The San Francisco call., 1898-06-01

KEY WEST, May 31.-Some day after the war has passed somebody will tell the true story of the cutting of the cable at Cienfuegos And when that story is told people will understand more clearly than they understand to- day what sort of stuff Uncle Sam's navy is made of It was a theme for Victor Hugoor picture for Meissonier, that three hours of heroism, determina tion and death in the bay of Cienfue gos that bright May morning. The men knew that death. awaited them. They knew when the small boats were lowered from the ships and they pulled toward the shore that while they work ed a thousand Spaniards were con- cealed in the tall grass and underbrush on the shore, waiting to shower bull lets upon them. The lookouts from the masts knew this. The officers knew it, the men knew it, but the order to cut the cable had been given and the command was obeyed.
 Small sections of the cable which these brave seamen cut that morning are much sought for souvenirs at the Key West Hotel since the warships brought back the dead and wounded after the work was done.
 Lieutenant Winslow of the Nashville, who was in command of the expedi- tion, came into the hotel last evening and was soon surrounded by a group of friends, eager to hear his story of the affair in which he was the principal figure. He had been wounded in the left hand and his arm was yet in sling. He was not eager to talk of the matter, but little by little the details were drawn out, and this is the story about as he told it:
 The Marblehead, Nashville and Win dom were detailed to do the perilous work. The town of Cienfuegos is sit uated some distance back from the sea in a harbor which winds and twists about between high hills, completely obscuring it from ships standing out at sea. Near the mouth of the harbor the land is low for some distance back from the coast and then there is sud- den rise, a sharp bluff towering up and covered by trees. The lowland is cov- cred by tall grass and underbrush. The cakle-hou was located within a few feet of the water. Not far from this, on one side, was a lighthouse and on the other an old blockhouse, or look out, such as the Spanish in former years established along the coast. They were built for the purposes of inter 
 When daylight came the three war ships were in position a short distance out from the shore. It was soon dis covered that the SpaniardS were ex- pecting and evidently knew the mission of the ships. Rifle pits were plainly distinguished at the very waters edge and commenting the point where the cable was supposed to be and where the Americans would have to go in their small boats. Rapid-fire guns and small cannon could be seen. The polished steel and brass of the guns glistened in the sunlight. Squares of infantry sWarmed like insects upon the shore. Groups of cavalry were galloping here and there and constantly racing up and down a dusty white path that led from the shore to the side of the bluff and the hill top.
 The little fiotilla that did the hazard ous work consisted of two small launches, two steam launches and a half-dozen row boats. The launches were armed with machine guns and were designed to do what they could in protecting the men in the small boats as they worked and to tow them back to the ships in case the men should be so badly disabled as to be unable to use the oars. With stead nerves and strong arms tn sailors pulled close to the shore cable house. They went until
 
 soldiers peering out from behind the buildings and out of the rifle pits. They knew it was only a matter of minutes when fire would be opened upon them. But the regular swing of the oars did not falter.
 At last point within 100 feet of the cable-house was reached. They were within 200 feet of the rife pits, where the Spaniards were lying ready to open fire upon the boats.
 Lieutenant. Winslow stood up in the boat and gave the command to throw out the anchor and begin grappling for the cable. The water was clear as glass. The morning sunlight pene- trated 1t, and every object upon the bottom was clearly seen. Calmly as if trolling for fish the men bent over the boats and began to work with the grap- bling hooks. All this time the men on the Nashville. Marblehead and Win dom stood at their guns ready to rain shot and shell upon the shore the mo- ment a puff of smoke was seen to come from the rife pits. The men in the boats worked on steadily and in si- lence. At last one of the grappling hooks caught something and the arms of two strong sailors soon brought the cable into view.
 Then came the first shot. It was just a flash. a sharp snap, a singing over the heads of the sailors and a splash in the water beyond. There was no white puff from the depot. The Spaniards were using smokeless pow der
 It was the signal for the opening of a deadly fire upon the men in the boats. It was promptly answered by the guns on the ships out in the bay. A hurri- cane of shells shrieked and missed above the heads of the sailors in the boats and tore to fragments the earth where the Spaniards were crouching and hiding. Again and again the guns roared from the ships. Again and again the great clouds of dust and debris flew skyward on the shore. Another mighty crash from the Nashville and the cable-house flew into the air, torn into numberless fragments. Another crash from the Marblehead and the blockhouse was in ruins.
 Then this iron storm from the sea swung around and swept the hillside. It shattered the rocks and trees. It plowed great furrows in the soft sand. It drove a throng of panic-stricken men scurrying to shelter. Then it low cred again like the rays of a mighty searchlight and raked and riddled the rife pits.
 sUhat craftsmanship! The terrible