The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-23

the transports impatient to get ashore
and in action, and every move of the war
ships was closely watched by the soldiers.
A little before nine oclock the lombard
ment of the batteries Of Jaragua was
begun by the ships of Rear-Admirai' ;
fleet. This was evidently a feint to cover
the real point of attack. Jaragua being
about half way between Daiquiri and
| Santiago de Cuba The bombardment last
ed twenty minutes.
The scene then quickly shifted back
again to the great semi-circle of the
transport flefet before Daiquiri.
AT $40 o'clock the New Orleans opened
fire with gun that sent shells rumbling
and crashing against the hillside. The
Detroit, Wasp. Machias and Suwanee fol-
lowed suit and soon the hillsdes and the
valleys seemed to be ablaze, as shot fol-
lowed shot in swift succession amid the
wild and excited cheering of the soldiers
on the transports.
In five minutes the sea was alive with
lotilas of small boats, headed by
launches, speeding for Daiquiri dock.
Some of the boats were manned by crews
soldiers themselves. Each boat con-
tained sixteen men, every one in fighting
trim and carrying three days rations, a
shelter ten. gun and two hundred cart
ridges ready to take the field on touching
the shore should they be required 10 do
SO.
proved to be needless precaution, AS
-t.<~ raf1
Spaniards were visible.
Two correspondents of the Associated
Press, in a small boat, Joined the first
fiotilla that went ashore and witnessed
the inspiring sight of the landing.
General Shafter, on board the Segug-
ranca, closely watched the landing of the
troops
Brigadier General Lawton, who had
been detailed to command the landing
party, led the way in a launch, accom-
panied by his staff. and directed the for
nation of the line of operation.
A detachment of eighty regular infantry
soldiers was the first to land, followed by
General Shafters old regiment, the First
Infantry. Then came the Twent-ffth In
fantry. the Twenty-second Infantry, the
Tenth Infantry, the Seventh and Twelfth
Infantry, the Second Massachusetts Regi-
ment and detachment of the Ninth Cav
airy.
The boats rushed forward simultaneous
ly from every quarter, In good natured
rivalry to be the first, and their oceu-
pants scrambled over one another to leap
ashore.
AS the boats tossed about in the surf
,,ta, ocb0
was no easy matter and the soldiers had
to throw their rifles on the dock before
they could climb up themselves and some
hard tumbles resulted, but nobody was
hurt.
At the end of the pier the companies
and regiments quickly lined up and were
marched away.
General Lawton threw strong detach-
ment, for the night. about six miles
west, on the road to Santiago, and an
other detachment was posted to the
north of the town, among the hills. The
rest. of the troops We're quartered in the
town some of them being housed In the
buildings of the Iron Company
Others of the troops were quartered in
deserted houses. while others still pre-
ferred the shelter of their tents in the
adjoining fields.
The mornings fire. it was seen. destroy
ed the roundhouse the repair shops and
several small dwellings.
The town was deserted when the troops
landed; but women and children soon APP
peared from the surrounding thickets
and returned to their homes.
The sun-bronzed soldiers. in their slouch
hats and service uniforms. quickly
searched the buildings and beat UP the
thickets after landing in search of lurk-
ing foes, and marched into the unknown
country. At nightfal with long, swing
ing stride and the alert bearing of the
old frontier army men. ready to fight the
Spaniards Sioux fashion or in the open,
wherever they could be found.
The cheers of their comrades still wait
ing on the transports, and of the blue
jackets and the strains of Yankee Doc
die" from the bands on the troopships
greeted them as they disappeared from
view over the hills of Baiquiri.
The landing was accomplished without
loss of life, the only casualty being the
wounding of an insurgent on the hills
by a shell from one of our warships. He
will lose his arm
The insurgent troops at Baiquiri are
commanded by General Castillo, and are
estimated to number a thousand men,