The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-06-21
WRECK AND RUIN.
Thursdays Bombardment Played Havoc
With Fortifications at Santiago.
The Flag Over Moro Castle Was Half
Masted for Several Hours-POssibly a
Spanish Leader Was Killed or Hob
son and Men Were Murdered.

full inspection of the Notifications
along the crest of the hills defending
Santiago harbor since the lombard
ment Thursday morning shows that
the American gunnerS spread wreck
and ruin everywhere. Some of the
batteries were demolished beyond re-
pair. The vultures which circled on
level wings over the hills. as thick as
swallows around chimney for hours
after the firing ceased furnished
gruesome evidence of the fatality
among the Spanish soldiers. Hun.
dreds of troops could be seen
from the ships digging in mounds
of earth piled up by the explosions of
the projectiles from the heavy guns
for bodies while their heads were
famed by the wings of the black
scavengers of the battlefi field. There
were two spots, one on the east and
the other on the west of the ha7bor
entrance which were denuded of the
foliage. The hill tops seem literally
blown away. These marked the places
where the 200 pound charges of gun
cotton blown by the Vesuvius landed
But the most ominOus token of death
flew from Moro castle The saffron
flag of Spain was half masted for sew
eral hours. The significance of this
is not known. 1t is not customary to
half mast flags, but possibly some
Spanish leader was killed by the heavy
fire of our guns, though some officers
of the squadron believe that the flag
was half masted as a mott fcation to
the Americans that Lieut. Hobson and
his brave men were dead.
If such is the case they must have
been wantOnly murdered. The Span
ish might seek to lay their death to the
bombardment, but not shot from the
American ships struck the fortress
Neither Adm. Sampson nor Commo-
dOre Schley believe that Lieut. Hob
son and his party have been killed
We have II prisoners taken at Guam
tanamo, including lieutenant, for
reprisals or exchange.
There was evident decentralization
among the Spanish troops during the
commandment. Officers could be seen
with drawn swords driving the men to
the guns, but even then they could not
be forced to stay so long as our guns
were directed at them. The fifteen
minutes night work of the Vesuvius
had shattered their nerves. 1t is be-
1ieved by some that the 1S-inch pro-
jectile fred from the Texas which was
reported to have exploded the powder
magazine in one of the western bat
teries did not fall in the battery but
went beyond and blew up one of the
ships in the harbor
A dramatic incident of the bonn bard
ment was the act of a Spanish officer
who bravely ran along the parapet
under a heavy fire encouraging his
men to stand by their guns Shot and
she'll rained about him and after one
terrific explosion he was seen no more
and the parapet had disappeared. He
could not have escaped death.
From the foretop of the Brooklyn,
1890 yards distant, the men in the
grounds could be noticed, but a miu-
ute later dust and flying debris would |
take their places and when the smoke
cleared away only a spot of red earth |
could be seen-guns and gunners had |
been swept away. 1t was the most |
deadly and destructive bombardment |
of the war thus far. Scarcely d shot |
from the big guns of the squadron
went astray. The aim of our gunners |
was superb and not only were the |
coast forts annihilated, but the bat
teries on Cayo Smith, up the harbor,
were destroyed.
Had all the ships used smokeless
powder as did the New Orleans there
would remain No signs of guns or for
tifcations to indicate that there had
ever been any defenses there.
There were no casualties in the fleet.
although the ships held a fixed posi-
ton as if inviting the Spaniards to fire
at them. The half-stripped ships gun
ners never worked with more enthusi-
asm. The words of RI Adm. Sampson
were: First silence the batteries on
the shore and then continue firing I'M
til the Notifications are reduced
This order was strictly obeyed. 1t
was the first time that such instruc-
tiOns had been given and the men re-
spOnded with will. In So minutes
the order was given to cease firing and
the message went to each ship from
the admiral, well DONE" and the Of
ficers and men turned in for break
fast. Every detail Of the engagement
had been executed to the letter, from
the opening fire by the New York to
the last shot from the Iowa. The
Spaniards were evidently surprised |
while strengthening their fortifca-
tions.