Evening star., 1898-07-15
Largest and Last Expedition in Aid Of
the Cubans.
FLORIDA AND TAMPA EXPEDITION
Winthrop ChanIer Slightly Wound
ed and Capt. Jose Nunez Killed.
SUPPLIES FOR GEN. GOMEZ

| Those champion flibrsters. the Florida
and the Fanita under convoy of the little
| auxiliary gulboat Peoria, have landed the
| largest and probably the last expedition
| sent to the aid of the Insurgents. 1t was
a task beset with peril and difficulty, cost
! ing one man his life and wounds to half a
| dozen others.
| Capt Jose Manuel Nunez, brother of
General Emilio Nunez, was killed.
| Winthrop Chanler of New York was shot
| through the right elbow.
Five Cubaus suffered trifling injuries
How many Spanish lives answered for
this may never be known, but there were
ercugh to more than balance the score.
| The debarkation was effected on July B
at Palo AID on the southern coast OF
Cuba, but the fighting occurred before
| then. To the Peoria, Until lately pilot
be at at Philadelphia, goes the full glory CT
the achievement.
The Florida and Fanita left Key West on
| Saturday, June %, under the convoy OF the
Peoria, commanded by Lieut.. I. W. Ryan
Or board the steamers were $50 CuDans.
under Gen. Emilio Nunez; fifty troopers of
| the 10th United States Cavalry, under
Lieuts Johnson and Ahearn, and twenty
| five Rough Riders, under winthrop Chan-
ler
! Their Guns.
| Topping the list of arms were two dyna-
| mite guns, with $50 thirty-pound projec-
tiles to fit them, and two full batteries Of
| light field pieces; ten three-inch rifles OF
regular ordnance pattern, with harnesses
| that go with them, and $500 cartridges or
/ infantry rifles there We're 4,ooo SPRING
fields, with 954, 600 cartridges, and 200 Maui
sers with 100000 shells.
Fifty of the CrbanS aboard were armed
with Mausers and the others had Spring
| fields. For the insurgent ofhcers We're pro
v;ded 200 army Colts and 2I,ooo cartridges
Two hundred books of United states cav
airy and infantry tactics translated into
Spanish, were taken along. In the eXpedi-
| ton were also 1,475 saddles, $50 sadie
cloths and 450 brides. For the CUBAN sol,
diers there were taken 1868 uniforms, 2o5o
brown canvas of the army fatigue ana the
| balance cotton and linen of the Mexican
| troopers; $3.50 pairs Of army shoes, i'2Io
| army blankets, 600 shirts, 45o hats ana Zo'
hamnockS.
These were the commissary stores car
| RED, calculated by pounds; Bacon 6@a'2d9: @
ccrn meal, 81 $50: roasted coffee, lo2oo
raw coffee $3.50: sugar, 2425; mess pork
ard beef $500; canned beef, 2iooo; beans
1S 500; hard tack 1,250; cans OF corn, l,Zoo
| The expectation was that the Landing
| would be effected at San Juan Point, on
the south coast of Cuba, midway between
| Cienfuegos and Trinidad This place was
reached Wednesday evening, June ~
scouting party put off in small BOAT ana
pulled toward shore, but had made only
half the distance when there came lively
! fire from what had been taken to be an
abandoned block house near the point The
men were called back, and the three shlps
moved to the eastward. About 4 O'Clock
| the next afternoon they arrived at Las
Tunas forty miles away.
The Spaniards in Ambush.
Four miles west of the town, at the
mouth of the Tallabacoa river, stood a
large fort built Of railroad iron and sur
rounded by earthworks. The Peoria ran
| boldly IN and fred several shots from her
three FOUNDERS, but brought no response
and no signs of life. Here was thought to
be the desired opportunity and another
scouting party was organized.
This was made up of fifteen volunteers
under Winthrop Chaner and as many Gu
bans under Captain Nunez. The Peoria
took a position within short range OF the
fort to protect a landing or cover a retreat,
| as events might determine, and the small
| boats headed for the shore. They reached
| 1t 800 yards east of the fort. Ihe boats
| were beached and their occupants eau
tious,y scrambled toward the brush. But
again they had reckoned without their
hosts At almost the very moment they
set foot on the sands the fort and the in
trenchments around it burst into fame. and
| shot and shell screamed about the little
| huddle of invaders.
Captain Nunez was stepping from his
boat when a shot struck him between the
| eyes, and he went down dead Chanler feil
1
| gained the thicket and replied with sharp.
| fire directed at the intrenchments Mean
while the Peoria got all her guns at work
and rained shells upon the fort until the
| enemy's fire ceased. The moment the gum
boat slackened fire, however, the Spanish
fire was renewed with fury, and it became
| evident that their forces were too large to
| attempt a landing there.
| A retreat was ordered and the party
| rushed for the boats, but volley after vol
| ley came from the shore and they We're
compelled to throw themselves into the
| water and paddle alongside the boats with
only their heads exposed, until the ships
| were reached. The Spaniards had the
| range, however, and even at this five Gu
| bans were wounded, though none seriously.
Siienced at Once.
| Returning to the Peoria, the men reported
that a vicious fire had come from a grove
| of cocoanut palms which extended to the
| eastward of the fort. The Peoria summari-
| ly opened her guns on the place Indicated
| and must have killed many Spaniards, for
her shells dropped into the smoke and
| flash OF the adversaries fire, silenced it at
once and forced them to send up rockets
for help.
Numerous volleys were sent at the Peoria
with a view to disabling her gunners, but
they were badly directed and fell against
her side and into the water When the
small boats reached the ship 1t was dark
Then the discovery was made that besides
| Captain Nunez whose body was left on the
| beach. there were missing Chanler, Drs.