The Florence tribune., 1898-04-30
WAR UP TO DATE.
Matanzas Bombarded by
 Sampson's Fleet.
HEAVY LOSS OF THE ENEny.
A Rich Prize captured-Silver and Wheat Climbing Up the Golden Stairs-Arizona Troops 0r-
 ganizing, Etc., Etc.

shiaB pom oarueu CdrUenaS. MdHy Spaniards killed. The American ships did terrible execution for three or four hours.
 KEY WEST, April 2s.--Mantanzas forts are demolished to-day by Samp- son's feet. The Spanish loss was heavy; 1 American loss nothing. The fleet is ordered to bombard the entire coast. l The engagement lasted twenty min utes. Sampson's fleet sileneed the l Mantanzas shore batteries. Spanish l loss, one hundred killed. EiGhty-fye shots were fired by the New York, Puritan and Cincinnati. Fleet unin- jured.
 WASHINGTON, April 26.-It is the be- lief here that real fighting in Cuba may begin in week or possibly less. Twenty thousand regulars have been formed into corps to be commanded by Major-General Brooke. The troops in this corps consists of division at Tampa under General Wade, one at Mobile under General Coppiuger, and another at New Orleans under General shafter. This corps will probably in- wade Cuba at Matanzas to assault Ha- vana in the rear, while the bloclxading fleet is bombarding the Notifications on the water front.
 The advance on Havana will not, however, be made until base of sup plies has been established at Matan- zas, and q junction with the insurgent army has been completed. The Span ish soldiers in and around Havana number 40,00O or 50, COG, and an attack without the help of Cubans would be a poor move.
 The dynamite cruiser Vesuvius, which sailed south Monday, is to clear path into Havana harbor Her busi- ness will be to explode the submarine mines that carpet the entrance to the inner harbor between Moro Castle and Punta Braya. At that point the cham nel is only about 500 feet wide. The vesuvius will make path by dropping shells filled with thousand pounds of nitro-gelatine in the water above the mines. The shells will be timed to ex- plode four seconds after they strike the water. That will be sufficient time for them to sink to the bottom, where the Spanish mines are planted. Then they will explode. The concussion will either explode the mines or break .kc connections, so that .hey will be rem dered harmless. Each shell is expected to clear a path 100 feet wide.
 The Vesuvius can fire three shells every twenty seconds, so her work can be performed in great hurry. When Sampson's squadron is ordered to close quarters with the Spanish forts, after clearing path the little, but terrible, dynamiter can stand of distance of 2200 yards behind a battleship or moni- tor and fire shells into the fortifca- tions. An escort for her from Newport and protection for her in front of Ha- vana are necessary, because she has no protective belt on her hull. Shots from ordinary small rapid-fire arms
 will penetrate her hull. She can fire over a monitor because her guns are trained upward at an angle of IS degrees.
 The Nichtheroy, another dynamite cruiser purchased from Brazil, the
 whereabouts of which has not been made known for some time, is expected to turn up in Cuban waters to assist in the storm of steel nitro-gelatine shells that will fall on Havana and probably on Matanzas when the cry, "On to Ha- vana" becomes an order to the army and navy. The Nichtheroy is much larger vessel than the Vesuvius, but she carries only one pneumatic gun, whereas the latter has three. Her weapon is of q later and much more approved pattern. Both vessels, if l uCCcSodEy CdA bAIOW bud1lCT IO-1uCA shells st a distance of over 5000 yards. Such necessity would hardly arise, except by disaster which would dis able the battleships and monitors.
 WASHINGTON, April 25.-The follow ing is tine declaration of war passed by the Senate and House and signed by the President: A bill declaring that war exists between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain. Be it enacted: First-That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist, and that war has existed since the Fist of April, A. D. 1898, including said day, between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain. Second That the President of the United States be and he is hereby directed and em- powered to use the entire land and na- val forces of the United States and to call into the actual service of the United States, the militia of the sew eral States tn such extent as may be necessary to carry this act into effect.
 WASHINGTON, April 28.-Secretary Long says he hasi no report of the 1,<s.,,I,. ,-5rr,ant aE MatauZas The