The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-05-17

Copyright 1898 by Associated IreSS.
Key West. Fla. May 1.-The Unite,
States cruiser Marblehead, the gun boa
Nashville and the auxiliary cruiser Win
dom steamed mp to the harbor Of Glen
fuegos early Wednesday morning Wit
orders to cut the cable connecting Iia
vana with Santiago de Cuba. This taSl
WAS accomplished, but only after Il terri
fic fight between our war ships and scv
cral thousand Spanish troops which linet
the shore and lay concealed behind impro
yiSed breast works. One man. Il sea
man named Reagan. of the Marblehead
was killed in one of the working small
boats. and six men were severely wound,
ed. In addition. Il large number on
board the ship received minor wounds.
Captain $. T.. Mcguire. of the Win
dom. believes that several of the six
badly wounded men who were brought
10 Key West this morning on the Win
dom cannot recover
The following is the list Of killed and
badly wounded:
Killed:
Reagan. seaman of the Marblehead.
Badly wounded:
John Davis, Of New York.
John j. Doran. of Fall River. Mass.
Ernest Suntzcanicklc.
Herman w. Hochneister.
Harry Hendrickson, all of the Marble
head.
Robt. BoItz. Carteret county, y. c.,
of the Nashville.
Soon after the arrival of the war ships
off C~ienfuegoS four boats were launched
and proceeded in shore for the purpose
of graphing for the cable in order to cut
it.
The war ships lay to about II, 1000
yards or more off the harbor.
1t was observed that the Spanish troops
had assembled ashore. bnt it was not
known that heavy guns had been placed
in Il masked battery and that the old
light house, far ont OF Il neck Of land.
had been transformed into a formidable
fort.
When the commanders of the Marble
head and the Nashville called for volun-
tcers to man the boats and cut the cable,
the men responded with Il jump.
Lieut.. C.. McR. Winslow, of the Nash
Vile. took command of the \ashvillc's
boats.
The shore surrounding the entrance Of
the harbor was first shelled. and then the
boats proceeded in.
The work of finding the cable was slow
ly and cautiously proceeded with. The
was deep i'll the channel and WAS
found with difficulty. One of the relays
Of the cable had been cut when the Span
iarss opened fire.
The marines in the boats replied at
once. and a machine gun from the for
ward launch sent in a stream Of bullets.
while heavy shells from the warShip
drove the Spaniards from the rifle pits
1T the shore. many Of them seeking re
fn@e in the light house fort. which WAS
afterward torn to pieces by Il shell from
the Window. AS there were great num-
bcrs of Spaniards in and behind the fort
At the time. there is no doubt, that many
OF them were killed.
With desperate courage the American
sailors remained calmly at their posts
and succeeded III dragging up the second
relay of the cable and Scyering IT.
Seven men badly wounded was the
count. and one of them, Reagan, died
on the way back to the ship. Lieu
WinSlOw was shot in the hand,
and a number of others were more o.
injured.
ON the Nashville Captain Maynard
standing forward. with an ensign,
when a Spanish bullet passed through
he c~nsign's shoulder and struck Cap
Maynard on the chest. near the
heart. %wounding him only slightly.
The MarIdehead was struck scores OF
ines by bullets from machine guns, AMI
he Nashville suffered to about the same
.Ntcnt. The Window also had many
marks of the fray. Her shell. blowing
~ the light house and scattering the
Spaniards in all directions, ended the
Boltz and HcndricksOn who. with fouf
,thcrS of the wounded. are at the Naval
here. are expected to die.
The remains of Reagan were buried
# sea.
The cable which was cut at Clenfuegos
from that city to Santiago dc
Cuba. It does not sever cable
with Cuba. as there is another
inc in operation between Santiago de
and Kingston. Jamaica. The
severed cable is owned by the Cuba Sub
Company. The one operating 80
Kingston is owned by the West Indian
Company. The latter is the on
.V line not in control of the United States
The cable from Havana
Ia Key West is controlled by United
officials.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT.