Evening star., 1898-08-02
HARMLESS IN ITS EFFECT
Two Million Dollars Worth Of Ammunition
Wasted in Bombarding.
Vain Effort to Reduce the Batteries
in Santiago Harbor-A Naval
Onhcer's Statement.
Correspondence Of the Associated rress.,

CHlcerS, ANXIOUS tG see the enect oil the
four or five commandments Of the defenses
of the harbor by the feet under Admiral
Sampson made a two days tour Il the bat
teries, finishing their work today. Ono OF
them made the following statement TO the
Associated Press correspondent who accom-
panied the party:
over two million dollars worth of am
munition thrown at the batteries defending
Santiago harbor was absolutely harmless in
its effect, so far as the reducing of the bat
teries was concerned, and, while it may
have given the Spaniards wholesome re-
sract for us. simply bore out the we'll
known fact that 1t is a waste of time and
money to lombard earthworks."
Landing at the foot of MORO. the party
made the 210 feet of ascent with some diff
Guilty. The path was strewn with ammuni-
ton for Mauser rifles. boxes containing
thousands of them lying all about At the
foot of thu hill to the rear of the Morro,
where the path of ascent begins,
well-built and equipped electric station,
from which to set off the mines in the har-
Dor entrance. Concealed partially behind a
blum, the operator IN this house had
lookout from which he had clear view of
the angle on which lay the mines controlled
by his key. Near him were telephones con-
recting with a similar house on the oppo-
site shore. If ship had tried 10 cross the
mines he would have pressed a button that
connected with the mines, and the man op-
posite would have pressed the other button
connecting the circuit, and a ship on the
angle would have received the bombs. Eight
contact mines were taken from the harbor
in the last two days, and today Lieut.. Com
mander Delehanty began removing the cleo
tricai mines.
The Mines.
The mine house was equipped with the
| best of electrical apparatus and every
thing was in good condition, demonstrating
that it would have been impossible for the
fleet to have entered the larbor without
losing some ships. Lieut.. Commander Dele
hanty said today that the electrical mines
contained 200 pounds of gupcotton. more
than four times what the ordinary mines
are usually filled with.
Arriving on the hilltop the party proceed
ed at once to the eastern battery, where a
great surprise awaited them. ''his was the
battery close to Morro, which the COM
mandcr of the Suwanee had reported to
Admiral Sampson as containing several
very dangerous large modern guns, and
against which Admiral Sampson had four
times massed the flower of the hee.--the
New York, Oregon, Iowa, Scorpion, Massa-
chusetts and Gloucester, and sometimes the
Indiana. In rudely constructed earthworks,
but with excellent and deep runways for
the gunners to bring ammunition along or
run for shelter were four muzze-loading
bronze cannon and two cast-iron S-inch
mortars. They were brave men who stood
upon the parapets to load these cannon and
mortars, and under a heavy fire II is not
wonderful that they did not answer with
much celebrity. The cannon are very hand
some old pieces, cast in 1877, and named
after prominent Spaniards. The mortars
are dated 1875, and were evidently cast al
Havana. They have no sighting arrange
ment and only point in one direction go
that unless a ship entered their zone they
were not dangerous. There were two little
3-pounder field pieces also, but they were
aN sSr1ft hr yhf ffara
ed land invasion. On the MORO itself are
two bronze cannon of the same make and
several eld-fashioned small mortars There
was plenty of ammunition, but of old fash
loned kind, the bombs having wooden pIug
time fuses.
Little Damage Done.
Although our feet had bombarded this
Place three times. and the New Orleans
alone once, there was little or no damage
done except the dismounting of an old gun,
the destruction Of the light house and a
small frame house near. The damage was
ali done by the dynamite shells of the
Nesuvius and at night The shell had land
ed between the house and the light house
and had torn UP a great hole, completely
demolishing the house, leaving but a pile
Of debris, and tore out the side of the light
house. The gun near by had evidently
been wrecked by the concussion.
Large quantities of broken American
SHtilS cOulu DC ana quite a
rumber of big shells that had Lot exploded
were gathered up and put together by tie
Spaniards. The majority Of the shells land
ed in the eaIthworks just below the crest
of the hill, showing that the Americans
fired well; but outside OF plonghing UP tie
earth there was no result. When the shells
hit any buildings they created great havoc.
and traces Of many were visible on the
Morro and some of ,he officers quarters.
where immense gaping holes Were torn in
the stonework. Old Morro's drawbridge
was shot away and one whole wing
tower was crumbling to pieces from the
effects of a thlrteen-inch shell from the
Oregon.
The Batteries.
Coming down f,cm Morro, which at the
least is crumbling. dirty ruin, with no
touch of the modern upon it, the party
stopped at the Estrella and Catalina bat
teries which had been visible Just inside
Morro point, en- the east. 1t was discovered
that Catalina was a crumbling ruin with
out a gun, and that Estrella, an old-tlme
brick fCrt, had two mortars, one of which
was fully in place A large amount CT am
munition, however, filed a house in ;his
battery. A large shell had struck the rock
just above this place and had knocked
down a big section, that almost filled the
magazine and otherwise wrecked the pullo-
ing.
The second day was devoted to an IN
spection of the western battery, Which hao
Texas and Vixen, with occasional assist
ance from the Suwanee. While these ships
did no more damage to the earthworks on
the west than did the other ships on the
east, it was quite apparent where the Wig
orous answers came from, one OF which
hit and killed man on the Texas aLc
wounded many, and kept up fusilldde
against the Brooklyn. The .earthworkS on
this battery are very similar TO those on
the east but there are two 6-inch and four
lo-inch Hontoria rifles, with breech-loadtng
mechanism and steel sheds. The guns are
quick-fire and easily trained and very for
mdable. They are supposed TO be part of
the main battery of the Reina Mercedes,
and, it is believed were manned by sailors.
Ammunition in Plenty.
There were also two large mortars, SINH
lar to those on the eastern battery. There
was over 800 rounds of ammunition for the
big modern guns. Just below the battery
on the hillside was a 12-pounder rapid fire
gun. with plenty of ammunition for it.
Punta Gorda, directly 10 the north of this
western battery, had two large ship guns
which, in addition to firing in the harbor.
could fro directly over the western bat
terry at the ships.
CoiuQ down the side of tho hill fouard