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About The Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1898)
M I I I I t 1 I S d -- i iinmif 1 mi - i I SAN JDAN IS SHELLED Sampsons Shots Soon Reduce Spanish Batteries PORTO RICAN CAPITAL FALLS Antiquated Morro Fort Quickly Leveled to a Heap of Ruins GOOD WORK OF OUR GUNNERS -Americans Force Capitulation with the Loss of but One Sailor Bent of Spanish Power in Porto Kico Attacked by Oar Big Warships Huge Guns of the Iowa Fire First Shots Terrific Cannonade Follows in Which the Iand Defenders Suffer Great Damage and Ioss of Iife In habitants of the Stricken Town and Foreign Consuls Flee in Terror from the City to the Open Country Washington special Admiral Sampson and the fleet of Amer ican warships that followed the cruiser New York from the Havana blockade have contributed a new chapter to the glorious naval history of the United States San Juan de Forto Rico has gone - VIII I J fj KEAK ADMIRAL W T SAMPSON down under the destructive and deadly fire of the great guns of the battleships Iowa and Indiana monitors Amphitrite and Puritan and -the cruisers New York -Montgomery and Detroit Admiral Samp son says in his official report t the Sec retary of the Navy that one man was kill ed on board the New York and seven slightly wounded in the squadron No se rious damage to any ships resulted The ancient walls and fortifications of the city that was founded nearly 400 years ago by Ponce de Leon crumbled be fore the matchless gunnery of the Ameri can bluejackets as if they had been con structed of paper and their defenders were either killed or wounded by the 1000 pound shells from the thirteen inch guns of the monitors and battleships Great breaches were shot through the walls overhanging the bay and the moni tors by working close to these were en abled to send their terrible broadsides right through the city itself The fighting began right after sunrise Thursday morn ing When the sentries in the ornamental boxes that adorn the sea wall of the town got their first glimpse of the sea their hearts must have jumped into their mouths for there before their eyes steam ing defiantly and majestically past the old lighthouse toward the mouth of the iharbor were the eight floating engines of war for whose coming they had looked through weary and anxious night vigils The Iowa with her biggest guns protrud ing from her forward turret and eager impatient bluejackets gathered behind the breeches waiting for the signal to shoot led the way The ships glided into the harbor one after another moving as noiselessly as e 23tf jig v err WiiaSBDnii wml m FORTIFICATION AT SAN JUAN Dewey ran the batteries of Gorregidor iwhen he stole upon Montejo at Manila Their decks were cleared for action every gun was shotted and every man was at his station As they uearcd the mouth of the bay Admiral Sampsons plan of battle began to be apparent to the dazed and seemingly paralyzed Spaniards The Iowa swung to nort heading directly for the ioned circular castle that has been known as the Morro of San Juan The Indiana followed in her wake at a distance oX about oC0 yards The New York went to Starboard followed by the monitors and Puritan The Detroit fol lowed the admiral and the Montgomery went with the battleships in the direction of the castle Presently the flags that conveyed the words Remember the Maine the shib boleth of revenge to every man who sails under the Stars and Stripes were snapr ping from the masthead of the flagship New York Scarcely had they been run up and their the Ameri import comprehended by eager can sailors when Fighting Bob Evans -replied to their command by baugrag away KS22S wPWJr7 Pfc WW HUDSON 9wBW m ft- VoVUNDtRj if I M I nLL T yv Sllgssssas jrrrw i8iimTrWSSggWe5 4 - fgSX2gTetmt9SBSi V4v v- t - 1 O rf rw Jk J IS - - AiZ bad their courage was magnificent They were frightfully handicapped by the ma sonry that was thrown up at every dis charge of an American shell The inhab itants of San Juan fled in terror as soon as they heard the first discharges of the guns of the Iowa and Indiana The foreign consuls followed the refugees into the country and the volunteers fled Location of San Juan San Juan is 1000 miles due southeast from Havana 500 miles from Cape Maisi the eastern tip of Cuba and only 1600 miles from New York The nearest port is St Thomas distant only sixty nine miles The city of San Juan is situated on an island in the bay and is connected with the main island by a bridge and causeway of ancient military construction It is inclosed by a heavy wall of stone that is from fifty to one hundred feet high in places The harbor is one of the finest in the world It offers a safe anchorage to vessels of all sizes Next to Cuba Porto Rico is the richest and most desirable of Spains possessions It possesses an ideal climate and vast resources Its popula tion is nearly S00000 90 per cent of whom are negroes and mulattoes The reduction and occupation of Porto Rico were determined on just as soon as the news of Deweys victory came from Manila The port of San Juan was the onlv harbor where a Spanish fleet coming to this side of the Atlantic for a fight could take refuge Its capture leaves them to the mercy of the open sea and the American squadrons Onlv seven shots were fired from the guns of the American fleet before Morro fort was a crumbling ruin Her guns were silent and her gunners killed or in flight Then the attack on the land bat teries began and the fortifications about the Government buildings and the palace were assailed The cruisers did effective service here and soon the postoffice and the governors palace were tumbled about the heads of the officials the guns dis mounted or abandoned The town sur rendered at 6 oclock in the evening The battleship Iowa fired 250 shots the cruis er Detroit fired 180 During the last half of the bombardment the warships guns did terrible execution Gen Schofield president of the Nation al Volunteer Reserves says that organ ization is assuming immense proportions Vcfoi f4 H a l t 1 on K A KTO rrrrts jjsSBssssssi V SJK JL V 8 Kyn o h t rr g K aF 5S r S L A N D E MAP SHOWING PORTO RICO AND NEIGHBORING WATERS cessful occupation of the islands Gen Merritt will be made the military gov ernor STARVATION REIGNS IN HAVANA Prices for Food Rival Those that Ob tain in the Klondike The city of Havana is a sad sight There are still a few of the reconcentra dos about the streets now but starvation has ended the misery of most of them and their bones have been thrown into the trenches outside of the city Starvation now faces the Spanish citizens them selves Havana is a graveyard Two thirds of the inhabitants have fled The prices rival those of Klondike Beef steak is 1 a pound Chickens are 15 each Flour is 50 a barrel Every thing is being confiscated for Blancos army Sleek well fed persons are daily threatened with death to make them di vulge the whereabouts of their hidden stores of provisions Several provision stores in the side streets have been brok en into and looted Blanco has personally taken command of Mariena battery and is directing the erection of new sand batteries all along the water front west of the entrance to Havana bay Lieut Gen Perrado is making GHanabacoa his headquarters and is planting new batteries and strengthening the fortifications as much as possible Over 300 drayman are en gaged in the hauling of san3 from the mouth of Almandres for use- in the con imAy - - tkEar fc 1 jjyiEggp P n jgr ry mai1aSS9 VESSELS AND MEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE CARDENAS FIQHT at the old castle with one of the Iowas twelve inch guns He did not wait for the specific signal to commence firing Remember the Maine was devised to remind the seamen of the treacherous murder of 206 of their fellows in Havana and it was enough to precipitate the bom bardment of San Juan de Porto Rico The Iowas shell struck fair and plump and a section of the castle nearly as big as the side of a gunboat crumbled as if the ground had sunk under it The In diana cut loose one of her cannon at the same mark and before the effect of the shot could be seen the Iowa had swung broadside to the fortification and emptied every gun on her starboard side The shore guns began to reply Half a dozen of them were fired at the same time from the turrets of the castle but the men on the battleships were not sure whether they were aimed at themselves or the Yale three miles away The Spaniards were poor marksmen and Admiral Samp son was not long in discovering this fact He moved the New York to closer quar ters Her eight and six inch guns fired almost with the rapidity of Maxims were soon pumping shot and shell into the for tifications with deadly accuracy and exe cution The other cruisers followed the example of the flagship raking the entire sea wall from end to end The monitors began creeping closer and closer to the wall The Puritan got within 800 yards of the castle and at that range her big guns pounded one hole after another un til the ancient defense looked as if it would fall of its own weight The Am phitrite did similar service at the other end The Iowa and Indiana concentrat ed their fire on the castle until its de fenders were forced out and its guns si lenced At times for a period of five and even ten minutes smoke hung in such dense clouds that the Spaniards could not see the ships nor could the Americans see the fortifications The gunners on the ships did not need the walls before their eyes to continue the execution which was begun with the first shot They had the range of the wall That was enough for them and their shells shrapnel and solid shot swept one position after another de stroyed guns exploded ammunition crum bled bastions and killed Spaniards just as if their targets were in plain sight It is to the credit of the Spaniards who defended San Juanthat they put up a gallant and even dogged resistance They stuck to their guns until they were de stroyed or disabled and if their aim was AID FOR DEWEY Cruiser Charleston Is Ordered to the Philippines The Navy Department ordered the cruiser Charleston at San Francisco to proceed at once to Manila without wait ing for the City of Pekin The Charles ton is loaded with ammunition for Ad miral Deweys squadron It was consid ered advisable to get this ammunition to Dewey as soon as possible that he may be prepared for any emergency The cam paign in the Philippines is to be carried forward at the same time with the cam paign in Cuba and Porto Rico Troops are to be sent to Manila as soon as they can go on board the City of Pekin The purpose is to send enough troops to Ma nila to take possession and hold it This WILLJ EVER FORGET IT 57 Government will be responsible for order and peace in Manila If 12000 are not enough another 12000 will be sent Or ders were issued by Major Gen Miles di recting that all of the troops from the six States west of the Mississippi river which had been intended for mobilization at Chickamauga national park and at Wash ington D C proceed as soon as possible to San Francisco Major Gen Wesley Merritt commanding the Department of the East goes to the Philippine Islands in charge of the expedition sent to re-enforce Admiral Dewey He is accompan ied by Gen Otis In the event of struction of the earthworks along the coast The streets are riotous with half drunken Spanish volunteers crying for American and Cuban blood At night the city is wrapped in darkness ana arA electric lights being shut off by order of Blanco Spanish soldiers are taking ad vantage of this to commit shocking out rages upon unprotected Cuban families In spite of these direful circumstances Blanco ordered the decoration of the city hoping to incite -the patriotism of the pop ulace ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND READY This Number of United States Troops Available for Armies of Occupation On Saturday the War Department rer ported that there had been mustered into the service of the United States 75000 volunteers With the 25000 regulars now in the fleld this gives an available force of 100000 ready for service Constant dditions will be made until tiie entire P acy for Ct4T TT9 T--T-- e rr orce or lzouuv volunteers ana iv regulars is ready This will enable the administration to send armies of occupa tion wherever needed and to maintain suf ficient reserves for coast defenses Every energy has been put forth by the War De partment to get in motion the army of oc cupation for Cuba Haste is necessary in this instance so that the department may next get in readiness the second ex pedition for the Philippines After that will come the army of occupation for Porto Rico Because of the large number of Spanish troops in Porto Rico it is very probable that at least 15000 men will be sent in the first division and even a larger number may be necessary to hold the island RIOT IN MILAN Three Hundred Persons Reported Killed and a Thousand Wouudedt Sunday was a terrible day for Milan Italy The bread riots are increasing in violence and in many cases the troops are powerless to repress the uprising About 1 oclock Sunday afternoon a ver itable battle occurred in the Via Somtra rie Thousands of tiles and chimneys were hurled from the roofs upon the troops who were compelled to retire A similar fight took place in the Via Tori no and it is believed that no fewer than 300 were killed and 1000 injured Eight thousand troops are quartered in the city The law courts schools and public offices are closed and guarded by artillery The mobs are well organized They marched in columns from the different city gates and converged upon the center of the town The troops horse foot and artillery bivouacked in the Piazzo del Duomo and troops were pouring into the city throughout the night Twenty five of the sixty aiine provinces of Italy are now under martial law MAS3ACRES IN MANILA Oppressed Natives Seek Revenge on Spanish Masters According to Shanghai advices massa cres are reported to have occurred out side of Manila the insurgents butchering even the Spanish women and children It is reported that Admiral Montejo the commander of the Spanish fleet who caped from Cavite by running along the shore to- Manila witn ins two sons was killed by the populace of the latter place It is added that the Hospital of San Roquei filled with Spanish soldiers was accidentally set on fire by shells from the Boston and that Sisters of Charity were kiHed by a native mob while removing the- wounded Spanish Warship Snnk A cablegram from Hong Kong based on reports made by officers of a trading vessel that came from the Philippines tells of a fierce battle off Iloito between x Spanish gxmboat and the United States gunboat Concord The Spanish boat was blown up and sank with colors flying It was assisted by land batteries but no damage was done to the Concord or her crew It is- stated that there are only two Spanish vessels remaining in Asiatic wat ers One is now in dry dock at Hong Kong and of course will not be permitted- to leave The cruiser Boston is re ported to be searching for the other with order to capture or destroy it Au gustin Says 61 S Are Killed An official dispatch received at Madrid from Gen Augustin governor general of the Philippines by way of Laban Borneo says The enemy seized Cavite and the arsenal owing to the destruction of the Spanish squadron and established a close blockade A thousand sailors arrived here yesterday evening from our destroy- j ed squadron the losses of which number- 1 61S r - U S TROOPS AT TAMPA EMBARKING FOR CUBA rrfTl523SgS553 1 iimwiiii BATTLE AT CAftDENAS FIVE MEN KILLED ON THE TOR PEDO BOAT WINSLOW Fierce Conflict with Spanish Gunboats and Shore Batteries Solid ShofDis ables Little American Vessel and a Shell Explodes in Midst of Her Crew American Blood Spilled Key West speclal The gunboats Wilmington and Hudson and the torpedo boat Wiusiuw had a light with the Spaniards in the harbor of Car denas Cuba Wednesday afternoon willi the result that five Americans were killed and a number wounded The firing con tinued for thirtv five minute and was terrific The Winslow was shot through and through The little American fleet entered the harbor for the purpose of at tacking some Spanish gunboats which were known to be there These latter however were not discovered by the American force until the Spaniards opened fire from a masked battery Look outs on board could see the main batteries some mile and a half ahead but had no bii ul u iiiuaKuu uattery xne Doai rn n aI J shore whSTOutfefflSH w yards from and neavy cauuuu ywiuxzu w -- Spanish were too close to miss Heavy ADMIRiTi MONTEJO solid shot and shells hit all about the tor pedo boat A solid shot tore through her hull and the forward boiler blew up but her men did not flinch Another shot tore away her rudder and she drifted help lessly The Hudson steamed into the har bor and took the Winslow in tow The hawsers were scarcely fast when a shell burst directly over the damaged boat Lieut Bagley was instantly killed and four of his men who were working the rapid fire guns fell with him The Wil mington had reached easy range about this time and opened with its heavy guns The Spaniards turned their fire on the Wilmington and it was hit by a dozen shots Until the Winslow was safely out of the harbor the Wilmington bore the brunt of the battle The Spanish batter ies were silenced eventually and a number of men killed and wounded Several Spanish gunboats seeing a chance to get revenge for the inconve nience to which they had been subjected by our blockaders entered into the bat tle from a safe distance noting that the American vessels had all they could do to take care of the shore batteries TROOPS TO CUBAi Sixty Thousand Soldiers Under Gen eral Miles to Be Rushed Forward President McKiuley and his advisers at the cabinet meeting Tuesday decided up on an immediate invasion of Cuba Troops to the number of 60000 will be landed it is stated1 officially as soon as arrange ments for transporting men ammunition and provisions- are completed The entire army stationed at Chickamauga park was ordered to the front The First and Tenth Cavalry to New Orleans the Sec ond Cavalry to Mobile the Third and Sixth to Tampa The entire infantry goes to Tampnv The transport Gnasie sailed from Tam pa for Cuba amidst a din of cheers bear ing the first regular troops of the United States to Cuban- soil The docks were thronged with enthusiastic people who could only guess what was going to hap pen next and when it would occur The Gussie carried a large cargo of mis cellaneous supplies for the Cubans There were hundreds of cases of the old Spring- i i tj s cbuiseb Charleston field rifles forty-five-caliber with accom panying ammunition and there were alsc large quantities ofohiarmy muskets such as were used in the- civil war Pbwdei and ball galore went with them Hos pital supplies of every description wenl witli the hospital attendants Twenty-two- Cubans clad in the new canvas uni form of the United- States soldiers wenl wiith the two companies of the First In fantry Plan More- Work for Dewey The administration is considering an I informal way of giving Admiral Dewey more hostile work to do in the far East While no definite program has beea ar ranged it appears to be the intention oi the Government to send the Asiatic squadron which gained such a woaderful victory at -Manila to Spains posses sions in the Pacific the Carolina and the Ladrone islands Nothing wili be done in this direction however until the mili tary force of the United States has occu pied Manila and left the American squad ron free to go elsewhere To Scrutinize All Messages The United States Government has no tified all the cable companies that they are forbidden to transmit messages to or from Spanish officials any code or cipher mes sages to or from the West Indies Vene zuela and Brazil and all open messages that may convey information Inimical to the interests of the United States daring the war with Spain 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 WHEAT REACHES SI85 May Crop Goes to Best Price for Farm ers Since 1877 May wheat sold up to 185 in Chicago Tuesday and July touched 120 but re acted some Following are the net advances of Sat urday and for the week and Saturdays closing prices for wheat in the principal speculative markets of the world the Chicago figures being given first Advance- Advance Month cents for week V UV 5 September 3 4 NEW YORK May 16 41 Juiy 4 10 MINNEAPOLIS Cash 14 3it Mar 14 31 July 11 24 riTTTTTTTT sh 17 iiy 18 July 19 ST LOUIS May is July i 4 Spot No 1 Xorthn July Decline 1 3 September 1 PARIS May 4 September 2 1875 130 1S96 41 40 30ft 25 LIVERPOOL YS 12 15 17U 4 Closing price 1G7 108 STft lGO 113 1 45 145 135 15S 157 144 135 08 15396-1-54 1 48 lim 150 150T Following are the top prices for con- 1860 113 1881 1861 125 1882 Mc 140 92 1883 115 22C 155 203 295 220 247 1SS4 1885 1SSG 18S7 18SS v 113 91 84 04 200 18S9 108 1890 131 1891 132 1892 101 1893 140 1894 128 1895 1 R76 120 1897 11G 91 8S G5VL 85 94 109 1878 1 76 1S9S 170 1879 1 14 HIGH PRICES RULE IN DAWSON Scores Would Ieave if Certafn of Beaching Civilization William Newton has arrived in Taco nia from Dawson having started out April 2 He has little to say himself but brought out letters which detail conditions at Dawson up to the time he left When Ee left Dawson was suffering from an epidemic of scurvy caused by improper food or rather lack of variety in diet The hospital was crowded with patients and others were sick in cabins The health conditions were worse than ever before and no doubt exists- that many deaths will occur before the miners are able to take the river steamers to civili zation This feeling is so general that dozens would come out overland if certain they could reach tide waters safely ut this season March was unusually warm in the Klondike country and the snow melted rapidly C C Pagett writing on March 29 says many new buildings were being started Lumber was hard to get at 150 per 1000 and dressed lumber at 250 It was impossible to obtain nails 4 and 5 a pound being the lowest prices quoted for eight and ten penny Wooden pegs were being used instead Twelve or fif teen horses have survived the winter and the owners are earning big money haul ing logs Many dog teams are engaged in the same work Food prices were high flour 50 per sack lard 5 per pound but ter 3 per pound and other provisions on the same scale Very few had anything to sell Real estate prices were also sky ward Two- front street lots near the old opera house sitey brought 40000 ia March Prices of all unsold lots have been raised from- 100 to 1000 each Considerable speculating is going on ia the buying andi seHIng of dumps GREAT LOSS OF LIFE FEARED- Waterspouts- and- Tornadoes Play iiavoc in Arkansas Waterspouts and tosnadoes have played havoc at Van Burec Ark and done hundreds of thousands of dollars dam ages Three houses- were blown down at Rudy and it is reported that Winslow a summer resort on the top of Boston Mountain is entirely gone Two bridges on the Frisco Railroad over Clear Creek have been swept away and the road aban4 doned The Kansas anil Arkansas Valleyj Road had a two-mile- washout and 3001 yards landslide t The Arkansas Riveris twenty five milesj wide in places- and is- four inches highert than it wns inlS92 which was the high 4 est on recordl Boats have been busy inr the bottoms rescuing the inhabitants Thousands wero rescued and it is feared that many have been drowned Two houses were- seen goih down the river but boatmen could not reach them The destruction by-floods- in the Grand Verdi gris and Arkansas bottoms is reported ta be enormous It has been raining in parts cf the Indian Territory almost continu ously for-five-days and the surrounding eountry is- flooded Much property north of Muskogee- has been destroyed and large numbers- ofr stock are reported drowned Relief parties are at work at tempting to rescue the people caught in the floods intile loiviassds of the Grand and Verdigris A small skiff containing a woman and three- children capsized and the occupants- were reported drowned in the high waters- of the South Canadian near Eufaula Another report states that seventeen families have perished in the floods of that swift stream Th few yr j 1 5Jverybody is agreed that Spain bgaa hostilities by firing Minister Woodfoad Advice to Gen Weylor Go to Cu ba young man and blow up with the eoun try If Spain can do it she would better trade a little of her honor for gunpow der How lucky is it that Steve jRrodie haa never thought of burning his bridges at ter him Roosevelts Rough Riders will teach the Spaniards the three rs in the curricu lum of war And now Missouri is said to have form ed a mule trust Its a new idea to hava any trust in mules r V A n hi