The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-06-09
Tor Three Hours Ten American
Warships Poured Shells Into
Santiago Forts.
The Percentage Which Took
! Effect Said to Have Been
Very Large.
Bpaniards Admit Some Loss, But
4 Not as Great as Is Gener-
| ally Believed.
The Reina Mercedes Struck BY
!. q Thirteen Inch Shell from
| the Oregon.


vicinity of Santiago de Cuba continued
the greater part Of yesterday from 7:45
"A. IN. until nearly II o'clock. Ten of
the American warships maintained q
steady and carefully directed fire against
lei MORO castle, and the batteries at
Punta Gorda, Socapa and Cincoreales,
in addition to ombarding the Spanish
feet in the harbor. The percentage Of
effective projectiles was very large.
1t appears, from the best information
obtainable at this place, the cable sta.
ton connecting with Santiago de Cuba,
that immense damage was inflicted on
the enemy. The Spaniards admit that
the bonn bardment from the American
fleet was most destructive. About six.
teen hundred projectiles are said to
have been fired by the American war
ships, and it seems that the responsive
fire from the Spanish forts and ships
was scarcely felt at all by the Amer
scans.
Riddled With Solid Shot
The Notifications near the entrance
of the harbor are described as being
riddled with solid shot and shattered
by the explosion of the immense shells
fired by the American battleships. The
Spanish batteries are understood to
have been virtually silenced, and Ell
Moro and the Notifications at Socapa
and Punta Gorda are reported to have
been demolished by the three hours
uninterrupted hammering of the Amer
ican fleet.
The American attack is next said to
have been specially directed against
Aguadores, a small coast town a little
to the east of the entrance to Santiago
bay. The idea of the American ad-
miral, it appears, was to land troops
and siege guns there, after reducing
the deienses Of the place, and then
make a close assault upon Santiago,
which in view Of the present condition
of its Notifications may be expected ia
yield very soon after the beginning Of
such an attack
y NJ. Results Extremely Disastrous.
Heavy cannonading was opened
upon Aguadores at about midday.
The latest advices received here from
Spanish sources do not Indicate the
duration of the fire, or whether Amer.
lean troops and seige guns were &C.
finally landed at Aguadores, but from
the information obtainable it cannot be
doubted that the net result of Mondays
fighting was extremely disastrous to
the Spanish defenses. 1t is also under.
stood here that the Cuban troops main
tanned throughout the greater part of
the day an attack by land upon Sah-
tiago; and the Spanish reports say the
garrison lost heavily in killed and
wounded.
1 The military commander Of Santiago
de Cuba acknowledges the following
casualties among the land forces:
Colonel Ordonez, Captain Sanchez,
lieutenant Yrizar, of the artillery,
and Perez and Garcia, both Spanish
officers, whose rank is not mentioned.
These officers We're badly wounded.
The Spaniards also admit the loss of q
infantry soldiers, severely wounded,
and say one soldier was killed.
a :. But it is believed the losses of the
Epaniards were, much more heavy. -
In the naval force the Spaniards say
that the officer who was second in com
mand of the partly dismantled Spanish
cruiser Reina Mercedes and five sailors
and an ensign were killed. The Span
Ssh sailors wounded, it is asserted, num-
bar sixteen men. The loss on the
American side, the Santiago report
says, is not known. . - ,
The Spaniards acknowledge that
great deal of damage was inflicted on
the Spanish cruiser sReina Mercedes,
and they say Moro castle shows great,
gaping breaches in its walls
Later in the day it appears landing
Of American troops was effected near
Daiquiri, some distance east OF Aqua
kores, and near the railway station
connecting with Santiago.
An Engagement Took Place.
Later an engagement took place be-
fween the American force and a cole
umn of Spanish troops, which had been
sent against the landing party. The
accounts of the battle obtainable here,
being from Spanish sources, do not set
Horth the result, and therefore it is TO
be inferred that the Americans were
victorious, and that is the belief which
prevails here.
There is q report current at Cape
Haytien that the tirstclass armored
Spanish cruiser Maria Teresa was sunk
BY the fire of the American ships.
It is said that only i've hup
American troops were landed ..ret
0niri, or possibly at ARu as d.,
fwo places taing confu' -.doses, th
ports reaching here. ed In the re
mitted that the @s seems to be ad
soldiers was SO oar. " the american
iards were c .mpalIsd mat the Span
1 'ney were defending. :