The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-06-25
American Gunners Spread Death
and Destruction Among
the Forts.
GREAT WORK BY THE yEsuvlus
Whole Hill Tops Are Blown Away
BY the Gun Cotton Charges
Thrown.
FEARS ENTERTAINED FOR AoBsoN
Half Mnsted Flag on Moro May
Have n Deplornble si.nth-
cance---snspicion OF
Treachcry.

On Board the Associated Press Dis
patch Boat Dauntless, on Santiago dc
Cuba, Saturday, June lS. noon, via
right. 1898, by the Associated Prcss.)-
a careful inspection of the fortifica-'
tons along the crest of the hills de-
Tending Santiago harbor since the
bombardment Thursday morning
shows that the American gunners
spread wreck and ruin everywhere.
Some Of the batteries were demolished
beyond repair. The vultures which cir
cled on level wings over the hills as
thick MS swallows around atchimney,
for hours after the fighting ceased,
furnished grnesome e%videncelof the fa-
tality among the Spanish, soldiers.
Hundreds of troops could befseen from
the ships digging for bodiesfin mounds
of earth piled up by the explosions of
the projectiles from the heavy guns,
while their heads We're famed by the
wings of the black scavengers of the
battlefield. There were two spots, one
on the east and the other on tho west
of the harbor entrance, which were
denuded of foliage. The hilltop seems
literally blown away. These marked
the places where the 200 pound charges
of gun cotton blown by the Nesuvius
landed. But the most ominous token
of death few from Moro castle. The
saffron flag of Spain was half masted,
for several 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 Il guns, though some officers
of the squadron believe that the flag.
was half masted as a notification to the!
Americans that Lieutenant Hobsoni
and his brave men We're dead. Ii such,
is the ease they must have been wan
tonly murdered. The Spanish might
seek to lay their death to the bonn
bardment, but not Il shot from the
American ships struck the fortress.
Neither Admiral Sampson nor Com
modore Schley believe that Lieutenant
1lobson and his party have been killed.
We have seventeen prisoners taken at
Guantanamo, including a lieutenant,
for reprisals or exchange.
There were evident generalization
among the Spanish troops during the
~bombardmcnt. Officers could be seen,
with drawn swords. driving the men to
the guns, but " then they could not
be forced to stay as long as our gun
were directed at them. The fifteen
minutes night work of the Vesurius
had shattered their nerves.
May Have Destroyed n Warshir
1t is believed by some that the thir-
teen inch projectile fired from the.
Texas, which was reported to have cx-
ploded in the magazine in one of the
western batteries, did not fall in TIL,
battery, but went beyond and blew up
one of the ships in the harbor.
A dramatic incident of the bonn
5nrdment was the act of a Spanish Of
deer, who bravely ran along the para
pet under the fire encouraging his men
10 stand by their guns. Shot and shell
explosion he was seen no more and the
parapet hads disappeared. He could.
not have escaped death.
From the foretop of the Brooklyn,
1900 yards distant, the men in the
grounds could be noticed. but Il minute
iater dust and flying debris would take
their places and when the smoke
cleared away only a spot of red earth
.ould be seen-guns and gunners had
been swept away. 1t was the most.
deadly and destructive bombardment
pr the wa thus far. Scarcely a shot
from the big guns Of the squadron
vent astray. The aim of our gunners
vas superb and not only were the coast
forts annihilated, but the batteries on
layo Smith, up the harbor, were de-
}troyed. Had all the ships used smoke
ess powder. as did the New Orleans,
here would remain no signs of guns
pr Notifications to indicate that there
lad ever been any d~efenscs there.