Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-08-11
GUNS OF ANCIENT MAKE.


ment Of MORO Castle at Santiago-suf-
fered Little Damage from Bombardment.
Santiago. Cuba, Aug. 4.-El MORO,
built on the rocks and of the rocks,
is rich in moats and frowning battle
mentS, drawbridgeS and Subterranean
passages, dungeons and reminders of
the age of helmets and rapiers. 1t is
surrounded by confused mass of
barbed wire fencing. recently erected.
At its base the blue sea breaks and the
ocean breeze is cool in the shadow of
its walls. One searches long through
Morro's passages for signs of the guns
that are said to have replied to the
fire of the American fleet. On the top
battlement one finds several small
mortars, made of bronze and east in
Spain in the early part of the seven
teenth century. These are curiously
carved. On the same roof are two
mounted cannons of bronze, about IA
feet long, one of them bearing on its
surface an inscription showing that it
was made in 174S.
The southeast bastion, that formerly
upheld the Spanish flag, was knocked
into dust by the shots that carried
down the banner. There are signs of
shots that have pecked at the solid
walls: a shell carried away the draw
bridge and broke through the main
entrance, but otherwise Moro bears
no noticeable evidence of lombard
ment.
The old fashioned mortars show
signs OF having been shotted and han
died, and balls for their throats are
scattered about. Search the castle
over and you will find several more
muzZIe-loading guns of a bygone age.
unmounted, their rusty mouths point
ed helplessly against the castles bat
Elements. And this is FL Morro's com
plete armament.
4 few hundred yards to the east
and still on the heights the eastern
battery. Between it and the castle are
some low. red tiled houses. formerly
used as quarters for the garrison of
the fort. Here also stood the light
house that marked the harbor en-
trance-now shattered and twisted by
the fire from the American ships, for
which it doubtless offered an excellent
target. The eastern battery is OF
earth: barrels of cement and sacks of
dirt protect the guns. Here are two
small field pieces made in SeyiIla in
1873 and the ground is strewn with
unused ammunition. Here also are
five bronze muzzle-loading cannon,
bearing dates of their casting as fol-
lows: "176S, 171S. 1779, 1888 and
l77S." These. however. are mounted
on modern iron carriages and they
have been used.
One of these bronze cannOnS of the
last century was dismOunted by
shot from the fleet. The carriage was
wrecked and now lies half buried in
the torn earth. but the gun appears to
be unin iured, and may still grace some
American park. This is the only visi-
bic damage done. There are signs of
hurried departure on all sides, but the
four old muZZIe-lOaders poke up their
| noses as defiantly as ever.
The Zocapa battery is on the west
ern side of the mouth of the harbor.
| 1t is at about the same height as the
! eastern battery. though a little fur
| ther back from the sea line than the
| fortifcation Just described. Here are
| the two modern 16-centimeter rifles
which our men wanted to capture and
turn against Santiago. and which
| were among the most active in reply
| ing to the American fire. Here also
are three 32-centimeter mortars and
broad road through the woods and
up the hillside shows where these
heavy guns passed to their positions,
Barrels and earth-tilled sacks pro-
| tected the men at the mortarS, while
| those who worked the rifles were be-
| hind many feet of hard cement in
| square blocks, banked on the outside
| by sloping mass of earth and small
| stones The carriage of the eastern
most 16-centimeter rifle was struck
| and very slightly damaged. Here the
| hill shows some signs of fire. Shells
| have plowed up the earth and cleared
out the trees. and the ground is COW
| cred with bits of shells.