The herald. [microfilm reel], May 20, 1898, Image 1

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Single Sheet
TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR. NO. 232.
A MAN WHO OBSERVED IT
Describes the Bombardment of
Porto Rico
— .. .
THE MOST REMARKABLE FEATURE
Was the Way the Spanish Gunners Failed
to Hit the Mark
The Naval Lesson Learned Is That the Reduction of
Well-Placed Fortifications Is a Big Job for the
Best of Battleships
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SPECIAL WIRH,
Key West, May 19.—An onlooker of the bombardment of the fortifi
cations of San Juan de Porto Rico on May 12 by the fleet of Rear Admiral
Sampson gave the following details of that engagement. He said :
"1 he most remarkable feature about the bombardment was the escape
of the fleet with so few casualties. The enemy's fire was heavy and contin
uous, and the elevation of their batteries gave them a tremendous advant
age. How they missed hitting the ships no one understands. Their shots
fell all around and their guns had capacity for twice the range. Yet they only
landed two projectiles »ith any serious effect. The San Juan affair strength
ens the opinion that a well-placed fortification is a hard task for even the
strongest battleship.
"The secondary batteries of the ships were not used after the line had
passed before the forts. This was chiefly on account of smoke. Drifting
in front of the turrets, it made th; handlers of the big guns liable to lose
all sight of land.
" The admiral and his assistant chief of staff, Staunton, were on the
superstructure on the lee side of the conning tower. They did not go inside
the conning tower, which will probably not bs used in action unless the fire
is coming from both sides. So far it has proved a rather useless institu
tion. On the forecastle, in the lee of the forward 12-inch turret, were
Lieutenant March, flag secretary, and Ensign Bennett, flag lieutenant, both
of whom, with Staunton accompanied the admiral from New York.
" Bennett had signal buoys with him. His signal flags, in the canvas
bags, were made fast with a line which ran around the turret barbette. This
was to prevent them from being shot overboard.
"It took about four broadsides to wake the Spaniards up. In the
meantime, great yellowish-white detids were rising from the hillside, mark
ing where our shells had fallen. Then a few puffs of white and little lines
of flame came from nooks in the bluff. The water spurted a few hundred
yards from the lowa and everybody was glad, because they knew that the
enemy was returning the fire. Before that the jackies had been glum. By
this time the smoke had begun to hang heavily and the lowa was moist and
covered with saltpetre. Marine glasses had lo be wiped every few minutes
The men's faces were grimy and their mouths were bitter from the
When the big guns in the turret were fired it seemed as if the ship was
almost drawn from the water in a straining effort to follow the projectiles as
they whizzed shoreward. Behind, the Indiana's port side looked like a huge
fort, her own smoke hiding her starboard side.
" When the lowa was turned to go back to the starting point, the entire
line was engaged. The New York, stately, standing high out of the water
and shuwing all her gracefulness, but making an easy target, slowly ran the
gauntlet of two miles.
" While the enemy's fire was at its hottest, two jackies stood at the
lowa's bows, without any cover, heaving the lead. They worked j ust as
calmly as if in New York harbor.
" 'They can't hit us, George,' sang out one of the men to another in
the lee of the turret. Just then a shell whizzed by. ' Rig a line to that
thing,' laughed the man in the chains, pointing derisively to the water that
spurted fifty yards ahead of them.
" The feature most discussed was the wonderful pluck of the Terror
and her escape from being hit. Shells simply rained about her as she lay
within 500 yards of the forts and blazed away with her 5-inch rapid-fire
batteries.
" The Amphitrite trouble was with her after turrets, and was caused
by an accident to the gear which supplies the turret power.
"Several slight accidents occurred on the ships, but on the whole they
were not as numerous as generally happens during heavy target practice.
The strain on the men was rather severe. The heat of the sun was intense
before 8 oclock. The work done by the engineer, officers and their men,
who for three hours were under the battle gratings in
the intense heat, cannot be too highly praised. The
firing of the monitors seemed hardly up to the mark
of the other ships, the heavy swell causing them
trouble and precluding any degree of accuracy of aim.
SPAIN'S SPIES AT TAMPA
Pursue their Calling Without Interference by
Officers of the U. S. Government
Tampa, Fla., May 19 — (Special to The Herald.)
Stories of Spanish spies have been circulated here until
they have lost their meaning, and now when a rumor
relating to them arises no one takes it seriously. The
headquarters of the army is in the big hotel and the
story is told that Spanish spies are in the same hotel
with the commanding generals and that Spain is being
daily informed of all that transpires. All the while
censorship is enforced on news telegrams by Lieutenant
Miley, the censor, but nothing is done to prevent the
friends or hired hands of Spain from going on the
docks and about the headquarters and camps and see
ing what is. being done. Means of communicating
wilh Polo at Toronto or with some other Spanish
agent is then easy.
Motrin's Departure
New X?RK, May 19.—Major General Wesley
Merritt, commanding the department of the Pacific,
left tonight tor Washington, on his way to San Fran-
Cisco, whence he will sail to the Philippines.
THE HERALD
THE SQUADRONS ARE UNITED
And Admiral Cervera Has a Very
Small Chance of Escape
SAMPSON STARTS TOR SANTIAGO DC CUBA AND SCHLEY GUARDS HAVANA
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD
KEY WEST, May 19. —Both the big American squadrons
are here. Commodore Schley with his flying squadron arrived
yesterday. Today in came Admiral Sampson and his ships. To
night a report came from Washington that Admiral Cervera and
his fleet had put in at Santiago de Cuba. There is great bustle
in the fleet and evidently arrangements are being made to sail at
once. The rumor is that Schley will take the monitors and
some of the smaller cruisers to keep the Spaniards out of Havana,
while Sampson takes the battleships and larger cruisers to chase
Cervera around the island. Sampson brought the lowa, Indiana,
New York, Terror, Amphitrite, Detroit, Wampatuck and Porter.
With Schley came the Massachusetts, Texas, Brooklyn, Scorpion.
TYPES OF SPANISH TROOPS IN FIELD UNIFORM
LOS ANGELES, FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 20, 1898
Uncle Sam Teaching Spain to Walk Spanish
! —Chicago Times-Herald.
THE SITUATION IN CUBA
THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE
Expected to Occur Within Next
Twenty/Four Hours
MESSAGE SENT PIT FROM MADRID
For Divers Good Reasons Is Believed to
Be Accurate
Cervera Is Practically Surrounded and Must Choose Be*
tween Fighting and Making a Run for
Spain and Safety
BT ASSOCIATED PRESS SPECIAL WIRE.
Madrid, May 19. —A direct message from Santiago de Cuba confirms
the arrival of the Spanish squadron.
4a. m.—The Spanish fleet on arriving at Santiago de Cuba found there
two American warships, which retired with all speed. The queen regent hat
cabled congratulations to Admiral Cervera.
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD.
Washington, May 19.—The naval battle between Sampson and Cer»
vera is expected to occur within the next twenty-four hours. The dispatch
from Madrid announcing the arrival of the Spanish squadron at Santiago de
Cuba is the first information from Spanish sources believed in the navy
department. Admiral Sampson's squadron was in communication with tha
navy department today. He is cruising between Cienfuegos and Santiago.
Schley is going around the western end of Cuba for the purpose of guard,
ing Cienfuegos and of permitting Admiral Sampson to withdraw slightly to
the east again to be nearer Porto Rico. Therefore, Sampson is nearer Clen.
fuegos tonight than Santiago, and this is probably because Cienfuegos is the
better base of supplies for the Spaniards, and for that reason presents greater
necessity for Sampson to prevent the Spaniards from entering it, as he will
inevitably strike the Spanish squadron when he sails east after having been
relieved by Schley. It is difficult to sea why Cervera should have chosen
Santiago, although it is true only two places in Cuba were possible for him
to reach aside from these Cuban ports. Porto Rico as an escape to the east
was the alternative.
The American naval forces in Cuban waters are apparently satisfied of
this, although force of circumstances may cause a hasty change, Com
modore Watson maintaining the blockade of Havana, Schley skirting the
western extremity of Cuba for the purpose of reaching Cienfuegos, Samp
son endeavoring to spread his fleet out in such a way as to prevent the
Spaniards from .entering Cienfuegos and to learn of their approach toward
Santiago. Thus Cervera is certain to be caught, unless he abandons his
mission and sails toward home, for his last recourse is Porto Rico and he is
not safe there. The reason the report that Cervera has reached Santiago is
believed is two-fold in character. It is one of only three places to which he
could go; he has not touched at any point since he left Curacoa and pre
sumably he has had no means of knowing that Schley sailed for the south.
It can be definitely stated that there will be no rearrangement of tbe various
American squadrons. There will be no junction between Sampson and
Schley. As a naval expert put it tonight:
"There is no earthly reason why there should be a junction. Either
Sampson or Schley is a match for Cervera, and the necessity for the forma,
tion of a tremendous fleet has not arisen. To summarize the situation, if
Cervera is at Santiago he and that port's fortifications will be engaged by
Sampson. If he goes to Cienfuegos he will be engaged at that point by
possibly both Schley and Sampson, when the former approaches to relieve
the latter.
If he does not enter either port and goes to Porto Rico, he will either
be engaged there by Sampson or the latter will hold him in check at this
eastern point while Schley will safeguard the transports containing the army
of invasion for Cuba.
THE CADIZ FLEET
Will Abandon Manib to Attack the North Atlantic Coast
Montreal, May 19.—The Star today says: A new feature of the
Spanish.American war, on;' in which Senor Polo y Barnabe and his associ
ates are keenly interested, is the probable advance of the Cadiz squadron
into the North Atlantic. One barrier alone has been
standing between the New England coast and the
Cadiz fleet. It is the lack of coal for the warships
when they get to this side of the ocean. It has been
planned to secure a coal supply. Spanish ships now
carrying it may be on their way across the Atlantic
Indeed, according to information received from a Star
correspondent at North Sydney, C. 8., it is possible
that even at the present time Spanish coal ships are in
the waters about Newfoundland. The advices from
Cape Breton point out that Senor Polo has been in
communication with an agent or correspondent of the
Island of St. Pierre, the coaling-station of France in
the North Atlantic.
There is a constant exchange of trade between
Cape Breton and St. Pierre and the gossip of one port
is more or less current in the other. For the past week
lookout operators of the Newfoundland coast, have
reported the appearance of strange vessels in those
waters. In this connection, the Star's informant sug
gests that these strange crafts are gunboats convoyinf
the Spanish coal fleet.
The Official Notice
MADRID, May 19.—1n spite of the veto placed upon tht
publication of Spanish naval movements, the newspapers ben
have been allowed to announce that Admiral Camera's squadron,
consisting of the battleship Pelayo, the first-class cruiser Car
los V., the auxiliary cruisers Patriota and Rapido, formerly tht
Hamburg-American line steamers Columbia and Normannia, tha
cruiser Alfonso XIII, the cruiser Antonio Lopez, three torpedo
boat destroyers and the armed yacht Giralda will shortly *tl
from Cadiz, while the reserve squadron, consisting of the W* «
torn, Numancia, Lepanto and another vessel wllllM oigMlrii
ized immediately. - ,
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