The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-23
SHELLS RAIN ON SAN CARLOS Fierce BOmbardment Of
 the Fort. vENEZUELANS UNDAUNTED General Bello Says He win
 Hold the Fort. Sensational Stories Sent from waan- ington Regarding View of the United States as to Aeti0n
 of the Germans.
vENEZUELANS UNDAUNTED

Maracaibo. Jan. 22-rhs bouzbet- -<nasr1 of Fort San Carlos by tho 0arnunn cruisers vineta. Panther and Falks wam continued yesterday afternoon un<1i 6 o'clock. It was resumed this msornin@ at daybreak. The first shells were hnrl- ed at the fort at o'clock at long range. At o'clock the Panther. being of HgAk draught closed in and again hecnms actively engaged The fort replied. At 8 o'clock the engagement was proceedings as fercely as yesterday. Twelve dead and fifteen badly wounded vcneznszan soldiers were counted in inc fort ak [ o'clock last night by the cDsrespondsnx of the Associated Press.
 The Panther left her positAOn closs into Fort San Carlos. which she took up earlier in the day. Wednesday aftsrnpon at 3 o'clock end joined the Faike. Thls was half e mile outside the bar and about five miles from the fort
 A Rain of shal1.
 At 8 o'clock the correspondent of tzza Associated Press In a row boak appwuaeA- ed one side of the fort and from 1zia point witnessed the long range Ire of ta.e German cruiser which was eonttnued fnom 8 to o'clock. The Vineta and Ea2izs were close together and nearer Che taek than the Panther. The two vessels a1 range of four and one-haif miles poured continuous rain of alneII upon tha fork and only stepped firing with tho advenk of dusk ak 6 o'clock, At this hour the German vessels retired eeaward after having made a second lnelfectnai attdmpe to land troops In the wf1lase of Han Carlos. situated at the bass oe ths fort
 At o'clock Wednesday afternoon the correspondent, who was accompanied hN Government telegrapher bearing a teIar gram from President Castro to tho oo1ss- nandant of San Carlos. landed on the island and entered the fort The waiie Of the fort are terribly battered and there were many evidences of the fierce en- gagement
 Twelve dead Venezuelan soldiers were counted behind the ramparts and fifteen other men, seriously wounded were lying on low platform. The fort ia literally covered with pieces of broken shells. It was seen that great many of the Ger man shells had not exploded. The maga- zine had very narrow escape. two sheIla having nearly penetrated 1t. The walls of the fort. which face towards the en- Lfttco or the lhhe, 8uIAeE9Q p4FUCukUI1I and were greatly damaged.
 1.600 Shots Fired.
 It is estimated by the commandant, General BelIo, that the German ahipa fired more than 1.eo0 shells at Fort San Carlos.
 Although the damage inflicted upon tha fort by the sustained fire of the German cruisers is very great, it is not all that could be expected from such a continu- ous fire from modern high power guns.
 The village of San Carlos suffered greatly. The alm of the German gunnaes appear to have been inaccurate, for more than 60 per cent of their shells ex> ploded in the village before reaching the fort.
 The cannon mounted at San Carries have not sufficient range to reach the Fake and the Vineta, so the fire from these vessels was not returned. The v1- meta and Fake are of too great drau9ht to cross the bar. The Panther alone can do this, and this fact explains why the last mentioned cruiser was the only ons to come in close to the fort.
 Some of the artillery in the fort has been destroyed by the German fire, bug there are still i've guns that can be fired
 General Beio ts solder of remarkable courage and daring He has shown great bravery and ta in now way inti- midated. He will not abandon the fort but will resist as long as it Is possible for him to do so.
 Germans Fired Without Cause.
 He swears that on January II, on the occasion of the first bomhardment, the Panther fired upon him first withou& reason and without provocatton.
 The report that the biggest of tlie three attacking vessels was either an English All .k.F L.. IA f.. N~.. that all three vessels are German.
 The Venezuelan gunboat Miranda is h Lake Maracaibo. It was doubtless the intention of the Panther i'm trying to pass the fort and get into the lake to capture this vessel. The passage over the bar that leads Into the lalrSsts nar- row and the fort commands it. General Bsllo is confident that he can sink the Panther if she attenipts to get by with the fire of the five guns that remain to him.
 Wednesday night passed without Inci- dent and the garrison of Fort San Carlos rested from the fight of the day and made preparations for what the morrow might bring.
 A fisherman from the village of San Carlos has arrived here in canoe with his family. Two of this mans children were killed by shells from the German cruisers. He reports that more than twenty-five Indian fishermen have been killed or wounded at San Carlos. The fishermen there are helpless. Last night there was a popular demoustIsation on the streets of this town. The people paraded but there were no words of hatred or insults as they passed the German stores which are numerous in Maracaibo.