Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-23

| Of praise for the psrtinacity and perseyer-
| ance with which they returned to the fray
| time after time, undaunted by continual re-
| verses. and hopeful ever to retrieve the dis
| grace which they considered the presence
| Ct the mated ''infideis' put upon them.
| The most interesting anu exciting cpl
| sode during this long siege was the fe-
| rocious attempt made by the Spaniards
| toward the close, when they strained every
| nerve to dismay ami overcome the already
| exhausted but still unflinching garrison
| More than 80 Otp troops and 10 pieces of
| ordnance of large caDer were at the dis
| posal of the Spanish general, and an inge-
| NOUS type of floating batteries, strongly
| resembling the famous cheese boxes on
| RATS of the late war had been devised by
| the dons, who expected great things of
| them in the meditated assault. The num-
| bers of the opposing forces were ludicrcus-
| ly disproporticnate. Besices the above
| mentioned troops and guns, the Spanish
| possessed nine ne-of-battle ships, - gun
| Or mortar boats, covered boats sufficient to
| land nearly 10000 men and, in addition,
| the 10 floating batteries, which consisted
| Of large vessels, their sides protected by A
banking of timber seven feet thick. ana
| the decks and guns screened with a slant
| ing roof of Shot-proof material.
| UncvcnIy Matched.
| To this gigantic armament the defense
could only oppose some 1000 men, many OF
them sick wounded, and all reduced to
scanty rations for many months past; am
munition was limited, and the cannon even
| then were antiquated. On the Sth of Sep
| tember, 1872, fire opened on the fort
reSS at preconcerteu signal by the entire
|strehgth OF Spanish artillery, both on land
| and afioat. The ''foating batteries were
| inoored within half range and proved in
| deed invulnerabe to shot and she'll which
| lasted all night and day until late on the
| 18th On that day the garrison, unable to
| make any impression on the fleet, WHOSE
efforts were beginning to give the small
force of defenders considerable trouble and
| Inconvenience, conceived the brilliant idea
| of loading their guns with red-hot shot and
burning shells, which, though of little or
| no penetrating power, turned out to be
very effective against the wooden sides of
| the battle ships and lsunboats. In fact.
within very few hours every one of the
| floating batteries lay perfectly quiescent on
! the water, useless mass of burning hulks.
The endeavors and energy of the defenders
finally prevailed over the vast numerical
superiority of their opponents. and on the
Nth of the month the desperately conduct
ed attack given up, and the Spanish
troops retired TO their lines, severely Grip
pied by the enormous losses they had suf-
fered. Winter quarters were taken up the
bombardment practically abandoned, and
peace was declared on the I'd of February
following. Thus ended the most memora-
BILE siege that can be found in the pages of
history; remarkable for many reasons, but
most of all for the small loss of life among
the defenders. who. during the three years
and a half that the investment lasted lost
in all but 800 men, while they inflicted on
the enemy total loss of several thousands
of lives. Gibraltar today simply bristles
with artillery; the mountain is honeycomb
ed with passages and galleries leading to
| remotely hidden batteries. some the result
OF natures workings, but most Of them
excavated by years Of arduous toll In the
very bowels Of the gigantic rock. Looking
at the huge guns, many of them of I'M
mense weight and large caliber, one is al
most forced to the conclusion that they
must have grown there" for to one not
learned in the mysterious ways and work
ings of the gunner and engineer 1t seems
absolutely impossible that these monStrous-
long and bio lted looking engines of de-
struction could. by any hut superhuman
agency, have been brought through the
steep and tortuous passages that form the
sole approach to the dark, silent classmates
where they repose.
The Case ofsHavana.
To return to our story, it is evident that
Havana, not enjoying the admitted inn
pregnability of the pillar of Hercules
nor yet possessing the magnificent defenses
that were the boast of Paris, Is more COM
parable to Alexandria, which similarity is.
indeed, further borne out by the resem-
blance between the climates and strategi-
cal positions of the two cities; and though
Havana is lacking in quantity to equal the
Egyptian batteries, the deficiency may per-
haps be compensated for by the more mod
ern quality of the guns and superior class
VI BuIlHeTS 1HlS ldSt ueSlueTatum Is
most important one, for it is indisputable
that with good guns and well-trained men
behind them, even though the number of
both leaves much to be desired, and the for
tifications be anything but invulnerable,
any fort ought to give good account of it
self against even greatly superior odds, for
short time at least. With the improve
ments of late years in range-finding instru-
ments, and the enormously increased de-
structve range of high-power guns, the
advantage is ALI in favor of a stationary
tort, from which distances are merely
matter of momentary calculation end di-
rections easily observed, as opposed to a
constantly moving ship, on board which
distance observations are practically a
matter Of trial. while the rolling of the sea
constantly interferes with correct laying.
Especially Is this the case in any kind of
a heaVy sea; but once let the guns of a
Meet be properly trained the fort and
couple of good shots made, and it will
take most powerful set of Notifications
10 resist humiliation, for. once the range
Is definitely obtained, the pitching and toss
ing OF the ship, as we'll its capability
OF constant motion, altering both speed
and direction, combine to form great ele-
ment or security, whereas the fort is now a
hxed and immovable target The capture
or Havana, therefore, would not only be
an important strategic movement, but also
one easy OF accomplishment, except in the
event OF the presence of q large Spanish
squadron in the Immediate vicinity of the
narpor, since there is no reason to fear
the power or the guns OF MORO Castle in
prolonged bombardment.
Havana Invested.
1t is bit Of history worth recalling that
Havana itself was once successfully in
vested and cannonaded, and that, more
over, the troops to whose courage and
mettle the capture Of the city was almost
wholly due were of American, or. as 1t
was then called, provincial. extraction. On
June u. 1862, a British fleet landed some
1000 troops on the coast a few miles east
of Havana The work of investment was
quickly begun. and notwithstanding the
gallant defense made by the garrison and
the mortality caused among the British
troops by disease and famine, the both day
of June saw the opening Of fierce and de-
structive fire on tho forts OF MORO Castle.
seventeen days later the Spanish guns mad
been all siienced, ;andqa footing was gained
by the besiegers within the ditch itself that
forms the outer work Iof the castle. One
month after the opening Of the lombard
ment breach OF suficient dimensions had
been made. and storntng party, COM
posed OF provincial troops. known as the
Royal Americans, carried the fortress by
TvIao al.