Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-06-23
|HALF-MAST OVER MORO
The Spanish Display an Unusual
Signal of Distress After a Ter
ribly Heavy Bombardment.
ENEMY'S WORKS ENTIRELY DESTROYED.
Engagement of the War-The Dyna-
mite Cruiser Vesuvius in Evidence
Those Terrible Charges of Gun Cotton
DLssolving Views.

DIssolving Views.
On BOARD THE DAUNTLEss, off Santi-
ago de Cuba, Saturday, June IS (noon),
via Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday, June
ia careful inspection of the forth
fications along the coast defending
Santiago harbor since the lombard
ment TIL Irsday morning shows that
the American gunners spread wreck
and ruin everywhere. Some of the bat
teries were demolished beyond re-
pair.
The vultures which circled on level
| wings over the hills as thick as swal-
lows around a chimney for hours after
the firing ceased, furnished gruesome
| evidence of the fatality among the
Spanish soldiers. Hundreds of troops
could be seen from the ships digging
in mounds of earth piled up by the eX-
pIosions of the projectiles from the
heavy guns for bodies while their
heads were famed by the wings of the
La elk scavengers of the battlefield.
There were two spots, one on the
east and the other on the west of the
harbor entrance, which were denuded
of the foliage. The hilltops seem lit
orally blown away. These marked
the places where the compound charges
of gun cotton thrown 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 notification to the
Americans that Lieut.. Hobson and his
brave men were dead. If such is the
case they must have been wantonly
murdered. The Spanish might seek to
lay their death to the bombardment,
but not n shot from the American
ships struck the fortress.
Neither Admiral Sampson nor Com
modore Schley believe that Lieut.. Hob
son and his party have been killed.
We have Il prisoners taken at Guam
tanamo, including a lieutenant, be-
sides a number in the United States,
for reprisals or exchange.
There was evident decentralization
among the Spanish troops during
| L.
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 Is minutes night work of the We
suvius had shattered their nerves
1t is believed by some that the a.
inch projectile fired from the Texas,
which was reported to have exploded
the powder magazine in one of the
western batteries, did not fall in the
battery, but went beyond and blew up
one of the ships in the harbor.
A dramatic incident of the lombard
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
shell rained about him, and after or
terrific explosion he was seen no more,
and the parapet had disappeared. He
could not have escaped death.
FroP the foretop of the Brooklyn,
1900 yards distant, the men in the
grounds could be noticed, but min
ute later dust and flying debris would
take their places, and when the smoke
cleared away only n spot of red earth
could be seen, guns and gunners had
been swept away.
1t was the most deadly bombardment
Of the war thus fa~. Scarcely shot
rom 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 forti-
| 6cationS to indicate that there had ever
been any defenses there.
There were no casualties in the fleet,
! although the ships held fixed posi-
| ton, as if inviting the Spaniards to fire
upon them. The half-stripped ships
| gunners never worked with more en-
| thusIasm. The words of Rear-AdmiraI
| Sampson We're First silence the bat
! teries on shore and then continue fir
! ing until the Notifications are re-
| duced.
| This order was strictly obeyed. 1t
was the first time that such instruc-
! tions had been given out, and the men
responded with a will. In 80 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 breakfast
Every detail of the engagement had
been executed to the letter, from the
| opening of fire by the New York to the
| last shot from the Iowa. The Span
iards were evidently surprised while
| strengthening their Notifications.
The first shot of the New York landed
full fair on the top of the hills to the
| east, where the gunners were already
at work erecting new pieces. The
earth seemed to rise in a cloud, and
when the 12-inch shells of the Iowa and
the Pinch beauties of the Oregon
landed squarely and fairly u great
cheer went up from the ship3
The western squadron got into line
and began firing before the eastern one
did, and the effect of the shot could be
plainly seen. The Spanish gunners at
the batteries could be noted, and a
quick fire was returned; but only for a
brief time did they withstand the ter.
rible assault of the fleet.
The SPaniards Consider Their Honor (?)
Inpugned.
Madrid, June 10, p. m.-The state.
ment that President Mckinley has
sent to Admiral Cervera and Gen.
Pando messages saying that he would
hold them DerSOnallv rasnOpSibla TO-