The record-union., 1898-07-19
Commodore SchIey Went Round the
Hdrbor in a Launch.
Took Observations of the Condition Of the
Forts and Batteries and
Relna Mercedes May
Be Saved.

UNDER MORRO CASTLE, HAIR
BOR OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Jnly
IL, p. m. (via Playa del Este, July 10
Delayed in transmisson.-At exactly
> O'Clock this morning the Spanish flag
was lowered from the staff crowning
the nights upon which battered Moro
Castle spreads half way. The lowering
of this emblem Of the defunct sover-
eighty of Spain in this part of the world
was witnessed by few Spanish and
American troops on shore, and by the
Brooklyn, New York, Vixen and Vesu-
vius, lying within a few hundred yards
of the harbor entrance Almost imme-
diately after the flag was hauled down
steam launches commanded by Lieutan-
ants Hobson and Palmer entered the
harbor, penetrating as far as the firing
stations of the submarine mines. These
mines were judged not to be SO for
midable as expected, and later in the
afternoon they We're all exploded, under
the supervision of the Vixen.
1t was seen that two mines had been
exploded at the time of the entrance of
the Merrimac into the channel of San
tiago harbor but it is not thought that
any of them had anything to do with
the sinking of the craft.
Six or seven steamers in the harbor
became prisoners to the army and navy.
The Spanish gunboat AL~arez had al
ready been taken possession of by a
prize crew from the New York. The
other vessels lie at the other end of the
harbor at Santiago proper.
Soon after noon Commodore Schley,
with Captain Cook of the Brooklyn; !;
Lieutenant j. II. Sears, the Flag Lieu
tenant; S. B. Wells, the F>ag Secre-
tary, and three invited correspondents
of the Associated Press, went into the
harbor on a steam launch which moved
slowly in order to make close observa-
tions of the Spanish forts and batteries
Every one expressed satisfaction at
the fact that MORO Castle was not de-
molished by the bombardment, Captain
Cook saying: I'VE need FL MORO as an
object lesson and America is rather shy
on ruins, anyhow"
The old fort stands on the bluff, ter
race fashion. From the waters edge to
the cliff there are numerous caves,
formed by the action of the waves, and
around the base and in the superstruct-
ure are not a few caves made by the
yrl
however, that only one bastion was
Knocked to pieces, while the queer little
sentry boxes, dating back to the six
teenth century, escaped almost intact
MORO Castle is the only imposing for
tification in the harbor, and it is only
so IN appearance, since not a gun is
mounted within or on the crumbled
walls. In fact, all the batteries, masked
and open, dwindled in terror-inspiring
qualities as the inspection grew closer.
Crowning the hill on the west side of
the entrance We're the famous six-inch
rapid fire guns from the Spanish cruiser
Reina Mercedes. These were ugly-look-
ing and dangerous, while below, on big
foundations on the western shore Of the
entrance, were some revolving guns.
These were the ones which had poured
such bitter fire into the Merrimac.
Directly east of MORO Castle, on the
crest of the plateau-like cliff, were six
big guns, one or two of which were dis
mounted.
The Estrella battery and a small
neighbor further in showed no guns.
while the famous Cayo Smith filled the
islet with blue, white and yellow houses
situated in groves of Towering trees
some of the buildings looking as if they
had been the resorts of pleasures seekers
in happier times. Others We're humble
enough in appearance for fishermens
houses. Ali were deserted, and, strange
to say, not one apparently had been
touched by hostile projectile.
On the inside of the slope and hill
to the westward, some hastily con-
structed, but very comforting, case
mates We're seen, into which the Span
ish gunners were wont to retire when
our ships opened fire. When the firing
ceased the gunners had few steps only
to climb to their 6-inch rapid fire guns,
which almost always fired a few spite
full farewell shots.
In Santiago there were four 6-inch
guns one above the other, neither pro-
tected even. by sand nor earth. These
the harbor entrance pretty
well, but they could have been silenced
by one well directed heavy shell.
Commodore Schley has over and
again expressed the belief that our fleet
probably could have entered the har-
Dor without the loss of a single ship.
The mines might have stopped ingress