The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-24
OUR WARSHIPS
AGAIN WINNERS.
Fourof Them Take Possession Of Nipe
HarbOr in an Hour.
A SHORT BUT VICIOUS BATTLE.
They SilenCed Three Forts. Sunk a
Spanish Gunboat and Scattered
the Rifiemen-The New Acqdi'
sition is a Valuable one,

KEY WEST FLA. July al 10 A.
M.-Acting under orders from Rear~Ad-
miral Sampson four American warships
on Thursday Afternoon last, entered the
harbor u Nipe. on the northeast coast Of
the Province OF Santiago De Cuba and
after a furious bombardment took pos
session Of the harbor as a base OF ope-
r3ti0ns for the Porto Rico campaign. IL
d. understood however. that the plans
have been changed since In consequence
OF the occupation OF Santiago ~ the
United States for the reason that Nirs
Will not be used for the purpose originally
intended The vessels engaged We're the
Topeka, Annapolis. Wasp and Leyden.
In the course OF an hour they silenced
three forts, sank the spanish gunooet
JORGE Juan mot the Juan Jorge. as be-
fore reported and scattered Spanish rife
men who had taken part in the engage
ment.
STRONGLY ENTRENCHED.
The channel leading into the haroor
was very narrow and on a bun 20 the
right called GalOry point, was a fort and
gnal station As the American ships
entered the Spaniards were signalling in
@ lively fashion with q blue ball and
Tag. apparently notifying the Spanish
ships Ina the harbOr. which were the
Jorge Juan. two smaller gunboats and
an armored launch. AS the Wasp and
Leyden rounded the fort nred a dozen
shots, none OF which, however, fell near
them and the Topeka returned the MS
with her three-pounders
Almost Immediately the Spaaiards de-
serted the fort and ran, while me Topeka
continued % send shells into them. A
body Of nlemen on the beach returned
the fire with few wild shots, but they
too. were quickly dispersed by the Iope-
ka5 smaller guns. The Topeka also dis
charged two torpedoes. AT the same
time another small fort 20 the left or the
channel fred on the American ships out
&c was silenced as easily as The other.
JORGE JUAN CATCHES II.
In the meanwhile the wasp and Ley
den had taken up position la the north
western portion OF the harbOr and open
ed fire across the water at tie Jorge
Juan. which lay TO the southeast, IN front
OF th8 town OF MayarL Her position was
about "a mile and quarter from the
beach and behind her a third fort stood
on an emiuence. This fort opened IRE on
tine Wasp and Leyden. and as the Anna
polls and Topeka came up the spanish
gunboat Joined On the fight and general
battle followed.
The Topeka anchored m the middle OF
the harb0r, about 1000 yards from the
Jorge Juan and the other three Ameri-
can boats drew up Oh either SIDE ana
formed a semi-circie. They then closed
IN on the Spanish ship, pouring a destruc-
tive fire ar Ter and the fort la. 0nd. me
Topeka sent four-inch shells crashing into
the Jorge Juan at such rate mat sne
sank within twenty minutes.
When the firing became heavy the ON
GERS and crew OF the Spanlard put on IN
small boats, made the shore under a
heavy fire and escaped into the woods.
Two shots from the Topeka's bow gun,
hred on an elevation OF 400 yards, drop
ped squarely into the Mayari forts, the
Spanish pennants disappeared and
white Aag was run up. This ended
short but one Of the most vicious battles
OF the war.
SHE WAS NICELY DONE UP.
All the American ships sent small
boats over % the Spanish gunboat. They
found that the Jorge JGan's foTecastie
had been entirely nipped away by the
TOpeka's fOur-iuch shells ana that her
fore and fnizzen masls and fagstan were
carried Of. 10 IS thought the Spaniards
scutlied her before abandoing the vessel
Divers were sent down and quite A curl
Gus collection OF relics was found. one
was the ships motto: BE brave and
you viii 90 home % Spain
-Four or five cats. still alive we're cling
Ing 10 the wreckage and one dog, which
had been chained 10 the deck, was drown
ed. That part Of the rigging which pro-
truded from the water. swarmed With
rats. which attempted 70 renew the BAT.
tie with the Americans, but were driven
into the sea.
HARBOR WELL MINED
The harbor was found 20 be well mined
and two OF the mines exploded-ons
about 100 yards or the Topeka's bow. and
the other 200 yards from her port quar-
ter.
As the ships came out. they saw
contact mine floating on the surface OF
the water.
The engagement was hardly over when
tho torpedo boat Dupont came along with
dispatches from Rear-Admiral Sampson
Tor Commodore Remey and the Topeka
was sent with them % Key West, arriv-
ing this morning. She had borne the
br,int OF the fght and borne herself no.
bly. Her captain Is William ;. Cowlss.
brother-in-law OF Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt.
SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER
The Jorge Juan was "A three-mastee
one-finnel ship OF so tons and 100
morse power Sitc N@S ~ ~ tSatf =
feet vide aud II feet draft. She carried
a crew OF l4s men and had 10 tons OF
Coal. Her bate y was heavier than the
Topeka's. the biggest OF the four attack
ing American eh,pS--consisting OF three
Al Hontoriss. two 2s Krupp guns ana
two machine guns.
Nlpe harbor is twenty miles long and
ten miles wide II is surrounded BY
mountains and Is admirably adapted a.
a base for any CO mpaign-
The Topeka on her way TO this port
passed the Terror Puritan and Mont
gomery heading for Nipe.