The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-12

with orders 10 take possession Of the har
Dor of Guam; that it was folly for hi
small force to make resistance, demand
ing that he surrender himself, his garri
son and all arms and munitions Of war
giving him until morning to reply. Whel
morning came. and no reply having beer
received, Captain Glass sent the COVER
nor word that he would wait only half a.
hour longer. and at once embarked Z
landing party in boats for the purpose o.
taking forcibIe possession.
This party consisted Of about fifty ma
rtnes from the Charleston, and Companie:
a and D of the Second Oregon. from the
Australia A strong wind was blowing
and there was a heavy swell IN the har-
Dor making the embarkation a slow and
difficult task. The pitching and the toss
ing Of the boa IS alongside the vessels was
so great that a number Of the men. not
outstanding that they had been month
on board ship, became seasick. As the
! long string Of thirteen boats started out
for shore. some two miles distant, towed
by the CharlestOn's launch, a tremendous
downpour of rain. such as is only seen
in the tropics. accompanied by a driving
wind, obscured the entire landscape and
wet the men TO the skin; giving them a
! baptism Of water in advance Of the one
of fire they expected so soon to receive.
! However, before the boats reached the
/ shore, the governors gig was seen TO put
out from the landing. waving a white flag
in token of surrender, and the landing
party was Immediately taken back to the
vessels, greatly disappointed.
The governors adjutant went on board
the Charleston and delivered to Captain
Glass a letter from his chief, saying, in
view of the fact that he had been utterly
unaware that hostilites had broken out
between the two nations, and had there
fore made no preparations whatever for
defense. and was utterly helpless before
the overwhelming forces that had been
sent here against him, and for the rea-
sons OF humanity and a desire to avoid
needless bloodshed, he would surrender
upon condition that the usual treatment
of prisoners of war be accorded him and
his officers, and that his men be given as
good quarters and fare on board ship as
the American soldiers received. These
terms were accepted, and a company of
marines was sent on shore, accompanied
by Lieutenant Braunersreuter, to receive
the surrender.
The garrison consisted of 81 Spanish
soldiers and $50 native soldiers, with
officers, including the governor. The gar
risOn was drawn up in line awaiting the
arrival of the marines, who were prompt
ly disembarked and drawn up in line OPP
posite the Spaniards. The governor and
his subOrdinates presented their swords
to the American officer and took their
places in the boats; the soldiers stacked
arms, and, as the marines filed in front
Of them with boxes each man took off his
cartridge belt and threw it in the box.
The Spanish soldiers were then placed in
the boats and the native soldiers were
disbanded AS soon as thus formally
absolved from their allegiance to Spain,
the native soldiers cut off their buttons
and all insignia of rank they had, and
threw them away, to show their contempt
for the government which they had been
unwillingly serving. The captured SOL
ders were then conveyed to the steamer
City of Sydney, and placed under guard, |
while the Charleston's launch steamed out
1t the stars and stripes, the guns of he
Charleston pealing forth a salute to the
fag, thus ending the ceremony of taking
formal possession in the name of the |
United States. The arms surrendered |
Of "a Mauser rifles. So Remington |
rifles and $500 rounds of ammunition.
It being absolutely necessary that the |
entire force present be conveyed to Man
liza for the support of Admiral Dewey,
it was decided not to leave any garrison
on the island. This was considered safe,
because the natives are a very peaceab BILE
class, we'll disposed towards the Ameri-
cans, and there is no Spanish population |
left since the removal of the garrison,
except the families of the governor and
one or two of his officers and a priest
There is but one American citizen on the
island of Guam. and he was selected for
temporary governor This is Thomas
Wilson, the keeper of a trading post
born on the island, Of California parents.
So earnest an American is he that he has
made the practice of fling an oath of al
egiance to the American government in
San Francisco every two years.
As soon as the surrender had been COM
pleted, permission was given for the off,
GERS of the troops on the transports to go
ashore, which they did in small-boat par
les The first object of interest was the
I'D fort which the Charleston had bonn
oarded so ingloriously. BY working eau
L. +F,,-s
'eef surrounding it. the fort was finally
cached. 1t is . solid structure, built Ct
stones quarried from upheaved coral,
probably thrown up from the bed of the
sea at the time of the volcanic eruption
which reared the island. Guam being a
combined coral and volcanic island.
[ is about 100 feet long and 40 wide, and
ises in terraces about 80 feet above the
surface of the water. It is overgrown
With grass and moss, and has trees grow
ng from its sides and interior. 1t has
'ut one embrasure for cannon, and that
NE points towards the land and not the
ga. 1t has a tew portfolios for rifles.
nut otherwise IS a plain and solid struc-
ure, In the early days before the ma
ives were subdued. it was no doubt a val
Iable adjunct 70 the military power. but
is now utterly useless. even were can
ION mounted in it. 4 careful inspection
evealed only three places where the s.
founders of the Charleston had struck
T. and none Of these had done any ma
erial damage. This abandoned ruin is
-nown by the title Of Fort Santa Cruz.
The next object OF interest was the ma
i've village of Suma, lying around point
Z land opposite the place where the I
'harieston was anchored. There are half