Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-06-10

Inc New orleans was now WITHIN
range, and her 6-inch guns, charged
with smokeless powder, began bark
ing in most defiant tones. The Iowa
came next. Capt. Evans waited until
directly in the face of the Colon's
broadside, and then he let go his 70
inch guns fore and aft with telling
effect. All three ships were hammer
ing away with their big guns.
A fourth battery just beneath
Moro and close to the beach was
unmasked by the hot fire of the New
Orleans. All four batteries and the
Colon were replying rapidly. At first
the range was hard to get on both
sides because of the deceptive glare
on the water, and not until the ships
had passed before the forts and turn
ed were any effective shots fired.
After the Iowa had passed, the little
Vixen, in daredevil spirit, dashed
across behind the battleship without
being hit and without firing herself.
AS she passed THE Sun boat, which
was the only newspaper craft any
where near the engagement and the
only eyewitness of it, the Vixen's
crew cheered enthusiastically.
Ten minutes after firing the first
shot the Massachusetts turned ma
iestically and steamed back from east
to west, this time presenting her
starboard side to the enemy. As she
veered in closer to the batteries Capt.
Joseph O'Leary of THE Sun boat one
of the gamest men in these waters,
took the wheel himself with the
avowal : "I'll 90 as close as they will;
those dagos can't hit lis" and nearer
still the little vessel went flying the
Stars and Strips. Screaming shells
fell within 200 yards of her, but the
crew crowded forward and cheered
the men on the warships as they
swept across our bow.
The Spanish batteries improved in
their craftsmanship during the second
passage ofthe American ships. Sew
eral shots fell very close to the Iowa
and New Orleans, and one danger
ousIy near the bow of the Massa-
chusetts. They were fired by the
large battery on the westward side
of the harbor, evidently from 10 and
l2-inch Krupp guns. The range was
so great that the guns were fired at a
high elevation. and the shells falling
near the ships raised high fountains
ofwater.
One shot from the Iowa fell direct
" under the Colon, and for few
that ship appeared to be on
fire. If so the blaze was quickly ex-
and the Spanish flagship
to answer. All OF the
Colon's shots, however, fell in one
spot, directly in the channel. She did
not seem able to change her range,
and most of her firing was therefore
ridiculous. The shore batteries did
better. One big shell exploded dl-
rectly almost over the Iowa, but too
high to do any damage.
The ships passed only twice before
the batteries. The first shot was
fred by the Massachusetts, at 100
O'Clock, and the last by the New
Orleans at 2:25. The Massachusetts,
used only her 13 and S.lnch guns
the New Orleans her 6-inch and the
Iowa her IL and 8. The New
Orleans proved to be one OF the
hottest and most affective fighters III
the navy, and Capt. Fowler and his
crew, who arrived only yesterday,
are being generally congratulated on
the fine showing they made. The
New Orleans alone used smokeless
powder. Every shot she fired could
be plainly followed and its effect
marked.
After thirty minutes firing the two
batteries on the right side of the
harbor were silenced, and five min
utes later the one on the island in the
centre stopped. The large one on
the west side, however, together with
the Cristobal Colon, kept up a weak
fire for fully twenty minutes after the
ships had ceased firing. The Span
irds will therefore, claim that they
repulsed the American fleet.
The battle lasted fifty-fve minutes
AS soon as the signal TO cease firing
bad been obeyed by our ships Com
modore Schley left the Massachusetts
and returned TO the Brooklyn. He
expressed himself as entirely salts
fed with the results attained while
the fighting lasted.
Capt. Jack Philip was on pins and
needles. He was so anxious to get
into battle that he let 60 the collier
anchored alongside the Texas and go'