, to resist night attacks, as though
in an Apache country. 1t has deyel-
oped several small defects in the navy
guns under service conditions, and
shown that given free rein with repeat.
ing rifles, 500 troops can waste 10000
rounds of ammunition killing shadows
In single night, and not think even
then that they have done much shoot
ing.
Though sixteen Spaniards found by |
Lieutenant Neville's men wore regular |
uniforms, most of those seen in day
light attacks wore scarcely
ANYTHING EPCEPT PLANTAlN LEAVES
bound around their foreheads in lieu
of their hats. This acted as an effective
disguise in the bush. Others stripped
20 a pair of dirt colored trousers, tied
branches around their waists, reaching
shoulder high, and moving very eau
tiously they could even cross the open
ground without being detected, though
seme were caught at the game
Another trick was to make moving
screen of two or three big palm leaves,
almost impossible to detect. The
Cuban
AUXILIARIEs WERE MOST USEFUL
in pointing out these tricks. There are
sixty Of these men now in camp, mostly
negroes, with Cuban officers. They are
hawk-eyed woodsmen, breaking even
with the Spaniards in every device of
bushcraft. The American Marines at
first were inclined to discount this, but
this morning they spoke enthusiastic
ally of their auxiiaries for their daring.
At night, in skirmish time the Marines
say the Cuban anxiliaries 90 through
the brush like rabbits. Their chief
fault, however, is their reckless hand
ling of the new magazine rifles.
GETTING THERE SLOWLY.
New YORK, June 16-A special from
Key West, says: The Junta advices
from the headquarters of the Cuban
civil government in La Guanaja, Cam
aguay, report that more than 5000
Spanish volunteers and many regulars
from Puerto Principe and Nuevitas
garrisons have deserted to the patriot
army. The immediate cause was fear
of the American feet.
Blanco's general, Castillianos, has
removed most of his artillery inland to
Puerto Principe City.
Santa Cruz del Sur has been invested
by the Cubans and communication by
sail boat has been established with
Jamaica.
THE USUAL METHOD.
The Texas steamed slowly up the
channel leading tn the Notifications,
followed closely by the Marblehead
The Texas fred two shots as range
finders, both falling short and to the
right. The Marblehead stood off to
the west side of the bay and opened
with her five inch guns knocking down
part of the wall. The Texas then
threw some twelve inch shells, tearing
down the wall front, and throwing
bricks and mortar thirty feet IN the air
After badly damaging the fort, the
Marblehead stood further in to shell
the earthworks and barracks at the
west end of the harbOr. She knocked
them into the air and when the Span
fards fed from the fort they were
shelied by the st. Paul and driven into
the bushes. The Spaniards fred only
Eve shots, which did no damage.
After the ships stood out into the
harbor, the Spanish in the bushes
opened fire on the Marblehead's launch,
which replied vigorously. The
Suwanee then turned back and shellsd
the bushes, driving tho Spaniards in
land.