The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-07-13
FOURTH JULY
OFF SANTIAGO.
Wilmington Lad Tells How
the Fourth Was Cele=
brated Off Santiago.

Tho REPUBLICAN, has received the fol.
lowing letter from William Toner, u Will
mington boy, who is now aboard the Unit.
ed States Steamship Aberanda. which has
been off Santiago and which figured In the
recent bombardInents. The letter Is dat
ed Santiago de Cuba. July 4, by way OF
Norfolk aud reads 5 follows:
II nm having hot time down here.
Last week they lahded troops here and
they have been having hot time till yes
terday when Admiral Corvera's fleet, the
Furor, Pluton, Crstobal, Colon, Nizcaya,
Almiranta, Oquenda. Infanga, Maris
Teresa. mado Il dash for liberty. We down.
cd them but 1t was u terrible Eght and we
were right in tho thickest oft. 1t was our
foulth right. | should smilo. Que boat
tried hard to get away but the Oregon was
too swift Tor her and did her up As lam
writing the launches are towing the dead.
There Is u launch of the 1owa's towing four
dead Spaniards right past us on our port
side to shore. There are plenty Of dead
Spnniards floating around and they are
picking them up Wo have got Two hun
dred and ten prisoners on our slip.
We gll hlye to take turns at guarding
them, but the boys are asking for them TO
make break ard ,hey will put daylight
ii we were allowed but the Lieutenant
said boys want them treated right. All
you can hear is the Star Spangled Banner
being sung, and cheering whenever we
hear the soldiers dring over on shore. l
have got several Spanish r;iics which am
going to send home. have a lot of Span
ish bullets. We were dOAn the coast about
20 miles to place called Guantanamo
Bay. The Marine; landed there and they
Every night at clock tho First Leuten.
ant would call for volunteers. l was over
two nights and was out In q skirmish
party There were only about 600 Marines
and Jack Tarrs off of different ships that
held off about 1909 SpaniardS, but ID was
terrible, the boats out in the bay throw.
ing shells in to tho hulls and p!unkinga a.
way at lvary bush that We would see mose.
The bullets would be whizzing all over us
but three smarines got. killed the first
night and three he other Two nights. 1t
orders to fire 1t was tough to hear bull
let's whizzing all around you and you
couldn't see whcro they came from.
have got no hole in mo yet but l will
not be in the rear ranks when they call for
volunteers. would rather do down here
than dio in Wilmington as l will be dy.
ing for. something then. lguess | am
tn. only Wilmington boy that is down
here. Icxpecsed 10 SEQ some of our boys
thcre was none that l heard Of. We
helped to land them and there is plenty
that will never sec their dear homes again.
hear them at it now over in the hills
toll you those Cubans are fighters but they
don't want any Spanish pioneers. They
sny good Spanard is n dead Spnn!ard
We had some of them on board and gave
tLom clothes. They hadn't stitch on
them hardly.
We a'e gong to Manila with Watson's
fleet Wen to leave Saturday and will
be Il long time before we aic back, that Is
if we como back. But we will come back
wi h high honors if they give IL, half u
show. We have GOT Ccivera here ard
some Spanish officers prisoners. Tho Gu
bans would like to 60, II whack at tho
prisoners. They would not let one live If
they had their way. When the spanish
prisoners were trying 70 escape ait,r their
vess lis were sunk and swimming to sho d
the Cubans picked them of with ihIr
rife: and would have killed every one they
s,cn il they had not b.cn stopped. We'll
guess will close rs have to 80 on watch
in twenty minutes, hours OH and 8 hours
off. have written several letters 10 Vii
mington and nave received no mail yet. l
guess they are there aud the answers uro
at Key Wos,.