Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-28
CUTTING THE SEA CABLES
Description Of Thrilling Event at Opening of
War With Spain.
Participant Relates His. Experiences
/, Hours Under Fire.

class at the navy yard, who was one OF the
crew which cut the mine and telegraph ca
bles off Cfenfuegos, Cuba, during the recent
war with Spain. and who was wounded
during the engagement, has written an ac-
count of that thrilling incident for The
Star which is as follows:
ION the evening of May 10 last, while
the United States ships Marblehead and
Nashville were lying off Cienfuegos. Cuba.
he officer in charges Captain McCalla, re-
ceived an order from Admiral Sampson to
cut the cables running ont of that port. He
At once called the men on the Marblehead
to quarters and asked for volunteers to CT
out in tweive-oared boats and execute the
admirais order. Every, man on the ship
stepped forward. and then the commander
elected the number he wanted. While this
vas Transporting on the Marblehead a sim
lar scene was beings enacted on the Nash
Vile.
Next morning, ahout5 o'clock, we be-
gan preparations. We put one-pounde1
the bow of the boat. and the men armed
themselves with rifle and $50 rounds of
ammunition each. Shortly before 8 am
he Marblehead and Nashville started the
,all rolling by firing four and five-inch
smells into the fort and woods, respectively.
% brighten the Spaniards. The boats theI
started. being towed by the Marblehead's
steam launch. until We got within $50 yards
81 the shore, and then we began graphing
hoi VIC Ndpit- IINeTyCulnS went wei. we
we're at it for half an hour when we hooked
something. which proved to be the cable
We started to pull up and just as we had
ne cable on the boat. and began cutting it,
Foiiey OF bullets came out from the shore.
QuicE as a flash we picked up our rifles
and gave it to them. The Spaniards stop
ped firing for awhile, but all the time we
were nrlng ashore to keep them away.
Precautionary Tactics.
While the firing was going on man was
kept busy cutting the cable so as to lose no
time, and, if possible, have no men hurt
We cut 100 feet out of that cable and mean
while there was no firing from shore
We had to go in closer for the second
cable. should judge about seventy yards
from shore we went through the same oper-
atlon as at the first cable. We had the
second cable on the boat and were cutting
away, when the fort opened upon US and
kept it up for a short time We were taken
by surprise. This fort looked like a light
house, and the ships did not destroy it on
account of the law which was in force be-
tween nations. There was a body of Span
ards firing at US at the same time, but we
started our little one-pounder gun and our
rifles and every shot told on the Spaniards.
I'VE We're taking Yankee aim and had a
man cutting the cable. During the process
tMo men We're wounded. but not seriously.
The same thing was done with this cable
as with the first one They We're telegraph
cables. They were firing at US all the time
and we were doubtful about going in closer
I he officers in the boat kept very cool.
Lieut.. Anderson being in charge of the
Marblehead boat and Lieut.. Winslow in the
Nashville boat. The men finally shouted:
We will cut the last cable de.' and the
officers said: Go it, boys; We are with you
A Mine Cable.
'This third cable was mine cable We
went in closer, within about fifteen yards
of the shore. found the cable, went through
the same operation as with the others As
we looked in the water we saw mines ana
on the shore, about fifty yards off, We saw
a small house. 1t looked very funny We
saw the Spanards, but We kept them off
with our gun and rifles. They were trying
at the keyboard to press the button and
blow us IN, but the Yankees We're too
much for them. man was stationed to
cut the cables the same as in the case of
the other cables. each man taking a turn in
cutting. The SpanaIds' fire getting
very hot. They charged on u.s. and then our
men started to get the wounded together.
Those who were not hurt very badly were
placed in q sitting posture in the bottom
of the boat. AS the cable was being cut the
Spaniards' fire got hotter. They were
killing and wounding our men. but we
kept up our courage land fought like tigers
AS the last strand of the cable was cut we
gave three cheers to give courage to the
wounded. The officers gave orders to stand
by our oars and pull out. The wounded
men who were strong enough to handle
an oar helped along as well as they could.
our steam launch came out and lowed US
back. The boats Were full of bullet holes
water coming in rapidly and the
wounded faintng one by one from the loss
Of blood, the Spanartls meanwhile firing at
US all the time.
List of Wounded.
Shell and bullets We're flying all around
US. We got back to the ship in time to
save the boat from swapping, and the dead
and wounded We're hoisted aboard. The
wounded Were sent to the Key West hospi-
tai and the dead were buried at sea. Capt.
McCalla opened fire on the fort and every
thing around it, and we got our revenge.
We were working on the cables from a.
m. until II 80 am. The wounded were:
Lieut.. Winsow, shot in the right hand; ].
j. Doran, shot twice; John Davis, shot
three times. in right leg, left knee and base
of right thumb; ; Kutchmister shot
twice, once in right If jaw and through
neck; II. Hendricks, shot through liver:
Robert Volts. shot four times, through base
of skull, twice in left ribs and once in
shoulder; P. Reagan. shot twice in right
temple and through the head-killed; VIM
Sunswick. leg shot off above the knee by
a piece of shell; he died later. All the rest
were shot with Mauser bullets.