The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-28
|: X | R A /!
echo OF OURGUNS
Key West in Enthusiasm
Over SIMPSONS Matan-
zas Exploit.
LANDING MAY SOON FOLLOW
Forts Armed With Eight Inch
Guns and Manned by
Blind Gunners.
MADRID's VERSION OF 1T
Losses Admitted But Our Ships
MADRID's VERSION OF IT
'oRTUGAL'S uNINUUS COURSE
spanish Fleet Still at Cape 8
vincent and Said to Be shert
or Coal.

TBy Gable to The Associated Press.l
KEY WEST, Fla, April Is, lS9S.-elf;is
A. M.)-The bombardment of the fortsEof
Matanzas by the United States cruiser
New York. the flagship of Rear Admiral
Sampson; the monitor Puritan and the
cruiser Cincinnati is eagerly discussed
here and every incident of the affair is
weighed and reweighed by Army and
Navy officers and the newspaper men.
In fact, the report of the S-inch~gun
fired by Cadet Boone from the port side
of the New oYrk seems to be still rever-
berating in the air. This interest in the
engagement is mixed with delight at the
fact that there are no casualties to RE-
cord on the American side. not one Of
our ships being even touched. Then,
again, there is considerable curiosity as
to what was the effect OF our fre upon
the enemy The few newspaper men here
are piled with all sorts of questions on
the subject. most of which they are un-
able to answer.
From the fact that the Spaniards OPEN
ed fire on our ships while the latter were
making a reconnaissance in force, and
when the vessels were nearly five miles
out from the batteries, leads to the be-
lief that the enemy fully presumed that
all which was necessary to induce the
United states fleet to move further away
was for the batteries to open fire on
them. But, if from former experience,
thew made this calculation, they found
that forbearance had reached the limit,
and they must have been intensely as
tonished when the New York. being the
farthest west. but the nearest in shore,
opened fire upon their batteries with a
vengeance, and, steaming nearer shore,
accompanied by her consorts, made such
excellent practice with her guns that in
eighteen minutes every Spanish gun was
silenced.
1t would have been worth years pay
to any one to have seen the effects OF
the last shot fired, that from the Puri-
| tan's 12-inch pet, when a mass of stone
| earth and abattis went hurting sixty fee
| in the air, filing in the rear of the spoi
where a Spanish gun had been but few
minutes before.
| There must have been many casualties
on the Spanish side, since the rapid-firt
guns were used on all Sc ships, as wei
as those of larger calibre.
1t seems to be the general opinion tha'
the Spaniards had nothing heavier thar
S-inch guns, and that they had very poo
! gunners with any of their ordnance.
However, just before the Spanish bat
teries were silenced, one gun on the ives
side of the harbor seemed to be getting
the range of the flagship. several shot'
striking near the New York, and on botl
sides of her.
If the purpose of the reconnaissance am
the subsequent cannonade was to secur
an available place for the landing late
of United States troops, such purpose ha
been well accomplished, for no doubt ex
lists that the Spanish batteries at Matan
zas are likely to prove in any way dan
gerous They have been silenced TO
good. or, at least, for longer time thai
viii be necessary to effect landing.