The Chipley banner., 1898-06-25
SANTIAGO AGAIN SHELtED.
FOR THIRD TIME BATTERIES ARE
sILENCED BY SIMPSONS GUNS.
FEARFUL HAVOC IS WROUGHT.
Moro Castle, wherein Hobson And His
Companions Are Confined, Alone
Escaped tho Shells.


ston, Jamaica, state that Rear Admiral
SIMPSONS feet bonn barded the batter.
les at Santiago de Cuba for the third
time at daylight Thursday morning.
For hours the ships pounded the bat
teries at the right and left Of the en-
trance, only sparing Ell Moro, where
Lieutenant Hobson and his compan-
ions of the Merrimac are in prison.
The western batteries, against which
the main assault was directed, we're
badly wrecked. One was utterly de-
stroyed. In others many guns were
dismounted.
At first the Spaniards replied pas
sionately and wildly, but impotently.
Then most Of the guns were deserted.
Not ship was struck nor q man in
jured on the Am erican side.
It is believed that the enemy's loss
Of life was heavy.
The Dons responded spiritedly at
first, but their frenzied, half-crazed
fire could not match the cool nerve,
trained eyes and skilled gunnery Of
the American sailors. Our fire was
much more effective than in preceding
bombardments.
In fifteen minutes one western bat
terry was completely wrecked. The
Massachusetts, tore gaping hole in
the emplacement with 1000 pound
projectile and the Texas dropped q
shell into the powder magazine. The
explosion wrought terrible havoc.
The frame was lifted, the sides were
blown out and shower of debris flew
in every direction. One timber, car
ried out Of the side OF the battery, went
tumbling down the hill. The loss Of
life must have been great.
The batteries on the east of Moro
were harder to get at, but the New Or
leans crossed the bows OF the New
York to within 500 yards Of shore and
played tattoo with her long s-inch
rifles, hitting them repeatedly, strik.
ing q gun squarely muzzle on, lifting
IL off its trunnions aud sending il
sweeping somersaults high in the air.
Several times Admiral Sampson sig
nailed the ships temporarily to cease
firing, in order to allow the smoke to
clear from the batteries. When the
order came at $50 o'clock to cease
firing every gun OF the enemy had
been silenced for ten minutes, but as
the ships drew Off some Of the Spanish
courage returned and q half dozen
shots were fred spitefully at the Mas
sachusetts and Oregon, falling in their
wakes.
The destruction and death at tIe
western batteries must have been mp
palling. Many Of the guns had been
mounted during the last two days.
From this it is inferred that Admiral
Cervera had given up all hope of extri-
eating himself from the trap in which
he is caught and had removed the guns
from some Of his ships TO strengthen
the land defenses.
As preliminary to the hammsring
given the batteries the dynamite
cruiser vesuvius Wedne esdsy night was
given another chance. Three 250-
pound charges of gun cotton were
sent over the Notifications at the en-
trance. The design was to drop them
into the bay around the angle back Of
the eminence on which Ell MORO is
situated, where it was known that the
Spanish torpedo boat destroyers were
lying: Two charges went through, no
reports were heard-a popularity Of
gun cotton in water. Whether the
destroyers were annihilated was not
known