The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-29
Submarine Wire at Santiago de Cuba
Severed After "a Lively Fight
with Spaniards.
TWO BATTERIES SILENCED
LUCKY SHOTS FROM BOTH THE
CRUISER AND GUNBOAT.
Moments of Peril for the Americans
Time-A Fight at Guantanamo.

NEW YORK, May 2S.-The auxiliary
cruiser st. Louis arrived at this port from
West Indian waters this morning. The St
Louis has been ordered to the Cramp ship
yards, Philadelphia, and will sail imme-
diately for that place. 1t is said that she
is to lave her armament increased by six
five-inch quick-firing rifles.
The incident of the attempt to sever ca
Bile communication between Cuba and the
rest of the world, which was one of the
latest in which the ST Louis engaged dur
ing her stay in West Indian waters, is told
as follows by one who was on board the
cruiser: Orders were given by Admiral
Sampson to Captain Goodrich on May Is to
take the fleet tender in tow and proceed to
Santiago de Cuba and cut the cables at
that point The graphing implements were
secured from the tug Wampatuck on May
16, and at IL p. m. the expedition in the
small boats left the cruiser for the entrance
of Santiago. 1t was then perfectly dark and
hazy, and the Santiago light was burning
brightly. Moonrise was not until 3:45 a.
m. After the departure of the cable-cutting
party signals from two gunboats were seen.
At u m. May II the expedition returned
with part of one cable, but it had failed to
find the second cable, which is close under
the fort and was protected by two patrol
boats. Then start was made to cut the
cable on the other side of the island.
'At a. m. the st. Louis fired it's first
gun at the forts protecting the entrance
to Santiago harbor, and after a little time
the fire was returned by one gun, which
must have been two-pounder. At s a. m.
the st. Louis was about two miles distant
from the fort which seemed to be unpro-
tected by modern guns After three hours
graphing in over 500 fathoms the cable had
not been found. At 2:15 p. m. the guns on
MORO Castle opened fire, followed by the
shore battery on the southerly point and
also the west battery. The ST. Louis kept
up constant fire from her bow guns and
soon succeeded in silencing the guns of
MORO Castle. The Spaplards in the garri-
son could be seen running in all directions.
Most of the shots from the forts fell short
of the ship Shells from the mortar bat
teries went over the cruiser and dropped
in the water quite close to the st. Louis.
The mortar battery ceased after fusillade
of forty-one minutes. After the firing the
cable was grappled hauled on board and
cut The ST Louis's crew behaved in
very cool manner under fire, and Captain
Goodrich and w. G.. Randle, the latter of
d
gagement complimented all hands for their
bravery
Captain Randle says there is a mistake of
a day in the date of the bombardment of
Santiago de Cuba, as given in the copy CT
the cruiser los. He says that after the
graphing on May 16, when the St Louis had
to slip away on account of tire presence
of two Spanish gunboats the cruiser and
the Wampatuck remained out of sight of
Santiago. all the next day. The lombard
ment took place as described. Captain Ran
die AYERS, on May 49, Moro Castle was
practically undefended, but the new forts
on the shores kept up a savage fire. The
craftsmanship of the Spaniards was very
poor, not single shot from the guns strk-
ing near the st. Louis. The shells from the
harbor of Santiago, We're quite heavy and
apparently well directed. The cruisers six
Founders not being able to reach the mortar
battery after the cable had been cut, the
st. Louis and her consort retired. During
the bombardment the st. Louis fired 172
shots and the Wampatuck fired IS rounds.
That night, Captain Randle says, the
cruiser and the Wampatuck lay twenty
miles to the southwark of Santiago, and on
the morning of May 19 proceeded to Guanta-
namo, where they grappled for a cable at
the mouth Of the harbor. The cruiser was
not able to make cutting before Spanish
gunboats. armed with six-inch rifles, opened
fire on It. A company of soldiers on hill
also blazed away with their small arms. The
gunboats finally forced the st. Louis and
cable was abandoned. Mole ST. Nicholas
was visited on May 20. and from there dis
patches were sent 10 washington. me
Wampatuck was ordered to proceed to Key
West from that place. The ST. Louis pro-
ceeded along the north coast of Haiti. where
it met the st. Paul They parted in about
hour and then the ST Louis went to
Cape Cabarojo to sever the cable running
in from Porto Rico and San Domingo, but
the bottom was so foul at that place that
the submarine line could not be located.
Last Sunday the st. Louis cruised along
the coast of Porto Rico and ran within two
miles of the batteries at Ponce: Cape Malas-
pague was visited on May 20, and at ST.
Thomas, next day, the cruiser got orders
to proceed to New York to take on her
heavier guns and then go to Cramps ship
ward at Philadelphia to be armor-plated.
The big guns were put aboard the cruiser
to-day, and tomorrow about a. the St
Louis will start for Philadelphia.
Captain Randle says that the lombard
ment of San Juan caused considerable dam
age to the Spanish forts there and the ST.
Louis passed the wrecked fortiiications next
day: Captain Randle says that neither
Schley nor the Spanish fleet was sighted or
heard of during the trip of the St, Louis in
West Indian waters. The cruiser succeeded
in cutting three cables in all. one being on
the south side of Porto Rico. another at
Santiago de Cuba and the third at Guanta-
namO.