The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-17
FIVE HEROES DIE
THE PLUCKY FIGHT OUR MEN MADE
rZ AT CAkDENAS. i
Masked Batt.ry on Land Rlddies tho Wins
= low, hut She POurs In Her Fire to tho
Last-Sho Was Far mp the BAY When
$50 Hiddon Guns Assailed Her--En-
sign Ragley nn.! Eour H!ci
Killed by Il Bursiin.s Shell. a.
Five Others Wounded. ..

a"9IlCuu peoDlo Cuu ledllHe luuI Cuo
war is on in earnest and that the
peaceful blockade Of an enemy's
country is ut All end. The new navy
has been Baptized in blood. Five
men have been shot to death by
Spanish guns. -.
Death came to these sailors in a
fierce engagement yesterday after
noon off Cardenas, where the torpe,
do boat Winslow was trapped within
range Of a masked shore battery of
heavy guns, riddled by the enemy's
fire, and five of her crow killed.
Among them was Ensign Worth
Bagley, one of the most promising
young officers in the navy. The
Winslow's gallant commander, Lieut..
John b. Bernadou, wes wounded
and is now in hospital here, but
his condition is not dangerous.
In this engagement.were also the
gunhoat Wilmington and the revenue
cutter Hudson. The latter vessel
was hit several times, but escaped
without material injury. None of
her crew was hurt. The Whining
ton vas not hit. '.
Although the American loss is seri-
Gus compared with the other casual
ties of the war, that of the Spanlards
was undoubtedly greater. The dead
ly shore battery Nas silenced by the
Wilmipgton's heavy guns. Ono
Spanish guuboat was destroyed and
the town Of Cardenas was SGT on fire.
The mon who died went to their
death like heroes, and their example
and that of tho surviving crew of the
torpedo boat has fired the hearts of
every man on warship ia this har-
Dor. When they speak Of the en-
gagement their eyes flash, and the
officers Of the monitorsMiantonomoh
and Puritan are begging for chance
to wipe Cardenas off the map.
The Winslow carries crew of
twenty-one mon. For eight days
she has beon doing duty on the
blockade Of Cardenas and Matanzas,
reporting to Commander Merry Of
the Machias, the ranking officer OF
the squadron in those waters. Dur
ing those eight days the little torpe-
do boat has been prancing around
like bantam cock.
On the bay Of Cardenas there have
boon three gunboats. On Sunday
the Winslow was ordered to steam
into tho harbor and entice the gun
boats within reach of the Machias.
She danced into channel where the
Machias, drawing more water, could
not enter, and reused ono Of the gun.
boats. Then she danced out, follow
ed by the Spaniard. At the same
time from signal station on Chalu-
pa Key two other gunbonts we're
signalled to como out by the enemy.
The Winslow peppered away at them,
firing sixty rounds from her pound
ers, and succeeding in getting one
Of the boats far enough out 80 that
the Machias hit her with G-pounder.
This was enough for the Spaniards,
who retired after firing a small sub
marine mine near the torpedo boat,
but not close enough to do any dam
age.
This little scrap whetted the ap-
petites Of the Americans. They
wanted to get those gunboats, and
hence this story Of blood and death
and heroism follows in tho wake OF
that ambition.
Y Yestorday morning the Machias
the Wilmington and the Hudson lay
off Cardenas beyond tho reach of any
guns and safe from the torpedoed
channels. The Wihslow, which had
been scouting about, had run short
OF coal and ran alongside Of the
Machias to fill her bunkers. Com.
modore Merry ordered her to pro.
ceed to the Wilmington and Goa
from hor, and then with the Hudson
t> sound the channel into the harbol
between the Romero aud BLAMED
Keys. The other two channels were
known to be mined. This third chan
mel was sounded and dragged ant
found to be safe and doep enough
for all save the Machias. The Hud