Evening star., 1898-06-29
Uncle Sans Regulars Bound for
Santiago de Cuba.
HOW fHE TROOPS REACHED CUBA
Pen Picture of the Debarkation and
Bombardment.
IN THE INSURGENT CAMP
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
BAIQUIRI, Cuba, June %, $685.
The United States flag floats at last over
hostile Spanish soil. Following soon after
the landing of United States marines at
Guantanamo, several days ago, the little
army of regulars yesterday landed at Bal
Quiri, eighteen miles east of Santiago de
Cuba. and the first campaign in Cuba was
begun.
: The voyage down.t to this isolated corner
of Cuba was uneventful one, and but
for the nightly excitement of betting on
the probability of being blown into the air
by Spanish torpedo boat would have been
monotonous The weather was beautifully
calm and sleepy, and the dark blue waves
of the tropics rocked one into unconscious
ness in a twinkling. But, oh. what pic
mic one determined torpedo boat with a
Gushing Hobson at the helm might
have had. After leaving Port Tampa the
fleet of transports met the naval fleet at
Rebecca shoals, between Key West and
the Dry Tortugas. 1t was a large feet of
fifteen vessels, with the Indiana and De-
troit as the pugilists and the Castine,
Helena. Bancroft and other smaller craft
as the eyes and ears of the expedition. In
three long parallel columns, each 500 yards
apart, the fleet swept proudly 1own the
north coast Of Cuba, through the Wind
ward Passage, and southwest to its desti-
nation. But there were dark nights when
the transports Jagged or became separated.
and there was anxiety lest the fate of the
Maine might be duplicated.
on the Cuban Coast.
But no: the fleet anchored Off Guanta-
namo and the flagship Seguranca moved
on toward Santiago de Cuba with the COM
mander-in-chief on board, to confer with
Admiral Sampson. AS the Seguranca drew
near the New York three hearty American
cheers poured from the throats of the
bluejackets, and the frowning battlements
OF MORO Castle must have known that
those cheers meant a triumph of Yankee
pluck and bravery over every obstacle.
Then came reconnoitering to within
mile and a half of the Spanish works
guarding the bay, until it seemed as though
the forts could not resist SO tempting a
shot; but their fire had been silenced by
the battle ships on the previous day, and
they were apparently in no mood to renew
active hostilities. Morro and La Socapa
were in plain view, and behind the head
land of the bay Estrella, Punta Gorda and
Punta Blanco were lurking, while across
the narrow entrance to the bay was the
submerged Merrimac, fianked by a double
line of torpedoes.
In the Camp of the Insursents.
The conference between Gen. Shafter and
Admiral Sampson was finally transferred
some sixteen miles down the coast to Acer-
redoros the camp Of the insurgent leader
Gen. Garcia; and all the afternoon the
three leaders discussed a plan of campaign
beneath the green trees of Garcia's camp,
while the newspaper men slipped sugarless
coffee and plucked cocoanuts from the
nelgnporlng trees. 1t was a picturesque
spot-a little pueblo, girdled about by love-
ly mountains, green in the freshness Of the
coming rainy season. And the ragged and
famine-stricken insurgents brought forth
all that they had and with the truest hos
pitality imaginable laid 1t at their visitors
feet. When soldiers commissary con-
sists OF unripe pineapples and cocoanuts
and he gives those to you with genuine sim
cefity, 1t means great deal. Altogether
the visit to the insurgent camp impressed
all very favorably. The Cubans, though
ragged, were well armed and equipped, well
disciplined, and had all the camp trumpet
calls pertaining to the usual daily duties
of organizations of our own army
Yesterday at daylight the fleet of trans
ports moved opposite Baiquiri The latter
is a small town, important as being the
terminus of the Spanish-American Iron
Company's narrow-gauge railroad from
the mountains; and the fact important
too, from a military standpoint, that 1t has
an iron pier tutting out into the sea, from
which the ore-laden cars are dumped into
vessels.
The town had been guarded by a large
number of Spanish soldiers. and some half
dozen block houses were visible from the
sea.
A General BOmbardment.
Simultaneous with the movement of the
transports to Baiquiri, the naval vessels
bombarded four points on the coast-the
scorpion, Vixen and Texas at Cabanas, the
Eagle and Gloucester at Aguadores the
Hornet, Helena and Bancroft at Esenada
de los Altares and the Detroit Castfne.
Wasp and New Orleans at Baiouiri. The
Sraniards at the last named place left in a
hurry, after piling their extra rations and
ammunition on top Of the machine shops
and setting fire to them. They also burn
ed two Baldwin locomotives and tenders.
and attempted to destroy the pier. but
were unsuccessful.
The shelling of the place was a beautiful
sight. The men-of-var steamed close I'D
to shore. and as the New Orleans gave the
signal the guns belched forth shrapnel ami
SHE'LL To use homely expression, there
was a hot time in the old town." and II
there were any Spaniards left lurking in
the woods they must have made themselves
exceedingly scarce. The bombardment 6id
rot last half an hour at Baiquiri, but the
effect Of the bursting shells and the blazing
houses of the town seemed very much like
war. Care was taken not to destroy pri-
vate property, and in short time the con-
fagration had exhausted itself.
Disembarking the Troops,
Then, towed by steam launches, long col
umns of small boats filled with regulars
cautiously approached the beach, and quick
ly reconnoitered the town. It was found
deserted, and after establishing outposts