The Portland daily press., 1898-06-24
HOW LANDING WAS MADE.
Troops Show Great Enthusiasm In Getting
Ashore.

| Cuba, Wednesday, June 90, p. m, via
Kingston. JAM, June 23, Thursday, 5. 80
a. NAT O'Clock this afternoon, 5000
| trained American soldiers are enoamped
| in the hills in and around Baiauiri,
and 10000 more rest on their arms on
| board the transports off shore, ready to
| join those who have debarked as soon as
| the available launches and small boats
can carry them ashore.
| Time and sea and weather were pro.
| pitious for the army Of invasion.
The army and the navy co-operated
| splendidly and as the big warships closed
in on the shore to pave the way for the
approach of the transports and than went
back again. Three cheers for the navy
went up from 10, COO throats on the troop
ships and three cheers TOR the army rose
from ship after ship as the troop ships
moved in to take their share in the har-
zardous game.
| Iu was war and it was magnificent.
The Cuban insurgents, too, bore their
share in the enterprise, honorably and
we'll.
| Five thousand Of them in mountain
businesses and dark thickets of ravines
| lay all last night on their guns watching
every road and mountain path leading
from Santiago to Guantanamo.
| A thousand Of them were within sight
| OF Baiquiri, making the approach of the
| Spanish under cover of the darkness an
impossibility.
| At O'Clock this morning as the Asso-
| ciated Press despatch boat approached
Baiquiri, the entire island of Cuba seemed
wrapped in soft mist, like that Of dog
days In the northern ATTITUDES. Dull,
leaden clouds. lay on the eastern horizon
and the color was reflected In the gray
water of the ocean, which gently I'M
dulated in the lazy breeze.
| Distant objects doomed dtmly, but it
| was seen that many OF the troop ships
that had sbeen lying several miles IN the
ofane had drawn in towards shore
while three or four warships lay menace
| ing near the harbor.
| An hour later the sun was rising in
the eastern sky, touching the mountain
| tops with patches of light green and re-
| vealing the great seml-circle of troop
ships, soms close to the coast line, others
| a mile distant with their decks crowded
with eager, expeotant Inen, impatient to
begin the great movement OF destiny,
to make new chapter in the history Of
America, the first invasion by our army
of foreign country In half q century.
| AS the despatch boat of the Associated
Press ran close to the shore, the New Or
leans was lying with her great Arm
strong guns trained on Balquiri. Tongues
of lurid fame and black smoke were seen
rising from the town, the inevitable con-
sequence OF war, and sure sign that the
| Spaniards had gone, leaving ruin behind
| them.
The captain of the New Orleans shout
ed the news to the despatch boat, add
ing; ,,..,
are in range. They have rife on the hill
on the eastern; side of Baiquiri."
There Is a steep, rocky hill, known as
Punta Baiquiri, rising almost perpen-
dicularly at the place indicated. 1t is
a veritable Gibraltar in possibilities Of
defense.
ish flag was defiantly floating at sunset
last night, but it was gone this morn
ing, and with it tho small Spanish guard
| which had maintained the signal station.
= Between nightfall and dawn the Span
iards had taken alarm and fled from the
place firing the town as they left.
The flames were watched with interest
from the ships.
| At first they were thought to be the
| report of the guns from the Spanish
masked battery, but they proved to be
the explosion of ammunition in the burn
| ing pullQ1nS.
The waiting made the men on the
transports impatient to get ashore, and
every move of the warships was closely
watched by the soldiers.
At the end Of the pier the companies
and regiments quickly lined up and were
marched away.
Gen. Lawter threw a strong detachment
for the night about six miles west on the
road to Santiago and another detachment
| was posted to the north Of the town
among the hills.
Others of the troops were quartered IN
the deserted houses, while others still
preferred the shelter of their tents In
the adjoining fields.
This morning 1t was seen that the rail.
road repair shop and several small dwell
lings in the town were deserted when the
troops landed, but women and children
soon appeared from the surrounding
thickets and returned to their homes.
The landing was accomplished Without
loss of life, the only casualty being the
by a shell from one of our warships
He will lose his arm.
The insurgent troops at Baiquiri are
commanded by Gen. Castillo and are es.
timated to number a thousand men.
A little before 9 o'clock the lombard.
nlent of tbs batteries of Jaragua was be
gun by the ships Of Rear Admiral Samp
sons fleet. This was evidently fein,
to cover the real point of attack, .Jarapua
being about half way between Baiquir.
and Santiago.
The bombardment lasted about 90 min
utes. The scene then quickly shifted
back again to the great semi-cirole of the
transport fleet before Balquiri
At $40 O'Clock the New Orleans opened
fire. The Detroit, Wasp, Machias anC
Suwanee followed suit and then came the
wild and excited cheering of the sold
iers on the transports.
In five minutes the sea was alive with
f1otillas of small boats headed by launche!
speeding for Baiquiri dock. The boats
were manned by crews of sailors, while
Others were rowed by the soldiers them,
selves.
Each boat contained 16 men, every one
in fighting trim and carrying three DAYS
rations, shelter tent, a gun and zoe
cartridges.
The firing of the warship proved to be
a needless precaution rs their shots wert
not returned and no Spaniards were
visible.
Two correspondents of the Associa. led
Press in small boat joined the first