Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-16
|l|RAl YIELDED JUST N1In|.
Our Army Was Just About to Complete
The Destruction Of the City.

the Destruction Of the City.
ALL ARRANGEMENTS HAD BEEN
MADE-sEvEN BATTERIES OF AR
TILLERY WE'RE IN POSITION TO
SHELL SANTIAGO FROM ALL
sIDEs-THE RDs HAD
ERECTED BARRICADES IN THE
STREETS, READY TO FIGHT TO
THE LAsT-IN ANTICIPATION OF
MANY CASUALTIES OUR HOSPITAL
SERVICE HAD MADE EXTENSIVE
PREPARATIONS
OFF Aquadores, July IA, via Port An
tonic, July 15.-Santiago de Cuba was
surrendered to-day. Menaced by the
American forces on land and sea, dis
heartened by past defeats and without
hope of victory, Gen. Toral yielded
his city to save his people. With the
final stroke Of the Spanish generals
pen, the only stronghold in the prov
ince of Santiago has fallen and the
power of Spain in Eastern Cuba is
crushed.
The end came swiftly and unexpect-
eddy. The Santiago campaign, with
its deeds of splendid daring and dark
with the record Of slaughter had been
believed by many men high in rank to
have only just begun. The refusal OF
the Spanish to surrender has been so
emphatic and so recent that both army
and navy had forsaken the idea of
victory without further bloodshed, and
noon to-day had been set for the final
and desperate assault upon the stub
born defenses of the city. That its
Notifications were rtrong and that its
forces were brave all knew, and to-day
had been looked forward to as likely
to be the bloodiest in the history of
the campaign; and, when soon after 2
O'Clock this afternoon Admiral Samp-
son received by signal the news that
Gen. Toral had surrendered, the ad-
miral and his officers scarcely credited
the story.
When Gen. Toral on Monday refused
absolutely to consider the terms of I'M
conditional surrender, and when Gen.
Shafter announced negotiations at an
end, 1t was believed that the taking
of the city without further fighting
was an impossibility. The artillery OF
the federal forces was ordered to be
rushed to the front, the investment
line was extended and every prepara-
ton was made for the final assault
ACTING UNDER INSTRUCTIONS
from Washington, however. Gen. Shat
ter again proposed surrender yester-
day, and at conference at which
Gen. Miles and Gen Toral were pres
ent 1t was proposed to allow the
Spanish officers to retain their side
arms, and the American commander
offered to send the defeated army to
Spain under convoy and on parole.
Gen. Toral's announcement that the
matter would have to be referred to
his government convinced the majority
OF the officers at headquarters that
nothing further would come of the
negotiations and an order was issued to
prepare for a general attack at noon,
at which hour the extended armistice
expired. The men at the front made
every preparation for battle, the
fleet gathered around the bay of Aqua
dores, ready to hurl shells over the
hill and into the city, and the combined
American forces grimly awaited the
word of Gen. Miles.
But while all these preparations
We're going forward Gen. Shafter and
Gen, Miles were still hard at work in
an attempt to avoid the slaughter
which must follow an attack. The
telephone and telegraph wire from the
front to Juragua were burdened all the
forenoon with messages to and from
Washington, and Gen. Toral was busy
in communication with either Capt.
Gen. Blanco or with the government
at Madrid.
At about II O'clock Gen. Miles sent
an aide-de-camp from Juragua to Rear
Admiral Sampson, telling him the
chances for surrender were good and
that no shots must be fired from the
fleet without definite orders from the
shore. As the hour of noon approach
ed the New York ran close in shore at
Aguadores and took up a position in
readiness for
THE EXPECTED COMPARTMENT
OF the hidden city. The Brooklyn
ranged in the rear of the New York
and the other vessels took I'D positions
previously assigned to them. The
swift little Hist steamed down to Jur-
aqua to await word from Gen. Miles.
None came and although the expect
ed call to quarters was not issued tho
men fingered anXiously, close to their
places, eager to begin the work of
bombardment. From the bridge of the
warships the officers trained their
glasses alternately on the signal sta
ton ashore and on the fleet Of trans