The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 29, 1898, Page 1

@A s~ -~ N *ER&?‘ S The Cxll l. to the P e 2B, This Paper not | be taken from Library. ++++ D e ——— 3 [ 2 \'()I L"\LL L\\\I]I NO. 150. SAN FRANCISCO, FRIDAY APRIL 29, 1898. PRICE FIVE CENTS. MANY KILLED AT MATANZAS THE CITY ALMOST RUINED BY THE AMERICAN GUNS THE FlRST BATTLE OF THE WAR Engagement at the Mouth of Matanzas Bay on Wednesday Last Between the American War Vessels New York, Cincinnati and Puritan and the Spanish Forts on Both Sides of the Entrance, in Which the Latter Were Entirely Silenced, With a Loss of 100 Men. HAD ORDERS TO RETURN THE FIRE OF SPAIN'S GUNS Rear-Admiral Sampson Knew| What He Was Doing When He Silenced the Batteries at Matanzas. NEW YORK, April 28.—A Washington special to the Herald says: Hostile shots from American guns will hereafter reply to the barking of Spanish weapons mounted on the fortifications of Cuban ports other than Havana. It was in accordance with instructions giving him discretionary authority to return the fire of Spanish batteries that Rear-Amiral Sampson bombarded yesterday the fortifications of Matanzas. These instructions were formulated by the Naval War Board and approved by Secretary Long. Spain can blame herself for the destruction of the Matanzas bat- teries. Had the guns at that point not fired upon the torpedo-boat Foote while she was steaming along the coast the bombardment might never have occurred. Rear-Admiral Sampson reported several days ago that the Foote was fired on by a masked battery. The Cincinnati, hearing the boom of guns, went at once to her aid, but Captain Chester, believing the or- ders of the department did not permit him to return the fire, simply directed the Foote to get out ol range. Rear-Admiral Sampson’s report was at once referred to the War Board, which gave him this: “With the exception of those in Havana you are given discretionary authority to return the fire of any Spanish batteries. Keep your vessels out of range of Havana guns until further orders.”” Secre*ary Long announced at the close of office hours this after- noon that he had received no official report from Sampson. The Her- ald’s magniticent description of the bombardment was received with the greatest interest by American authorities, and in lieu of official re- ports was regarded as most interesting. It us the expectation of the department thai Rear-Amiral Sampscn will telegraph to-night or to-morrow, and his report will be at once laid before the War Board. The intelligence officers on board the ships which participated in the fighting will be required to give in as much detail as possible the result of the bombardment, in order that the War Board may determine its effect upon the plan they are preparing. Profound ignorance is professed by the authorities as to the rea- son of Admiral Sampson’s reconnoissance in Matanzas harbor, but they say he must have desired to retaliate for the firing on the Foote and also to destroy the batteries which were being erected for the protection of the port 2 SHAFTER WILL LEAD AN ARMY OF OCCUPATION Flfteen Theusand Amerlcan Reg- ulars Will Be Landed in Cuba Next Week, Probably at Matanzas. NEW YORK, April 28.—A Washington special to the Herald says: . Brigadier-General William R. Shafter arrived in Washmgton last night and spent the day in consultation with officials of the War and Navy Departments with regard to the expedition which he Is to lead to Cuba as soon as possible. It has been determined to land next week a body of 15,000 regulars at a port to be decided upon as available from the point of view of naval and military expe- diency. It has been understood until to-day that the port to be se/ected would be Bahia Honda or one of the other lrarbors to the eastward of Havana and outside the trocha. The Herald's news of the reduction of the batteries at Matanzas by Admiral Sampson’s fleet may, however, materially affect the plans of the War Department, and the possibility of Matanzas being made the base of the first land operations was consnlemb/y discussed here to-day. The troops to compose this exped/t/on will be the four regiments now at New Orleans under command of Colonel Overshine, the infan- try brigade under Colonel Van Horn at L‘h/clramauga and General Wade's command at Tampa. The port at which these troops will be embarked is not yet de- cided upon, but General Wade's division will undoubtedly set out di- rectly from Tampa and the other forces will be tmnspartea’ from erther New Orfeans, Mobile or Pensacola. General Shafter will garrison the ports on the northern coast of Cuba as fast as they are reduced, and will establish communication with the insurgents under Generals Maceo and Gomez. He will also take with him a large and efficient force of commussaries, who wil| arrange for the transportation and dlstrlbut/on of supplies to the re- | concentrados. ALL CUBA NOW IS AT THE MERCY OF SAMPSON'S FLEET All Who Can Get Away Leaving Manila Before the Coming of Dewey’s Squadron. Week. General Shafter Will Lead the Army of Occupa- tion That Is to Be Thrown Into the Pearl of the Antilles Next Copyright, 1808, by James Gordon Bennett. HAVANA (via Kingston, Jamaica), April 28—The shelling of Matanzas yesterday by the American squadron caused much damage to the city. Many were killed and wounded. One-quarter of the town is said to be lruined. Saturday. | Thursday, says : ican fleet. “The China Mail says : » 9 on the side of America. with refugees. Copyrighted, 189, bv James Gordon .Bennett. ON BOARD the Herald-Call dispatch-boat Somers N. Smith, Key West., Fla., April 28.—That rare and almost unheard-of thing, an exclusive report of bombard- ment, has been accomplished by the Herald-Call without any ef- fort of an unusual character on the part of its war correspond- ents. The Herald-Call’s dis- patch boat Somers N. Smith is sharing with the lucky ships of the fleet the honors of the day. The navy is delighted that the Herald has scored so handsomely, because the Herald is the navy’s favorite newspaper, and wherever naval officers have gone to-day the Herald’s correspondents have sympathy for the Spaniards,” and the Daily Press says i | nificent ““beat.”’ ‘The proclamation will go far been congratulated on their mag- It was not luck that gave thei Herald-Call this long lead of all contemporaries. It was merely the pursuit of a systematic plan of | campaign. While rivals called in their | pickets from the blockading fleet the Herald-Call continued all ef- forts, despite the discomforts that | the hellish commotion in the gulf stream causes occupants of small boats, and the day the Matanzas batteries were peppered saw both of - the Herald-Call’s dispatch | boats with the fleet. One boat, the Albert F. Dewey, came into Key West to bring the routine news and get coal, while | the Somérs N. Smith, the pride of the Pensacola pilots, whose | boat she is, remained on guard. THE EXODUS FROM THE PHILIPPINES. WASHINGTON, April 28—The Navy Department does not ex- pect news from Admiral Dewey and the Pacific squadron before LONDON, April 29..—The Hongkong correspondent of the Daily Mail, telegraphing “There are no advices from Manila as to the whereabouts of the Amer- Large sums are being paid by people anxious to leave Manila “The strictly neutral attitude hitherto observed by the public toward the Hispano- American dispute has been changed by the absurd proclamation of the Governor of the Philippines, and public opinion is now favorable to the United States. to alienate the last vestiges of : ‘English sympathy is naturally According to a dispatch from Singapore to the Daily Mail the French steamer Saigon and the Spanish steamer Espano have arrived there from Manila, both crowded THE GUNS OF SAMPSON'S FLEET FIRED AT MATANZAS BATTERIES WERE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD When the flagship went to Matanzas the Somers N. Smith followed her. The correspondents on board {had no intimation from the ad- miral or any one else that he contemplated firing a shot that would be heard around the world. I had a long conversation with | Admiral Sampson just before the flagship started, and no hint fell from his lips that the powerful | blockade might be broken. So that it was a fair fiela for {all newspapers, and the Herald was lucky enough to be in at the death. After the engagement the Her- ald-Call boat offered to bring in the admiral’s dispatches, and waited with the flagship for let~ ters from all the ships engaged, {and for Richard Harding Davis’