The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-30

Juan, Poerto Rico. which is more than
lido. although we were right In the
midst OF II. We know nothing except
what happened ON our ship Thursday
morning about d1ybrcak. we steamed up
TO within a half mile OF the forts. and
sent the Detroit and Wampatuck ahead
10 anchor q turning buoy about 800 yards
from shore. When they returned the
ships formed column with this ship,wlth
Admiral Sampson on board. In the lead.
Next the Indiana, New York, Terror,
Amphitrite, Detrnlt and Montgomery.
We steamed, slowly up TO within 1900
yurds OF the lotteries, and fired one six
FOUNDER. That was not returned. m,
Then another was fired, and that was
a signnl for every gun on our starboard
or right hand side, 10 commence. We
steamed slowly nrornd the circle OF bat
tories which. the Spanlards have there,
and kdptiout o. range, while the other
ships nude the circuit. with the e1cep-
ti0n 90 The Detroit and Terror, who were
stationed close to shore to silence some
batteries, which they did In short order.
We then started again. but went In to
200 yards OF the shore, 80 Us TO throw
the spaninrds OUT or range, II they
should get e. The next round was WITH
In LOCO yards, while the next and last
was 500 yards. r. Is
~ think we got on very lucky, with
only two men killed and about ten In
jpred, In the whole fleet. One vas Killed
on Che New. York and one on the Terror.
and four men wounded on this ship. II
the Spanlards had been any kind OF a
shot. the list would have been, far larger,
because shells. were coming round to
beat everything. We had two boats
smashed by shells, while the ven tllators
and smoke stacks were literally perfor-
ated In small holes. One mahogany lad
der was carried away-the one that
leads 10 the. bridge. / was etandlng on
The top step, dnd the third step down
was the. one struck by the she'll I
thought my time had come and beat a
hasty retreat. Ithave piece OF shell I
Picked up from the deck. :, 3;
The most laughabla thing that occur
red was the, torpedo boat, Porter firing
her three one pound guns 1t was like
fy attacking n man. but II one Of .the
Spanish ships had come ont of,ihe bars
Dor then It would have been sunk BY her
with a torpedo. We came here for the
express purpose OF meeting the Spanish
ASSt wac iSpOthCi " VIC ISit uhb
intended rwiping 1t out of existence.
When the admiral found they were not
here. he determined to give them a
slight taste of American steel. We
cnuid have stayed a little longer and
taken the place. but 1t would have been
waste OF ammunition, as we had no.
body to turn the fort over to. after It
| was taken. H. 49,
do not like. the idea OF burning their
towns and cities and killing their people.
but they showed no mercy to the sailors
6f the Inflated Maine. Havana ought
to be ripe plucklng now. guess the
Spaniards are getting pretty hungry by
thLs time. for mule meat was So per
pound when we left over n week ago.
Shy the time the land forces begin 10
operate With us, Spaln's hold over the
Cubans win be a thing of the past. The
reason we, do not want to lombard Ha-
Vana Is that Havana ls 4 fine city, and
the forts are so placed that II you miss
them. you are. bound to hit something In
the city, and thus destroy 1t, which we do
not wanS 10 do.
The solace. a hospital ship Joined us