NEWS OF THE DAY.
_May 2._ In Manila Bay, on Monday, the second of May, there was much to be
done in order to complete the work so thoroughly begun the day previous.
Early in the morning an officer came from Corregidor, under flag of truce,
to Commodore Dewey, with a proposal of surrender from the commandant of
the fortifications. The _Baltimore_ was sent to attend to the business;
but when she arrived at the island no one save the commanding officer was
found. All his men had deserted him after overthrowing the guns.
The _Baltimore_ had but just steamed away, when Commander Lamberton was
ordered to go on board the _Petrel_ and run over to Cavite arsenal in
order that he might take possession, for on the previous day a white flag
had been hoisted there as a signal of surrender.
To the surprise of Lamberton he found, on landing, that the troops were
under arms, and Captain Sostoa, of the Spanish navy, was in anything
rather than a surrendering mood. On being asked as to the meaning of
affairs, Sostoa replied that the flag had been hoisted for a truce, not as
a token of capitulation. He was given until noon to decide as to his
course of action, and the Americans withdrew. At 10.45 the white flag was
again hoisted, and when Lamberton went on shore once more he found that
the Spaniard had marched his men away, taking with them all their arms.
This was the moment when the insurgents, who had gathered near the town,
believed their opportunity had come, and, rushing into Cavite, they began
an indiscriminate plunder which was not brought to an end until the
American marines were landed.
The navy yard was seized; six batteries near about the entrance of Manila
Bay were destroyed; the cable from Manila to Hongkong was cut, and
Commodore Dewey began a blockade of the port.
Congress appropriated $35,720,945 for the emergency war appropriation
bill.
Eleven regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and ten light batteries of
artillery were concentrated at Tampa and Port Tampa. General Shafter
assumed command on this date.
The _Newport_ captured the Spanish schooner _Pace_.
By cablegram from London, under date of May 2d, news regarding the
condition of affairs in Madrid was received. The Spanish public was
greatly excited by information from the Philippines, and the authorities
found it necessary to proclaim martial law, the document being couched in
warlike language beginning:
“_Whereas_, as Spain finds herself at war with the United States, the
power of civil authorities in Spain is suspended.
“_Whereas_, it is necessary to prevent an impairment of the patriotic
efforts which are being made by the nation with manly energy and veritable
enthusiasm;
“_Article 1._ A state of siege in Madrid is hereby proclaimed.
“_Article 2._ As a consequence of article one, all offences against public
order, those of the press included, will be tried by the military
tribunals.
“_Article 3._ In article two are included offences committed by those who,
without special authorisation, shall publish news relative to any
operations of war whatsoever.”
Then follow the articles which prohibit meetings and public
demonstrations.
Commenting upon the defeat, the _El Nacional_, of Madrid, published the
following article:
“Yesterday, when the first intelligence arrived, nothing better occurred
to Admiral Bermejo (Minister of Marine) than to send to all newspapers
comparative statistics of the contending squadrons. By this comparison he
sought to direct public attention to the immense superiority over a
squadron of wooden vessels dried up by the heat in those latitudes.
“But in this document Spain can see nothing kind. Spain undoubtedly sees
therein the heroism of our marines; but she sees also and above all the
nefarious crime of the government.
“It is unfair to blame the enemy for possessing forces superior to ours;
but what is worthy of being blamed with all possible vehemence is this
infamous government, which allowed our inferiority without neutralising it
by means of preparations. This is the truth. Our sailors have been basely
delivered over to the grape-shot of the Yankees, a fate nobler and more
worthy of respect than those baneful ministers, who brought about the
first victory and its victims.”
_El Heraldo de Madrid_ said: “It was no caprice of the fortunes of war.
From the very first cannon-shot our fragile ships were at the mercy of the
formidable hostile squadron. They were condemned to fall one after another
under the fire of the American batteries, powerless to strike, and were
defended only by the valour in the breasts of their sailors.
“What has been gained by the illusion that Manila was fortified? What has
been gained by the intimation that the broad and beautiful bay on whose
bosom the Spanish fleet perished yesterday had been rendered inaccessible?
What use was made of the famous island of Corregidor? What was done with
its guns? Where were the torpedoes? Where were those defensive
preparations concerning which we were requested to keep silence?”
_May 2._ Late in the afternoon the _Wilmington_ destroyed a Spanish fort
on the island of Cuba, near Cojimar.
The government tug _Leyden_ left Key West, towing a Cuban expedition under
government auspices to establish communication with the Cuban forces in
Havana province. The expedition was accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel
Acosta. Under him were five other Cubans. Colonel Acosta formerly
commanded a cavalry troop in Havana province.
_May 4._ A telegram from Key West gave the following information:
“Acting Rear-Admiral Sampson sailed this morning with all the big vessels
of his blockading squadron on some mysterious mission.
“In the fleet were the flag-ship _New York_, the battle-ships _Iowa_ and
_Indiana_, the cruisers _Detroit_, _Marblehead_, and _Cincinnati_, the
monitor _Puritan_, and the torpedo-gunboat _Mayflower_.
“The war-ships are coaled to the full capacity of their bunkers, and all
available places on the decks are piled high with coal.”
On the same day the Norwegian steamer _Condor_ arrived with twelve
American refugees and their immediate relatives from Cienfuegos, Cuba.
Dr. Herman Mazarredo, a dentist, who had been practising his profession in
Cienfuegos for eight months, after six years’ study in the United States,
was one of the passengers. He gave the following account of himself:
“Because the Spaniards hated me as intensely as if I had been born in
America, I was obliged to flee for my life. I left my mother, six sisters,
and five brothers in Cienfuegos. I consider that their lives are in
danger. May heaven protect them! What was I to do?
“There are now about two hundred Americans at Cienfuegos clamouring to get
away. They are sending to Boston and New York for steamers, but without
avail. Owen McGarr, the American consul, told me on his departure that the
Spanish law would protect me. Other Americans would have come on the
_Condor_, but Captain Miller would not take them. There was not room for
them. The Spanish soldiers have not yet become personally insulting on the
streets, but a mob of Spanish residents marched through the city four days
before the _Condor_ left, shouting, ‘We want to kill all Americans.’
“There are between four thousand and six thousand Spanish troops
concentrating at Cienfuegos under command of Major-General Aguirre. They
have thrown up some very poor breastworks. Three ground-batteries look
toward the open sea.”
Bread riots broke out in Spain. In Gijon, on the Bay of Biscay, the
rioters made a stand and were fired upon by the troops. Fourteen were
killed or wounded, yet the infuriated populace held their ground, nor were
they driven back until the artillery was ordered out. Then a portion of
the soldiers joined the mob; a cannon with ammunition was seized, and
directed against the fortification. A state of siege was declared, and an
order issued that all the bread be baked in the government bakeries,
because the mob had looted the shops.
At Talavera de la Reina, thirty-six miles from Toledo, a mob attacked the
railroad station, entirely destroying it, setting fire to the cars, and
starting the engines wild upon the track. They burned several houses owned
by officials, and sacked a monastery, forcing the priests to flee for
their lives. Procuring wine from the inns, they grew more bold, and made
an attack upon the prison, hoping to release those confined there; but at
this point they were held in check by the guard.
The miners of Oviedo inaugurated a strike, commencing by inciting riots.
At Caceres several people were killed. At Malaga a mob rode down the
guards and looted the shops. The British steam yacht _Lady of Clonmel_,
owned by Mr. James Wilkinson, of London, was attacked as she lay at the
pier. Stones smashed her skylights, and a bomb was thrown aboard, but did
not explode. The yacht put hurriedly to sea, and from Gibraltar reported
the outrage to London.
_May 5._ The government tug _Leyden_, which on the second day of May left
Key West with a Cuban expedition, returned to port, giving the following
account of her voyage:
She proceeded to a certain point near Mariel, and landed five men, with
four boxes of ammunition and two horses.
General Acosta penetrated to the interior, where he communicated with the
forces of the insurgents.
The _Leyden_ lay to outside the harbour until five o’clock in the morning,
when, observing a troop of Spanish infantry approaching, she put to sea
and got safely away.
[Illustration: U. S. S. TERROR.]
She proceeded to Matanzas, and on the afternoon of the third landed
another small party near there.
Fearing attack by the Spaniards, she looked for the monitors _Terror_ and
_Amphitrite_, which were on the blockade in that vicinity, but being
unable to locate them the _Leyden_ returned to the original landing-place,
reaching there early on the morning of the fourth.
There she was met by Acosta and about two hundred Cubans, half of whom
were armed with rifles. They united with the men on the tug, and an
attempt was made to land the remaining arms and men, when two hundred of
the Villa Viscosa cavalry swooped down on them, and an engagement of a
half hour’s duration followed.
The Cubans finally repulsed the enemy, driving them into the woods. The
Spanish carried with them many wounded and left sixteen dead on the field.
During the engagement the bullets went through the _Leyden’s_ smoke-stack,
but no one was injured.
The little tug then went in search of the flag-ship, found her lying near
Havana, and reported the facts.
Rear-Admiral Sampson sent the gunboat _Wilmington_ back with the _Leyden_.
The two vessels reached the scene of the landing on the afternoon of the
fourth, and found the Spanish cavalry in waiting to welcome another
attempted invasion.
The _Wilmington_ promptly opened fire on a number of small houses marking
the entrance to the place.
The gunboat fired four shots, which drove back the Spaniards, and Captain
Dorst, with the ammunition, landed safely, the _Leyden_ returning to Key
West.
_May 6._ Orders were given from Washington to release the French mail
steamer, _Lafayette_, and to send her to Havana under escort. The capture
of the Frenchman by the gunboat _Annapolis_ was an unfortunate incident,
resulting from a mistake, but no protest was made by the representatives
of the French government in the United States. It appeared that, before
the _Lafayette_ sailed for Havana, the French legation in Washington was
instructed to communicate with the State Department. This was done and
permission was granted to the steamer to enter and discharge her
passengers and cargo, with the understanding that she would take on
nothing there. Instructions for the fulfilment of such agreement were sent
from Washington to Admiral Sampson’s squadron, and it was only learned
after the capture was made that they were never delivered.
The War Department issued an order organising the regular and volunteer
forces into seven army corps.
The following letter needs no explanation:
“597 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.
“TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES,
Washington, D. C.
“_Dear Sir_:—Some days ago I wrote President McKinley offering the
government the sum of $100,000 for use in the present difficulty with
Spain. He writes me that he has no official authority to receive moneys in
behalf of the United States, and he suggests that my purpose can best be
served by making a deposit with the assistant treasurer at New York to the
credit of the treasurer of the United States, or by remitting my check
direct to you at Washington. I, therefore, enclose my check for the above
amount, drawn payable to your order on the Lincoln National Bank. Will you
kindly acknowledge the receipt of the same?
“Very truly,
“HELEN MILLER GOULD.
“_May 6, 1898._”
It was replied to twenty-four hours later:
“Treasury Department of the United States.
“Office of the Treasury.
“WASHINGTON, D. C., May 7, 1898.
“MISS HELEN MILLER GOULD,
597 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.
“_Madam_:—It gives me especial pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter under date of May 6, 1898, enclosing your check for $100,000,
according to your previous offer to President McKinley, for the
government. This sum has been placed in the general fund of the treasury
of the United States as a donation from you, for use in the present
difficulty with Spain. Permit me to recognise the superb patriotism which
prompts you to make this magnificent gift to the government. Certificates
of deposit will follow in due course. Respectfully yours,
“ELLIS H. ROBERTS,
“_Treasurer of the United States._”
_May 6._ The torpedo-boats _Dupont_ and _Hornet_ shelled the blockhouse
near the lighthouse at Point Maya, at the mouth of the harbour of
Matanzas, and Fort Garcia, which is an old hacienda used as a blockhouse,
lying three and one-half miles to the east.
As the _Dupont_ was leaving her position off the lighthouse point, a big
shell was fired from the middle embrasure of a battery on the other side
of the harbour, called Gorda. The line was perfect, but the elevation was
bad, and the range too long. The shell fell a thousand yards short. The
_Hornet_ was ordered to use her 6-pounders on the blockhouse. The first
shell failed of its purpose; but the second hit the target fairly, and the
Spanish soldiers hurriedly left it for shelter among the neighbouring
trees.
The _Hornet_ fired twelve shells, six of which struck the mark. The
_Dupont_, after ascertaining that Point Maya was being made too warm for
Spanish occupation, steamed down to a blockhouse opposite, called Garcia
Red, and a prominent landmark to the eastward, and turned loose her
1-pounders.
Here, as in the other place, the infantry had urgent business behind the
forest woods and hills. After making certain they had gone to stay, the
_Dupont_ resumed patrol duty. Cavalry afterward appeared at Fortina, but
remained there only long enough to see the torpedo-boat’s menacing
attitude.
_May 6._ The cruiser _Montgomery_, Captain Converse, was the first ship of
the American squadron to acquire the distinction of capturing two prizes
in one day, which she did on the sixth. The captives were the _Frasquito_
and the _Lorenzo_, both small vessels of no great value as compared with
the big steamers taken during the first days of the war.
The _Montgomery_ was cruising about fifty miles off Havana when the
_Frasquito_, a two-master, came bowling along toward the Cuban capital.
When the yellow flag of the enemy was sighted the helm was swung in her
direction, and a blank shot was put across her bow. The Spaniard hove to
and the customary prize-crew was put on board. It was found that the
_Frasquito_ was bound from Montevideo to Havana with a cargo of jerked
beef. She was of about 140 tons register and hailed from Barcelona. The
prize-crew took her to Havana waters, and the _Annapolis_ assigned the
cutter _Hamilton_ to carry her into Key West.
A few minutes afterwards the _Montgomery_ encountered the _Lorenzo_, a
Spanish bark, bound from Barcelona to Havana with a cargo of dried beef.
She was taken just as easily, and Ensign Osborn, with several “Jackies,”
sailed her into port.
_May 7._ Quite a sharp little affair occurred off Havana, in which the
_Vicksburg_ and the cutter _Morrill_ were very nearly enticed to
destruction.
A small schooner was sent out from Havana harbour shortly before daylight
to draw some of the Americans into an ambuscade.
She ran off to the eastward, hugging the shore with the wind on her
starboard quarter. About three miles east of the entrance of the harbour
she came over on the port tack.
A light haze fringed the horizon, and she was not discovered until three
miles off shore, when the _Mayflower_ made her out and signalled the
_Vicksburg_ and _Morrill_. Captain Smith of the _Vicksburg_ immediately
clapped on all steam and started in pursuit.
The schooner instantly put about and ran for Morro Castle before the wind.
On doing so, she would, according to the plot, lead the two American
war-ships directly under the guns of the Santa Clara batteries.
These works are a short mile west of Morro, and are a part of the defences
of the harbour. There were two batteries, one at the shore, which had been
recently thrown up, of sand and mortar, with wide embrasures for 8-inch
guns, and the other on the crest of the rocky eminence which juts out into
the waters of the gulf at the point. The upper battery mounted modern 10
and 12-inch Krupp guns, behind a six-foot stone parapet, in front of which
were twenty feet of earthwork and belting of railroad iron.
The American vessels were about six miles from the schooner when the chase
began. They steamed after her at full speed, the _Morrill_ leading, until
within a mile and a half of the Santa Clara batteries.
Commander Smith of the _Vicksburg_ was the first to realise the danger
into which the reckless pursuit had led them. He concluded it was time to
haul off, and sent a shot across the bow of the schooner.
The Spanish skipper instantly brought his vessel about, but while she was
still rolling in the trough of the sea with her sails flapping, an 8-inch
shrapnel shell came hurtling through the air from the water-battery, a
mile and a half away.
It passed over the _Morrill_, between the pilot-house and the smoke-stack,
and exploded less than fifty feet away on the port quarter.
Two more shots followed in quick succession, both shrapnel. One burst
close under the starboard quarter, filling the engine-room with the smoke
of the exploding shell, and the other, like the first, passed over and
exploded just beyond.
The Spanish gunners had the range, and their time fuses were accurately
set.
The crews of both ships were at their guns. Lieutenant Craig, who was in
charge of the bow 4-inch rapid-fire gun of the _Morrill_, asked for and
obtained permission to return the fire.
At the first shot the _Vicksburg_, which was in the wake of the _Morrill_,
slightly inshore, sheered off and passed to windward under the _Morrill’s_
stern. In the meantime Captain Smith also put his helm to port, and was
none too soon, for as the _Morrill_ stood off a solid 8-inch shot grazed
her starboard quarter and kicked up tons of water as it struck a wave one
hundred yards beyond.
All the guns of the water-battery were now at work. One of them cut the
Jacob’s-ladder of the _Vicksburg_ adrift, and another carried away a
portion of the rigging.
As the vessels steamed away their aft guns were used, but only a few shots
were fired.
The _Morrill’s_ 6-inch gun was elevated for four thousand yards, and
struck the earthwork repeatedly. The _Vicksburg_ discharged only three
shots from her 6-pounder.
The Spaniards continued to fire shot and shell for twenty minutes, but
none of the latter shots came within one hundred yards.
Later in the day the _Morrill_ captured the Spanish schooner _Espana_,
bound for Havana, and towed the prize to Key West.
[Illustration: JOHN D. LONG, SECRETARY OF NAVY.]
The _Newport_ added to the list of captures by bringing in the Spanish
schooner _Padre de Dios_.
_May 7._ The United States despatch-boat _McCulloch_ arrived at Hongkong
from Manila, with details of Commodore Dewey’s victory.
Secretary Long, after the cablegram forwarded from Hongkong had been
received, sent the following despatch:
“The President, in the name of the American people, thanks you and your
officers and men for your splendid achievement and overwhelming victory.
In recognition he has appointed you acting admiral, and will recommend a
vote of thanks to you by Congress as a foundation for further promotion.”
_May 8._ A brilliant, although unimportant, affair was that in which the
torpedo-boat _Winslow_ engaged off Cardenas Bay.
The _Winslow_ and gunboat _Machias_ were on the blockade off Cardenas.
In the harbour, defended by thickly strewn mines and torpedoes, three
small gunboats had been bottled up since the beginning of the war.
Occasionally they stole out toward the sea, but never venturing beyond the
inner harbour, running like rabbits at sight of the American torpedo
boats.
Finally a buoy was moored by Spaniards inside the entrance of the bay to
mark the position for the entrance of the gunboats. The signal-station on
the shore opposite was instructed to notify the gunboats inside when the
torpedo-boats were within the limit distance marked by the buoy.
The scheme was that the gunboats could run out, open fire at a one-mile
range thus marked off for them, and retreat without the chance of being
cut off. The men of the _Winslow_ eyed this buoy and guessed its purpose,
but did not attempt to remove it.
On the afternoon of the eighth the _Machias_ stood away to the eastward
for a jaunt, and the _Winslow_ was left alone to maintain the blockade.
In a short time she steamed toward Cardenas Harbour. There was great
excitement at the signal-station, and flags fluttered hysterically. The
three gunboats slipped their cables and went bravely out to their safety
limit.
Three bow 6-pounders were trained at two thousand yards. In a few minutes
the shore signals told them that the torpedo-boat was just in range. Every
Spaniard aboard prepared to see the Americans blown out of the water.
Three 6-pounders crackled, and three shells threw waterspouts around the
_Winslow_, but she was not struck. Instead of running away, she upset
calculations by driving straight ahead, attacking the boats, and
Lieutenant Bernado no sooner saw the first white smoke puffs from the
Spanish guns than he gave the word to the men already stationed at the two
forward 1-pounders, which barked viciously and dropped shot in the middle
of the flotilla.
On plunged the _Winslow_ to within fifteen hundred yards of the gunboats,
while the row raised by the rapid-fire 1-pounders was like a rattling
tattoo.
The Spaniards were apparently staggered at this fierce onslaught,
single-handed, and fired wildly. The _Winslow_ swung around broadside to,
to bring her two after guns to bear as the Spanish boats scattered and
lost formation.
The _Winslow_ soon manœuvred so that she was peppering at all three
gunboats at once. The sea was very heavy, and the knife-like torpedo-boat
rolled so wildly that it was impossible to do good gun practice, but
despite this big handicap, the rapidity of her fire and the remarkable
effectiveness of her guns demoralised all three opponents, which, after
the _Winslow_ had fired about fifty shells, began to gradually work back
toward the shelter of the harbour.
They were still hammering away with their 6-pounders, but were wild.
Several shells passed over the _Winslow_. One exploded a hundred feet
astern, but the others fell short.
At last a 1-pounder from the _Winslow_ went fair and true, and struck the
hull of the _Lopez_ a little aft of amidships, apparently exploding on the
inside.
The _Winslow_ men yelled. The _Lopez_ stopped, evidently disabled, while
one of her comrades went to her assistance. By this time the Spanish boats
had retreated nearly inside, where they could not be followed because of
the mines. The _Lopez_ got under way slowly and limped homeward with the
help of a towline from her consort.
During this episode the _Machias_ had returned, and when within a two-mile
range let fly two 4-inch shells from her starboard battery, which
accelerated the Spanish flight. But the flotilla managed to creep back
into Cardenas Harbour in safety, and under the guns of the shore-battery.
The Spanish gunboats that lured the _Winslow_ into the death-trap were the
_Antonio Lopez_, _Lealtad_, and _Ligera_. During the fight the two former
retreated behind the wharves, and the _Ligera_ behind the key. It was the
_Antonio Lopez_ that opened fire on the _Winslow_ and decoyed her into the
channel. The Spanish troops formed on the public square, not daring to go
to the wharves. All the Spanish flags were lowered, as they furnished
targets, and the women and children fled to Jovellanos.
Off Havana during the afternoon the fishing-smack _Santiago Apostal_ was
captured by the U. S. S. _Newport_.
The U. S. S. _Yale_ captured the Spanish steamer _Rita_ on the eighth, but
did not succeed in getting the prize into port until the thirteenth. The
_Rita_ was loaded with coal, from Liverpool to Porto Rico.
The bread riots in Spain continued throughout the day. At Linates a crowd
of women stormed the town hall and the civil guard fired upon them,
killing twelve. _El Pais_, the popular republican newspaper in Madrid, was
suppressed; martial law was declared at Badajos and Alicante.
_May 9._ Congress passed a joint resolution of thanks to Commodore Dewey;
the House passed a bill increasing the number of rear-admirals from six to
seven, and the Senate passed a bill to give Dewey a sword, and a bronze
memorative medal to each officer and man of his command.
The record of the navy for the day was summed up in the capture of the
fishing-smack _Fernandito_ by the U. S. S. _Vicksburg_, and the capture of
the Spanish schooner _Severito_ by the U. S. S. _Dolphin_.
The rioting in Spain was not abated; martial law was proclaimed in
Catalonia.
_May 10._ The steamer _Gussie_ sailed from Tampa, Florida, with two
companies of the First Infantry, and munitions and supplies for Cuban
insurgents.
Rioting in Spain was the report by cable; in Alicante the mob sacked and
burned a bonded warehouse.
_May 11._ Running from Cienfuegos, Cuba, at daybreak on the morning of May
11th, were three telegraph cables. The fleet in the neighbourhood
consisted of the cruiser _Marblehead_, which had been on the station three
weeks, the gunboat _Nashville_, which had been there two weeks, and the
converted revenue cutter _Windom_, which had arrived two days before. The
station had been a quiet one, except for a few brushes with some Spanish
gunboats, which occasionally ventured a very little way out of Cienfuegos
Harbour. They had last appeared on the tenth, but had retreated, as usual,
when fired on.
Commander McCalla of the _Marblehead_, ranking officer, instructed
Lieutenant Anderson to call for volunteers to cut the cable early on the
morning of the eleventh. Anderson issued the call on both the cruiser and
the gunboat, and three times the desired number of men offered to serve.
No one relented, even after repeated warnings that the service was
especially dangerous.
“I want you men to understand,” Anderson said, “that you are not ordered
to do this work, and are not obliged to.”
The men nearly tumbled over one another in their eagerness to be selected.
In the end, the officer had simply the choice of the entire crew of the
two ships.
A cutter containing twelve men, and a steam launch containing six, were
manned from each ship, and a guard of marines and men to man the 1-pounder
guns of the launches, were put on board. In the meantime the _Marblehead_
had taken a position one thousand yards offshore opposite the Colorado
Point lighthouse, which is on the east side of the narrow entrance to
Cienfuegos Harbour, just east of the cable landing, and, with the
_Nashville_ a little farther to the west, had begun shelling the beach.
The shore there is low, and covered with a dense growth of high grass and
reeds. The lighthouse stood on an elevation, behind which, as well as
hidden in the long grass, were known to be a large number of rifle-pits,
some masked machine guns, and 1-pounders. These the Spaniards deserted as
fast as the ships’ fire reached them. As the enemy’s fire slackened and
died out, the boats were ordered inshore.
They advanced in double column. The launches, under Lieutenant Anderson
and Ensign McGruder of the _Nashville_, went ahead with their
sharpshooters and gunners, looking eagerly for targets, while the cutters
were behind with the grappling-irons out, and the men peering into the
green water for a sight of the cables. At a distance of two hundred feet
from shore the launches stopped, and the cutters were sent ahead.
The first cable was picked up about ninety feet offshore. No sooner had
the work of cutting it been begun than the Spanish fire recommenced, the
soldiers skulking back to their deserted rifle-pits and rapid-fire guns
through the high grass. The launches replied and the fire from the ships
quickened, but although the Spanish volleys slackened momentarily, every
now and then they grew stronger.
The men in the boats cut a long piece out of the first cable, stowed it
away for safety, and then grappled for the next. Meantime the Spaniards
were firing low in an evident endeavour to sink the cutters, but many of
their shots fell short. The second cable was finally found, and the men
with the pipe-cutters went to work on it.
Several sailors were kept at the oars to hold the cutters in position, and
the first man wounded was one of these. No one else in the boat knew it,
however, till he fainted in his seat from loss of blood. Others took the
cue from this, and there was not a groan or a complaint from the two
boats, as the bullets, that were coming thicker and faster every minute,
began to bite flesh.
The men simply possessed themselves with heroic patience, and went on with
the work. They did not even have the satisfaction of returning the Spanish
fire, but the marines in the stern of the boat shot hard enough for all.
The second cable was finally cut, and the third, a smaller one, was
grappled and hoisted to the surface. The fire of the Spanish had reached
its maximum. It was estimated that one thousand rifles and guns were
speaking, and the men who handled them grew incautious, and exposed
themselves in groups here and there.
“Use shrapnel,” came the signal, and can after can exploded over the
Spaniards, causing them to break and run to cover.
This cover was a sort of fortification behind the lighthouse, and to this
place they dragged a number of their machine guns, and again opened fire
on the cutter. The shots from behind the lighthouse could not be answered
so well from the launches, and the encouraged Spaniards fired all the
oftener.
Man after man in the boats was hit, but none let a sound escape him. Like
silent machines they worked, grimly hacking and tearing at the third
cable. During half an hour they laboured, but the fire from behind the
lighthouse was too deadly, and, reluctantly, at Lieutenant Anderson’s
signal, the cable was dropped and the boats retreated.
The work had lasted two hours and a half.
The _Windom_, which had laid out of range with a collier, was now ordered
in, and the surgeon called to attend the wounded. The _Windom_ was
signalled to shell the lighthouse, which had not been fired on before,
according to the usages of international law. It had been used as a
shelter by the Spaniards. The revenue cutter’s rapid-fire guns riddled the
structure in short order, and soon a shell from the 4-inch gun, which was
in charge of Lieut. R. O. Crisp, struck it fair, exploded, and toppled it
over.
With the collapse of their protection the Spaniards broke and ran again,
the screaming shrapnel bursting all around them.
At the fall of the lighthouse the _Marblehead_ signalled, “Well done,” and
then a moment later, “Cease firing.”
The only man killed instantly was a marine named Eagan. A sailor from one
of the boats died of his wounds on the same day. Commander Maynard of the
_Nashville_ was grazed across the chest, and Lieutenant Winslow was
wounded in the hand.
The list of casualties resulting from this display of heroism was two
killed, two fatally and four badly wounded. The Spanish loss could not be
ascertained, but it must necessarily have been heavy.
[Illustration: U. S. S. CHICAGO.]