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About Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190? | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1898)
r V The Hemingford Herald. 1 . VOLUME IV. HEMINGEORD, BOX BUTTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1898. NUMBER 21. X T S FIGHTING NEAR SANTIAGO SPANIARDS MAKE A DESPER ATE RESISTANCE. Thrilling Account of Two Days' Fighting by Our Brave Soldiers on Cuban Soil Many are Killed and Wounded. San Juan Hill, Overlooking Santiago, July 4. Friday and Saturday, two day of the most terrlllc lighting, in which more than 800 of our brave soldier have been killed and wounded, have not sufficed to rorce the Spaniards to lay down their arms. Our field bat teries look down on the city from all Hides, and are constantly pouring an awful fire Into the Spanish fortifica tions. Our brave men face the deadly fife of the Spaniards ns they lie in their intrenchments, struggling for ev ery Inch of ground. The Spanish soldiers are fighting like demons, but our men are forcing them back constantly, mowing them down by hundreds and never yielding the Ich of ground that is gained now and again. Outside of the harbor Samp son's fleet hurls broadsides of death at old Morro castle with awful precision. Every whistling, shrieking shell tells on the city's defenses. The hills and valleys have been laid waste by the withering volleys. Accompanying this is the Incessant roar of the field pieces and the rattle and crash of the mus ketry. At this hour Morro castle looks more like n heap of ruins than massive for tifications. The batteries have been all but silenced. The Spanish flag, which still floats over Mdrro, hangs In tatters, and Is the only one in sight at this time on the south coast of Cuba. Great yawning holes appear In the masonry and in the adjoining earthworks. TWO DAYS' FIGHTING. To give a complete account of these two days of incessant fighting is all but Impossible, but the Journal corre spondents have advanced steadily with the line of battle, observing closely every movement of Shafter's heroic army and following with equal care the dogged retreat of the enemy's lines. Couriers were sent from the front of Slboney, reaching here late In the aft ernoon, Just one week after the terrific battle of the rough riders, with a de tachment of the Spanish army, which lay In ambush for them. Shafter's men are in position to make the final, Irresistible attack. The en tire army thoroughly understands the situation, and now well knows every foot of ground that must be covered before the city falls. The doomed city lies six miles from the sea at the head of the harbor, sur rounded on nil sides by high mountains starting up from the sea In ridges. San tiago lies between the first and second of these foothills. Thus Santiago Is a walled city, -walled by nature herself. Shufter firmly believed that the best way to wrest Santiago from the enemy was by a siege, but he yielded to argu ments In favor of an attack, and de cided to advance against the city at once with never a stop In the battle. The American army had the city practically surrounded by Thursday. The plan of attack, which had been agreed upon after a council of war, at which all the great leaders were pres ent, was for a joint movement of the fleet nnd army on Aguadores. The ar my alone was to move against Caney and San Juan, the fleet diverting the enemy's attention by occasional bom bardments. Just at sunrise Captain Capron fired the first gun, the signal for the first day's terrible battle. At G o'clock the lighting began in earnest. The sharp rattle of musketry resounded over the hillsides, punctuated with the roar from Grimes' guns. Then there was a pause, but no reply came from the enemy. Another volley and still an other, and yet there was no answering shot. It began to look as if the Span iards were not in battle mood. ONSET OF THE CUBANS. The Cuban insurgents, who were de ployed In front of the attucking army, were led to the belief that the Spaniards were under full retreat. A thousand Cubans, under Garcia and Castillo, hur ried along the road toward Caney to head off the retreating Spaniards. They were Just In time to overtake the flee ing enemy at the Ducurnnce estate, where there was a hot fight, lasting for several minutes. The Spaniards fell back on Caney, taking with them their wounded.- Nineteen Cubans were wounded In this brief engagemet. In the meantime, Captain Capron's battery kept up an Incessant firing. Twenty-seven shots were fired, with never an answer from the enemy. The Spaniards, driven back by the sharp volleys of musketry, now began to fight desperately. The shells from Captain Capron's battery landed In the town, but did no damage to the fortifications. At the twenty-eighth shot the Span lards opened fire with thel- heavy guns. A sharp whistle near Capron's bat tery, followed by nn explosion, was the first Spanish Bhell hurled from the Relnn Mercedes battery. Another and still another followed. Their aim at Capron's battery was wild, but one shell fell on a house, some distance away, where a group of American sol diers were firing at the Spanish. Three were wounded. EVERY SHELL TELLS. Now the American battery began sending shells In quicker succession, straight at the enemy's earthworks. Every shot told. After the first few shots the enemy's fire improved vastly. Their guns seemed to be handled by masters. The firing on both sides ceased after an hour. In the meantime Grimes' battery at 121 Pazo opened fire on the enemy, send ing shell after shell across the gulch to the hill below San Juan. The enemy made no reply till the tenth shot. Then shells suddenly began to whistle out of the enemy's fortifications and burst over the Americans. The Spanish lino of fire was excellent, but too high at first. The Tenth cavalry and the rough rid ers were lying along the hillside, under cover of the bushes. Shell and shrnp nel were raining over them while they cracked Jokes at each other. Not a man was hurt seriously. For half an hour shells whistled and shrieked on both sides, while the Spaniards on the hilltops were surrounded by a great cloud of yellow dust, thrown up by the shells. Still they continued to fire too high. At the expiration of a half hour the Spanish position got too hot for com fort. Their battery was suddenly si lenced, nnd when the dust cleared not a Spaniard was to be seen. The rough riders, the Tenth nnd First cavnlry were ordered to mnkc a de tour and take the hill where the Span ish battery hnd been planted. Then be gnn the real battle of the day. The Spanish were nowhere to be seen, but when the rough riders advanced across the gulch to the slope below the block house the enemy opened a sharp fire again. The first shell wounded Mason Mit chell, a Cuban trooper, and Surgeon Devore. At the snme time the enemy's sharp shooters began peppering nwny nt the Americans, picking off a man here nnd there ns the line ndvonced. ROOSEVELT IN THE LEAD. Roosevelt, mounted, led the Tenth cavalry, which was lined nlongslde the rough riders. The Spanish fire grew hotter nnd hotter. The heroic men be gan to drop In twos and threes by the time they came to the open, smooth hillside, which offered no protection from the enemy's deadly volleys. A perfect storm of shot and shell swept the hillside. There was a mo ment's hesitation along the line. Then the order wns "forward, charge'Roose velt was In the lead, waving his sword. Out Into the open and up the hill where denth seemed certain, In the face of the continuous crackle of the Mausers, came the rough riders with the Tenth cavalry nlongslde. Not a man flinched, all continuing to lire as they ran. Roosevelt was o hundred feet nliend of his troops, yelling like n Sioux, while his own men and the colored cavuh-y cheered ns they chnrged up the hill. There wns no stopping as their neigh bors fell, but pn they went, faster and faster. Sudenly Roosevelt's horse stopped, pawed the air a moment and fell in a heap. Before the horse wns' down Roosevelt disengaged himself from the saddle, nnd landing on his feet, again yelled to his men, nnd sword In hand charged on foot. It was some thing terrible to watch these men rnce up that hill with death. Fast as they were going it seemed that they would never reach the crest. They did not stop to fire, but poured In rifle shots as they marched In the ranks. "We could clearly see the won derful work the dusky veterans of the Tenth were doing. Such splendid shoot ing was probably never done under such conditions. As fast os Spanish fire thinned their ranks, gaps were closed up and after an eternity they gained the top of the hill and rushed the few remaining yards to the Spanish trenches. Had the enemy remained stanch, the slnughter at close range would have been nppalllng.The daring of the Amer icans dazed them. Their fire driveled to nothing. They wavered and then ran. Our fellows dropped to one knee and picked them off like partridges In the brush. The position was won. The blockhouse wns ours. Some of the Spaniards' guns had been abandoned, but a good many they had been able to carry off. Across tho gulch the sol diers wildly cheered the gallnnt Tenth. The Tenth gave tongue to an an swering cheer and rushed on to drive the enemy further. Over the Spanish trenches they tore, passing the Span ish dead. The trenches were full of dead men, but the wounded had been carried off by the retreating foe. In the last wild rush more than half of the rough riders were winded. We had the hill, but Ihe position was peril ous. The enemy's sharpshooters galled us from their rifle pits further along. RECEPTION IN TOWN. The Infantry split In two directions and never ceased firing during the maneuver. This was hot work, but was nothing compared to the reception we got In town. Volleys came from every direction. The Spaniards were well concealed, and their smokeless powder gave them a splendid advantage. Above the edges of the trenches lines of hats were vis ible. The Americans shot the hats to pieces. Thus they uncovered a Spanish ruse; the hats were stuck on sticks, while the Spaniards themselves were In other trenches further along. It was some time before our men learned that the most galling fire was coming from the breastworks in the northeast corner of the town. The fire from this position was blight ing. Our men dropped on their faces, but the Spnnlnrds had the range nnd many of our boys were killed nnd wounded ns they lay there. The offi cers remained erect. Genernl Chaffee was particularly conspicuous. He flashed from one end of his line to the other, calling on his men to remain firm. They did. When they once got the line on this northwest entrenchment every Spaniard who showed himself was picked off by the flre of our men on the ground. The trenches ran with blood. Capron silenced the fort again. The officers gave the word and the men Jumped to their feet nnd, led by their captains, charged right on the fort and ran up the slope. They captured It with hardly n struggle at last. The other divisions, three miles nwny, watched the gallant charge and their cheers were heard by Chaffee's gallant soldier boys. Captain Clark was detailed by General Chaffee to take a block house off to the left. He did It with a single com pany, advancing under an awful flre up nnd over the entrenchments. The Spnnlnrds fled. The battle was won. The Spnnlnrds on the left retreated In the wildest disorder, streaming out of the town by every street that nf-J rordeu an outlet. One hundred and twenty-five of them were cut off nnd captured. The Seventy-first had been following Lawton toward Caney. They found the road taken by the Twenty-fourth und turned off to Join the Sixth nnd Six teenth of the First division of the Fifth army corps. Colonel Kent of the Sixteenth deployed a company of the Seventy-first that had straggled to him us pickets along the road. Cap tain Rnfferty gathered them up and made use of them further along In the fight. CAPTURE A BLOCKHOUSE. A Spanish blockhouse a mile up the hill had been giving us great trouble. Away we went after It, the Sixteenth nhead, the Eighth on the left, the Seventy-first on the right. Rafferty's company held the skirmish line on the wooded side of the hill. Between them and the blockhouse was a half mile of level land without cover. The skirmishers were half way ncross It and were counting on nn easy enpture when the whole hillside blazed. Shot and shell rained among thum. The Spnnlnrds held their flre until our men hnd ndvnneed so far that there wns no chance of their getting back to cover. The slaughter wns awful. The Seventy-first saw whnt hnd happened and dashed madly out In the open, facing the withering flre. Shrapnel burst In their ranks, tearing holes four deep, while the Mauser bullets dropped men all over the field, The Seventy-first never wavered. They closed their ranks as fast ns the Span ish shells tore them open, nnd marched In, pouring a dendly flre nt the Spnn lnrds to save the strlokcn Sixteenth. Their officers ran along the line calling on the men to be cool. The thought of death did not deter a single soldier. Before they were half way ncross the field the Seventy-first hnd lost over seventy men, nnd the fire wns getting more drendful every moment. The enemy wns well protected behind breastworks, but realized that the Amerlcnn line must rench them. They begnn a retreat. Our men broke Into a run, heading full Into the enemy's fierce fire. The blockhouse when tnken wub found crowded with dead Spun Inrds. Outside the hill wns covered with them. The enemy's rifle pits were full of dead and wounded. The Spnnlnrds, In their retreat, left their dead and wounded behind. Every hilltop around Santiago is crowned with n blockhouse and Intrenchments. The dendly nlm of the Americans to tally demolished the enemy's line of battle. They began to waver nnd shoot wildly ns our line ndvanced, nnd then they broke for the renr. The First and Tenth cavnlry enme up with the rough riders nt 3 o'clock In the afternoon. Un daunted by the terrific fight which they had pnssed through, they were ready to advance on the enemy again. The Spnnlnrds poured volley lifter vol ley of shot and shell Into the ranks, but they could no more be stopped than nn avalanche. At 4 o'clock In the nft ernoon General HawklnB ordered nn nssault In force. This wns the key to the Spnnlsh position, the most Im portant point In all the line of nssault. Santiago's chief defense. Hawkins, sword in hand, ever led the way. The flre now came from the sides ns well ns the front nnd the rnnks were being cut to pieces. Still there wns no more wavering. Men fell by tens, but others yelled nnd dashed on. Over the dip of the hill they rushed nnd nt Inst had their enemy in full view. The heights were won, but vic tory had cost us dear. From the posi tion of vnntnge hnd our forces had artillery they could, hnve driven the Spaniards out of Santiago nnd won the fight then and there, but they hnd no ndequate guns. The trenches were full of dead Span lnrds, but In some of our companies there were not over twenty or twenty five men who had not received wounds. That tells the story of one of the fierc est .fights of nil time. DUFFIELD AT AGUADORES. Genernl Duffield and his forceH had done their part at Aguadores, aided by the fleet. The Suwanee started firing on the fortifications to the eastward nnd the Gloucester blnzed awny nt everything. The nlm of the New York wns also true, nnd she raked the shore batteries at every shot. This bombardment wns kept up for nn hour nnd It seemed an If every part of the fort had been hit. Many of the garrison must have been killed. Friday night was a nervous one. The enemy kept up a constnnt flre, although of course they did little damage. All the men that could be spared were en gaged In carrying the wounded back to Slboney. The dead were being burled on the battlefield. The fighting began nt 5 o'clock In the morning ngaln. The Spnnlnrds opened the day with a desperate attempt to recapture San Juan. As soon as they came on they were driven back with awful losses. Our Hotchklss guns mowed them down by platoons. Our men drove them until they were back Into their third line of intrenchments. There their sharpshooters were too strong for us. Mnny of our men went down. The battery was planted In n safer position, but one in which great dam nge could be done. The battery Imme diately opened flre on the San Juan blockhouse. When the last couriers left the front fighting wns going along on the whole line. We were driving the Spaniards back Inch by Inch Into Santiago. If we only hnd heavy artillery It would be over In no time. While the bnttle Wns rnglng north und eust of Santiago Sampson was bombarding the hnrbor forts. The orders were Issued Inst night to the ships to begin firing before breakfnst. The New York's turret guns belched forth the first shot. This Wns Immedi ately answered from the batteries on both sides of the harbor. The other ships chorused in. Our fleet kept up n stendy hall of shells for half an hour without changing position. At C:40 the Oregon left the line, nnd sailed deliberately In until she wus fairly In the harbor entrance. The In diana swung Into the east of the Ore gon. She brought every gun possible to bear on the east battery. The shells rained on that east battery until It seemed that there could not remain one stone upon another. The battery did not answer. The Oregon, Just ncross the harbor south, hnd marked the Morro for her target. The tremendous ship from the Pacific knocked great holes In the pic turesque old castle. The great Span ish flag waving over Morro crowned the smoke thnt met and rose from Spanish and American guns. At exactly 7 o'clock a triumphant yell from the Oregon was taken up by the other ships. The Morro's flag was down. The ships kept bntterlng away nt the seaside fortifications, nnd nil the shells seemed to land nmong them. Once more tho whole hill wns clouded with dust of flying earthworks. When the fleet nt Inst drew off the western bat tery fired three or four shells, not one of which landed within a mile of our ships. Indeed, during the whole bom bnrdment not one of the ships wns hit with even the fragment of a shell. It Is, of course, too early to send anything like a list of the dead and wounded among our troops. Chlckamauga, Chattanooga, National Military Park, Ga., July 4. Yesterday was another quiet Sunday at the park, The sun poured down intensely hot, but the presence of a good breeze wns a source of great rellof from the heat, The reglmentB all Rpent the dny quietly In en nip. except thnt some of the troops, by permission, went upon the mountain to spend the day. Later In the afternoon nn order ar rived from the war department to Gen ernl Brooke to designate about 20,000 men for Immediate departure to tho south, and there wus grent excitement nnd bustle In the ranks. Genernl Brooke declined to muke public tho order, but it Ib understood that he had selected the First division of the First corps, und two brlgndes of the Second division to be moved nt once. The First division Is composed of the following regiments: First Brigade First Kentucky, Third Wisconsin. Fifth Illinois. Second Brlgnde Fourth Ohio, Third Illinois. Fourth Pennsylvania. Third Brigade Sixteenth Pennsyl vnnln, Second Wisconsin, Third Ken tucky. Second Division: First Brigade Thirty-first Michigan, One Hundred nnd Sixtieth Indiana, First Georgoa. Second Brigade Sixth Ohio, One Hundred und Fifty-eighth Indiana, First West Vlrglniu. The regiments of the First division were Inspected Sunday evening and are ready to move. They hnve been kept busy since the order to prepnre for the Held n week ago, getting rid of their excess of equipment and clothing, nnd It will require very little time to break enmp nnd depnrl. In anticipation of this order, the rail roads have been accumulating enrs at this point for n week. The Western & Atluntlc railroad Ib crowded with Pull mnn enrs. It Is stnted tonight thnt there are thirty trnlns of twenty enrs. each on the trncks nere ready to trans port troops. The regiments will em bnrk nt Rossvllle and Ringgold, to In sure speedy trnnsportntlon, ns was done when the regulars were moved south, nnd It Is thought by the railroad authorities that they can move the 20,- 000 men In two days. It Is understood nt this hour thnt three reglmentB will move tomorrow morning. Washington, D. C, July 4. Adjutant Genernl Corbln voiced the feelings of every one of the officials when he said: "I don't enre how the fleet wns de stroyed. It was destroyed. That Ib enough for me. It Is grent news for the Fourth of July." The fleet of Admiral Cervera wns one of the finest Spnln possessed. The Almlrnnte Oqeundo, the Vlzcnya nnd the Crlstobul Colon were modern nrmored cruisers of the first class. The Vlzcnya, which visited thlB coun try soon nfter the Mnlne wnB sent to Havana, was of 7,000 tons dlsplncement, 340 feet long nnd heavily nrmored, her belt armor being twelve nches In thick ness and her deck armor three Inches. Her armament consisted of two eleven Inch, ten 5.5-inch Hontorla guns; eight 2.2-inch rapid lire guns, eight 1.4-Inch rapid flre guns nnd .two mitrailleuses. Her complement wns 500 men. TJie Almlrnnte Oquendo wns In nl rnost every respect a duplicate of the Vlzcaya. The Cristobal Colon had a displace ment of 6,840 tons, nnd wns 328 feet long. She hnd six-inch armor both at the water line and at the gun positions, and l.C nrmor on her deck. Her arma ment consisted of two ten-inch, ten six-Inch rapid fire guns, six 4.4-Inch guns, ten two-Inch guns, two mitrail leuses nnd four torpedo tubes. She wns capable of a speed of twenty knots, and carried 450 men. Of the remaining vessels of the fieer the Terror und Furor were torpedo boat destroyers, nnd the Relna Mer cedes wns an old vessel that waH Bunk a short time ngo by a shell from Samp son's fleet. The Terror was not with the fleet nt Santiago, hut Is supposed to be at San Juan, Porto Ico. In nd dltlon to the above-mentioned vessels, there were two torpedo bonts and n collier In the Spnnlsh fleet originally. Mndrld, July 4. The government hns received cipher dispatches from Cuba, the contents of which have not been made public. It is said, however, that the Spaniards offered heroic resistance to the American forces which made an nttack on the outer positions at Santi ago. Genernl Vera de Roy, commanding nt El Cnney, fought with the greatest cournge, setting his men nn example by leading the advance. It wns under similar conditions thnt General Linares was wounded. According to official dls patches received, the Spanish troops fell back upon the city of Snntlago In order to nwalt reinforcements. The dispatches do not mention the death of General Vera de Roy, which, it was rumored, hnd occurred. Captain General Blanco reports to the government under date of July as fol lows: At noon today the enemy vigorously attacked and succeeded in tnklng the ndvnnce position of Lamas and San Juan after a vehement resistance last ing three hours on our part. We were able to save our artillery, though half the troops were placed hors du combat. General Linares was severely wounded In the left arm and relinquished his rommand to General Taral. The en emy In considerable force attacked tho village of El Caney this morning and wsa repulsed by General Vera. The fight was resumed this evening, and ended In El Caney itself being taken. nfter a vigorous resistance on our part. Our losses were heavy. I have no news from the Escarlo and Caresa columns, with which I found It Impos sible to communicate, despite all efforts to do so. Private dispatches from Santiago give the following details: Genernl Shafter's nrmy, composed of 17,000 Infantry nnd eighty-two siege guns of various caliber, attneked the Spanish positions before Santlngo, C.OO0 rebels under Genernl Garcia assisting them. The Spaniards had only 2,000 men, partly volunteers. Our troops fought with heroic cour age The battle lasted three hours and the Spnnlsh were then compolled to nbandon the trenches nnd to fall back on Santiago. The retreat was conduct ed In perfect order. Our losses were heavy and the ene my's were enormous. The list of our wounded Includes Genernl Linares, Col onel Ordonez and Majors Amadrld and Arralzn, the latter being General Li nares' aide-de-camp. The American nttack upon El Caney was severe. The position wns defendod by General Vera de Roy with 500 men, The enemy was at first repulsed, but ultimately renewed the attack. BACKBONE ADMIRAL SAMPSON'S DISPATCH. Wellington, July G. The secretary of the navy yestordny received tljo following: "Ployu, Via Hnyti. 3:15 a, m. (Slboney, July 3. The licet undor my com mund offers the nation ns u Fourth of July present the destruction of the whole of Cervera'H fleet. No one escnped. 11 attempted to escape nt 9:50 u. in, ami nt 2 p. m the last, the Cristobal Colon, hnd run ashore six miles west of Santlngo nnd had let down Its colors. The Infanta Marie . Teresa, Oqueudn und Vlzcnya were forced nshore nnd were burned and blown up within twenty miles of Santiago; the Furor und Pluton wore destroyed within four nillcB of the port! Loss one killed nnd two wounded. "Enemy'H loss probably several hundred, from gun tire, explosions nnd drowning. "About 1,300 prisoners, Including Admiral Cervern. "The mnn killed wns George II. Ellis, chief yeoman of the Brooklyn "SAMPSON." The following message was sent to Admiral Sampson today by the presi dent: "You hnve the gratitude on congratulations of the whole American people. Convey to your noble officers nnd crows, through whose valor new honors have been ndded to the Americans, the grateful thanks nnd appreciation of tho nation. WILLIAM McKINLEY." Washington, July 5. At 11:35 last nlKht the navy department posted the nppended translation of n cipher cableRinm received from Commodore Wat ron, It Is similar to that received from Admiral Sampson earlier In the day, hut contains the additional Information that 350 Spaniards were killed or drowned, 1C0 wounded and l.COO captured. Commodore Wntson's dispatch follows: i "Plnya del Este, July 3. Secretary of the Navy, Washington: At 0;30 a. in. todny the Spanish squadron, seven In all, Including one gunboat, cume out of Sntlago In column and was totally destroyed within nn hour, exceptlg the Cristobal Colonr which wan chased forty-live miles to westward by the com-mander-ln-chle'r, Brooklyn, Oregon and and Texas, surrendering to the Brook lyn, but wnB benched to prevent slnklntf. None of our officers or men were Injured, except on beard the Brooklyn, Chief Yeomnn Ellis being killed and one mnn wounded. Admiral Cervern, all commanding officers except those of the Oquendo, seventy other officers nntl 1.C00 men are prisoners. About 350 were killed or drowned nnd 1G0 wounded. The latter are being cared for on the Solace and Olivette, Have Just arrived off Santlngo In the Marblehead to taku charge while commander-in-chief Is looking after tho Cristobal Colon. "WATSON." CERVERA'S DASH FOR LIBERTY ENDS IN TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF HIS FLEET. 1,300 PRISONERS TAKEN MADE A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO RUN-THE BLOCKADE,- Late Reports are to the Effect that Not One of the Spanish Fleet Es caped and That Admiral Cervera was Wounded andTaken Prisoner Washington, D. C, July 4. President McKlnley and hlB cabinet have been deliberating upon Important and grat ifying news froVn the front. According to dispatches received from Colonel Allen, In charge of the cable station nt Playa del Este, by General Greeley, stationed In New York, and transmit ted to the secretary of war, Admiral Snmpson hns met and destroyed all of Admiral Cervera's fleet except one ves sel, which the vessels of his squadron are now pursuing, nnd General Shatter has demanded and momentarily ex pects the surrender of Santiago. According to the message.which first came through the source Indicated, Ad miral Cervera's fleet, In desperate straits, made an effort to leave the harbor nnd run the gauntlet of the American fleet. He wns partially suc cessful, but was met by a fierce flre from the vessels of Admiral Sampson's squadron, which, following In hot pur suit, engnged and destroyed all the ves sels of the Spanish squadron except one. A later report was to the effect that Admiral Sampson had forced his way Into the harbor and hnd destroyed all of Admiral Cervera's fleet except or.e. They have one dispatch from General Shatter, filed nt 3 o'clock Sunday aft ernoon. The general states that he has demanded and expects the surrender of Santiago. He also confirms the re port via Madrid that General Linares has been mortally wounded and that half of his command has been rendered hors du combat. The president nnd his ndvlsers are eagerly awaiting official dispatches from Genernl Shatter or Admiral Sump son to know exactly what has hap pened. They feel satisfied thnt Admiral Sampson has met Cervera's fleet, and credit the report from Colonel Allen that they have all been destroyed ex cept one, but they do not know wheth er the engagement occurred. Inside or outside of the harbor. This statement wns given out at the war department nbout midnight Sunday: Playn del Este, July 3. Genernl Shat ter telegrnphs early this morning: "I sent n demand for the Immediate sur render of Santiago, threatening to bomburd the city. I believe the place will be surrendered." This contradicts the report that Gen eral Shatter has fallen bnck. The following dispatch was received at the wur department: Playn del Este, July 3. Slboney office confirms statement that all the Spanish fleet except one warship destroyed and burning on the beach. It wns witnessed by Captain Smith, who told the oper ator. No doubt of Its correctness. ALLEN. BROKEN. Another dlspntch wns received at tho war department from Colonel Wagner, stating that Pnndo had not yet arrived and that hlH force consisted of only 5,000 men. General Garcia occupied such a position with 3,000 men as to prevent the entrance of Pnndo Into Snntlago. From all the Information at hand the authorities at the hour this dispatch is filed consider thnt Spain's naval power In the Atlantic has been destroyed and that Santlngo de Cuba Is now at the mercy of General Shatter's army and Admiral Sampson's fleet. Secretary Alger authorized this state ment: "In answer to a dispatch sent by Sec retary Alger to Major General Shatter, nr'ilng why he had not sent the gov ernment more dispatches, this cable gram was received: "Playa del Este, July 3. Headquar ters Fifth Army Corps Did not tele graph ns I wnB too busy looking after things that had to bo attended to at once and did not wish to send any news that was not fully confirmed. Spanish fleet left the harbor this morning nnd Is reported as practically destroyed. "I demanded the surrender of the city at 10 n. m. todny. At this hour, 4:20 p. m., no reply has been received. Perfect quiet along the line. "Situation has been precarious on ac count of difficulties of supplying com mand with food, nnd tremendous fight ing cnpabllltles shown by enemy from his almost impregnable position. "SHAFTER." This dispatch was received from Col onel Allen about 12:30 Sunday morning: "All the Spnnlsh ships destroyed ex cept one. They nre close after her. Spanish ran their ships close to shore, set them on flre, and then they ex ploded." In nnswer to a cable sent Colonel Al len after the receipt of the first report concerning the destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet, this cable was received by the president at 1 o'clock this morn ing: "Report of destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet confirmed. ALLEN." A rumor Is In circulation that Admiral Cervera Is among the dead on the Spanish fleet. One report says he com mitted suicide. It may have been, however, that he remained on his flag ship and perished when its magazines exploded. Washington. D. C July 4. Admiral Cervera made a last characteristic and picturesque dash. Early Sunday morn ing four warships lying In the harbor made steam and headed for the mouth. Three were run hard on the beach at the entrance and were fired by the crews. The magazines exploding made total wrecks' of them. The fourth ship, supposed to be the Vlz caya, with Cervera aboard, passed the Merrimac wreck and reached the open sen. Ships from the blockading squad ron nt once started In pursuit and there Is not one chance in a hundred for her escnpe. The dispatch containing the forego ing sensatlonnl Information was re ceived from Colonel Allen at Playa del Este early Sunday morning, prior to the report from Shatter of his demand for the surrender of the city. Colonel Allen's dispatch was meager. "Papa,' said 5-year-old Bobble," how long will It be till you quit growing?" "Why, Bobble, I quit growing years ago," was the reply. "Well," continued the observing youngster, "I thought you were getting mller, as your head's going right up through your hair." The great majority of small fresh seed fruits are laxative.
