The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-11
WORRYING THE sPANIARDs.
The Hornet and WinsIOw Destroying
Forts and Telegraph Lines.

Copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press)
ON BOARD THE DISPATCH BOAT
KATE SPENCER, OFF CARDENAS,
May g. via Key West Fla, May 1O.-The
Spanish soldiers are displaying much activ-
ity along the line of coast from Bahia
Honda forty-ive miles west of Havana, to
Cardenas, siXty-fve miles to eastward. AS
the ships of the blockading fleet have in
structions to prevent the erection of new
Notifications and have at various points
shelled working parties the task Of
strengthening existing defenses and throw
ing up earthworks is carried on principally
at night, save in the immediate vicinity Of
Havana.
The narrow escape of the Vicksburg and
Morrill,, on Saturday, when they were de-
coyed within easy range of the Santa Clara
batteries, just west of MORO Castle, has
taught some of the unarmored ships les
son, and it is not likely that that class of
boats will venture within close range of the
modern high-power guns again. Along the
coast fresh sand batteries are being thrown
up almost every night but these works
are of a flimsy character and would be re-
duced by the fire of the big guns in few
minutes The officers Of the blockading
feet believe Captain General Blanco is
ton of insignificant shore batteries. The
Strengthening of the more formidable works
about Havana is a very different thing 1t
may be, however by the erection of these
light batteries which must be abandoned
as soon as the serious work of the feet be-
gins, Blanco puts heart in his starving SOL
diers and imbues them with the idea that
Yankee invasion can be repealed at any
point
The Hornet and the Winslow, now block
aiding Matanzas, have had a lively time for
several days Smelling Spaniards at work on
batteries and telegraph lines outside of the
entrance of the harbor There, as at other
points, most of the work is done at night
and each morning sees fresh earthworks
thrown up like fresh ant hills against the
rusty green old coast line Sunday morning
the Hornet found a party putting a tele-
graph line up from a lighthouse and signal
station mile east of Matanzas, to the
batteries west of Point Sabanilla, on the
other side of the bay. The batteries here
are said to be of some magnitude, mounting
a few high-poWer guns. To stop this tele-
graphic activity the Hornet steamed quietly
in and dropped q shell in the midst of the
wOrkmen. They scattered like rabbits and
the line grounded then and there. Several
other telegraph parties have been discour-
aged in the same way at other points 1t is
evidently the intention of the Spaniards to
establish communication by wire with all
their coast bockhouses and batteries with
a view possibly of massing troops and guns
TO oppose a landing whenever threatened.
Hereafter they will probably carry their
wire behind the first range of hills, where
they. will be less subject to sudden inter-
ruptiOn.
1t is not possible that there are enough
heavy guns at the command of the Span
iardS to mount them in all the new sand
batteries springing up, but as there is
railway from Havana to MatanZaS, quite
close to the coast, the authorities may be
deluding themselves with the idea that they
can transport heavy guns to the batteries
nearest the threatened landing point when
ever their watchers telegraphed the appear
ance OF American vessels off the coast.