Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-05-19
DETAILS OF THE FIGHT.
Row sampson's Great Guns CrumbIed San
.Iuan's Forts.

Juan's Forts.
New York. May 13.-The Journal this
morning publishes the following from
its correspondent, w. r. sill. sent from
st. Thomas via Fort de France. Mar
Unique:
The American squadron arrived off
the fated port just before daylight.
Word had been sent ahead that the
Notifications We're to be bombarded,
notice to women and children, to aliens
and noncombatants to quit the place
and seek such safety as the outlying
hills afforded.
Out of the gray of the dawn there
fiared from the halyards of the flagship
New York that signal which is to make
the war with Spain memorable among
the battling Of mankind:
Remember the Maine"
Then up from the waiting crews went
a mighty cheer. and the word went
round as the great warships swung
slowly UP to the fighting:
Remember the Maine!"
Then the stiffness was shattered by a
mighty sound. The crashing thunder Of
n great gun broke and doomed over the
quiet harbor, reverberated among the
hills and told all the Antilles that Uncle
Sam had begun fighting in the West
Indies,
1t was one of the great 12 inch guns
on the Iowa which began the lombard
ment. Fighting Bob" Evans was in
his element at last. making an heroic
effort TO have the Spanish tongue rec
ognized as the court language of hades.
The shell struck home on the gnarled
front of Castle Moro, the ancient lime
stone fortress which guards San Juan
as its namesake stands watch and ward
over Havana,
Then the Indiana opened from its for
ward turret with a IL inch projectile
and the effect Of the shot was like that
of the famous first effort of a great
modern gun at Alexandria.
The walls of Moro seemed to go into
vapor where the immense projectiles
struck. Ruined masonry and msnged
corpses told of the inadequacy OF tbs
scarps and hastions Of the older days tc
Withstand the assaults OF modern arma'
ments.
The castle soon made reply, but the
firing indicated a panic within the forti.
flcations. The first shot flew far to lee
ward, bursting harmlessly.
The heavy guns on the Iowa and In
diana spoke again. rolling out their an
phasis.
On steamed SIMPSONS fleet, the mon
ttors Puritan and Terror creeping near
,er in shore, their low freeboard present
| ing a small target for the forts. AM
their 10 and t2 inch guns doing tremen
dous execution against the fortified
tlons.
All eyes soon caught another sigma
from Admiral SIMPSONS flagship AM
cheered 1t as they read:
"I.et us have Puerto Rico by sunset!
The captains along the fighting lin
were encouraged to renewed endeavo
by this request from the admiral, bu
the resistance OF the Spaniards was no
sufficiently heroic to stimulate the gun
ners to their best work. 1t seemed to
much like a practice day at the targets
MORO fired but three shots from he
heavy guns.
There were hut seven shots fired fror
the big guns of the American squadron
These left Morro castle a crumbled ruiz
Her guns were mute, her gunners kille
or in flight.
Then bvgan the attack on the Ian
batteries and the fortifcations abou
The government buildings and the pal
ace.
Here the cruisers ulu elleCtiNc oSA NiS'
and soon the postoffice and the palac
of the governor were tumbled abou
the ears of the officials, the guns dis
mounted OF abandoned, wreck, ruin an
death everywhere.
The spaniards pluckily served the
n,,ns as long as there was any hop
but their fire was slow and wild.
Not a single American ship wa
harmed Not an American seaman we
killed or injured. :.
But at the last accounts the CITY y
self had not surrendered though it We
completely at Admiral Sampson's mel
cy. 1t had been deserted by the mel
chants and noncSmbatants. The TO
eign consuls had followed the retuge'
into the country and the troops. WEI
reported panic stricken. The Volui
xeers had fed, !.
But Governor Macias stuck to
post. giving orders and asserting I'M
DO would die before he would snrrenae