The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-06-21
AN ARTILLERY DUEL.
The Americans Assisted BY Seven ounboats
Only Fore. the Fiiipinos 500 Yards
Our Losses Number Sixty.

Gen. Lawton unexpectedly stirred up
one OF the liveliest engagements OF the
war south OF Las Pinas Tuesday morn
Ing, upon which occasion American
Held guns were engaged In the first ar
tillery duel against n Filipino battery.
concealed in the jungle. Companies II
and ! of the Twenty-first infantry were
nearly surrounded by n large body OF
insurgents, but the Americans cut their
way out with heavy loss.
The United States ship Monadnock
and the gunboats Helena and Zafiro
trained their batteries on Bakoor and
the rebel trenches near Las Pinas all
the morning. Bakoor was once on fire,
put the natives stopped the spread OF
the flames.
During the night an insurgent can
non was fired three times at the Amer
leans on the outskirts of Las Pinas.
The lighting at Las Plnas continued
notify all day long. Gen. Jawton called
out the whole force Of 1900 men, and at
o'clock he was only able to push the
insurgents back 500 yards to the Ia
pote river, where they are entrenched.
The insurgents resisted desperately
and aggressively. They attempted to
turn the left flank of the American
troops. The American loss Is conserv-
atively estimated at 60. The battle
continues.
At daylight the rebels at Cavite Viejo
dropped two shells from n big smooth
bore gun mounted in front of the
church into the navy yard. The only
damage done was splintering the top
of the huge shears on the mole. The
gunboats Callao, Manila and Mosquito
then proceeded to dismount the gun.
After silencing the big gun at Cavite
VieJo the gunboats ran close along the
shore. bombarding the rebel position:
The rebels replied with rifle fire, and
with the fire of some small pieces OF
artillery. SO vigorous was the enemy's
fire that at $50 a. m. the gunboat He
lena Joined the small gunboats already
named. and the Princeton, Monterey
and Monadnock from their anchorages
dropped occasional big shells among
the rebels.
This apparently only served to inclte
the rebels. as they kept up an inces-
SAINT fire OF musketry and artillery near
the mouth of the Zapote river, two
miles north Of Bakoor. The fire OF all
seven warships was concentrated on
this point shortly after noon, when the
upper bay presented the appearance of
being the scene OF a great naval battle.
The rebels were eventually forced to
abandon their guns after holding out
for about four hours, only to be con-
fronted by Gen. Lawton's force on land
and In their rear, where there was
heavy lighting.
Beyond the destruction of several
buildings along the water front the eff
feet OF the bombardment Is not known.
The Filipinos retreated several miles
southwark after Tuesdays engagement
to the strongly fortified town of linus.
The shelling OF the American war
ships drove the rebels from Bacoor, so
the Americans control several more
miles OF coast.
General Lawton. with his staff and
a troop of the Fourth cavalry, started
to ascertain the nature of the insurg-
ents' position. He rode five miles along
the coast to Bacoor without discover
Ing the enemy. He found the town full
OF white flags, but there were no sold
iers there. The women and children
who had fled to the woods during the
bombardment were camping In the
ruins of their homes. The shells had
almost knocked the town to pieces. The
big church was wrecked and many
buildings were ruined. Even the trees
and shrubbery were torn as by hail
storm.
After cutting the railroad and tele-
graph at Apalit, seven miles south, for
the purpose of severlng connection. the
rebels attacked Gen. McArthur's lines
at San Fernando last Friday morning.
They met with an unexpectedly warm
reception, and were repulsed with a
loss of 75 killed, 30 prisoners and many
wounded.
About 5000 troops destined for serv-
I've In the Philippines are still In this
country. and will not be able to reach
the scene of action for or weeks.