The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-01-20

: A. Hhiet ne ihundet VI ne bls gun
" TIE Meet alan ihe rattle ~ tht rapid
IRE and machine suns ~ the gaIiaa
tnd hapldn ltaginfed from fhs span
lshl both " which had moved 10 fac
M advance ~ she fees and Close In
shois. Whrfs ines wcr, able 10 enniadc
she spanish ifsnchss Az this time
the spaniafds we're hammefing the
American trenches with their kfuprs
and showers ~ Mauscf hulisis. bat the
spaniards could not stand The shells
from the nsci or machine guns NJ the
gun boats. The bis guns ~ the Oiym-
pia wrought sad havoc with the old
fort. san Antonio. tearing great holes
la the masonry and ripping up the new
oarthwOrks, but this was nothing CONF
pared To the deadly FIRE uf the machine
guns ~ the Callao and Rapido. which
raksd the spanish trenches nearly .
mile inland They were able TO get
close In shore as they were OF light
draught aud the rain Of bullets drove
the spaniards from their first line of
trenches, after an hour OF stubborn re
sistance
According To spanish report over four
hundred were killed by the guns of the
fleet alone, before they abandoned the
outer earthworks. They carried the
greater number of deal away, but
many were left as they fell. presenting
a terrible sight.
Scrambling over the trenches fell
over a pile of bodies that evidently had
been killed by the same shell. Some
were headless, some without legs or
arms, and some, merely the trunk left.
Limbs were scattered over the corn up
ground. II was a sickening sight and
one not easily forgotten.
The Spaniards fell back on their sys-
TEN of trenches a short distance in
rear of San Antonio. and these were so
constructed that a thousand determined
men could have held them against ten
times that number. They were built
OF sugar bags, made of mating, filed
with sand, and 50 arranged in parallel
and thanking lines, that 1t would have
been almost impossible to capture them
had II not been for the murderous fire
OF the gun boats. All streets leading
into the city were so protected by
overlapping earthworks. but the Span
iards were so keenly on the jump after
the fall of San Antonio battery they
had no time to make a decided stand
at any one place. The American troops
took the Spanish trenches ON the run,
never stopping to use their artillery
except at Blockhouse Fourteen, where
the Aston Battery made such a gallant
charge, recapturing two OF their guns
which had fallen into the hands of the
Spanish.
The hardest fight of the day took
place on the extreme right of the Am
erlcan line, over swamp and rice fields
made almost impossible by the heavy
rains. Here 1t was that the American
Volunteer showed of what stuff he ID
made, fighting against great odds in
the open country against men behind
earthworks.
After the battle, Spanish officer
said that his men could stand the bull
let's, but the Americans yell" as they
charged the trenches, was too much
for them. Every Yankee was howl
ing devil" BY IL o'clock almost all OF
the American troops had crossed the
river, by wading or over the bridge
scrambled over the trenches, marched
along the beach past the now deserted
San Antonio battery, where the Amer
lean flag was proudly flying. and were
pressing on to the city itself
On the parallel streets We're thou
sands of men, eager to see the inside
of Manila, but the SpaniaIds driven
from the street barricades and
trenches, had retreated inland and kept
peppering away down the cross streets
as the American troops passed.
Thanking parties were sent out and
shortly put a stop to this, but 1t was
decidedly uncomfortable creeping along
under the shelter of stone walls and
fences, running across intersectine
streets and lodging the little singing
Mauser bullets.
| came in with the First CALIFORNIA;
who crossed the river under fire
climbed over the earthworks and
marched down Gale Keal, the main
street leading into the city. The side.
walks of this street were covered with
pools OF blood, evidently from Span,
ish wounded, who were being carried
to the hospitals inside the walls. The
CALIFORNIA; lost two men and had d
number OF wounded before the,
reached the Luneta, where the whits
flag could be seen flying from the bias
| ton nearest the advancing troops.
This flag had every appearance OF 6
table cloth and not over clean at that
but II served the purpose. 1t wa,
raised a few minutes past II In answer
to the signals OF the Olympia vii
you surrender" and by O'Clock In tn.
afternoon all papers were signed