The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 7, 1898, Page 4

4 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1898. VAIN ATTEMPT TO BLOCK NTRANCE OF THE HARBOR BUT THE HULK IS A TARGET Six Spaniards Killed Mutiny in on the Harvard. Thrilling Scenes Attending the Rescue of Seamen From Cer- vera’s Blazing Ships. Speclal cable to The Ca Herald. Copyright don Bennett. WITH ADMIRAL FLEET, OFF SANTIAGO, and the New York 95, by James Gor- Tuesday, July 5, by the Call-Herald dispatch boat Somers N. Smith, to Kin Jamaica, Wednesday, July 6—In a frantic effort to block the entrance to Santiago harbor and save the city from bombardment by the American fleet the Spanish early yesterday morning ran the Reina Mercedes ashore not far from the wreck of the Merrimac. This move was decided upon when it became known that Admiral Ce would take his fleet from the harbor and attempt to escape. There was a feeling of temporary security in the city as long as Cervera's fleet was there to oppose the American fleet should Admiral Sampson succeed in running past the forts. gone, however, the mines in the bor were practically the c fense against bombardment. The used as a hospital ship, was sent out toward the mouth of the harbor and there run ashore. Those in charge of her did not succeed in their mission, for the vessel does not block the entrance of the harbor. Admiral Sampson, when he learned of the Spanish attempt to imitate Hob- son’s feat, decided to give his men some target practice, with the Reina Mer- cedes as a target. He ordered the In- diana to throw a few shells into the Spanish vessel. The Indiana started in- shore on this mission shortly before 12 o'clock last night. The battle-ship crept slowly forward to escape de tion. When she had been maneuvered to a commanding position she poured a broadside from her batteries in the di rection of the Relna Mercedes. impossible, owing to the darkness, 1o determine just what was the effect of the Indiana’s fire on the Spanish vessel. While making preparations for the attack a shell burst below the Indiana's forward deck. the explosion tearing a hole through the deck. Fortunately none of the Americans were killed. Four hundred Spanish prisoners on the Harvard mutinied and made a hos- tile demonstration against the Ameri- can sailors. The Harvard's captain, as soon as he learned of the mutiny, re- solved to take firm steps. He ordered his men to fire on the Spaniards, six of whom were killed and twelve wound- ed. This had a quieter effect on the prisoners and order was restored. The American loss in destroying Cer- vera's fleet was but one killed and two wounded. All were on the Brooklyn. The Spanish loss is estimated at 400 har- ‘s only de- killed and 1600 taken prisoners. Five hundred of the prisoners are wounded, 200 seriously and 300 slightly. Those whose wounds are most serious have been transferred to the Solace and Oli- vette. There are 700 of the prisoners on the Harvard, 300 on the St. Louis, 504 on the Resolute, while other pris- oners are distributed among the other vessels of the fleet. Admiral Cervera is on the Iowa, Captain Eulate is aboard the St. Louis and the command- er of the Cristobal Colon is on Samp- son’s flagship. The commander of the Oquendo, who, as I told in a preceding dispatch, com- mitted suicide, made plans to have his vessel destroyed. When he saw his vessel could not much longer withstand the fire of the American fleet the cap- ADVERTISEMENTS. Pears’ To keep the skin clean is to wash the exeretions from it off; the skin takes care of itself inside, if not blocked outside. To wash it often and clean, without doing any sort of violence to it, re- quires a most gentle soap, a soap with no free al- kali in it. Pears’, the soap that clears but not excoriates. All sorts of stores sell it, especially @ruggiots; all sorts of people use it, SAMPSON'S | | vera With the Spanish fleet | Reina Mercedes, which had been | It was | tain ordered all his men below, had the hatches closed, poured oil on the decks, and applied the torch. He then fired a pistol shot into his brain. Captain Eulate suffered the heaviest ss of any of the Spanish command- More than half of the crew of the Vizeaya were Kkilled. The naval battle lasted exactly fifty- six minutes, but during that time the Spaniards were unable to inflict even slight damage upon our fleet. Commo- dore Schley says the Brooklyn was hit thirty-six times, but all the enemy’s ‘sl‘ml fell harmlessly into the sea. The men on Admiral Cervera's flag- ship were paralyzed with fear. After they had run up the white flag and while the Americans were approaching the Colon to take them off the men shouted “Viva los Americanos,” at the same time appealing for mercy. The | officers and crew, numoering 504 men, | were taken on board the Brooklyn, and yesterday were transferred to the Reso- olute. An attempt was made by the Oregon to drag the Cristobal Colon off the reef on which she struck. This only made matters worse and the Spanish vessel now is lying broadside on and fast go- ing to pieces. Captain “Bob” Evans quickly brought to terms some Cuban sharp- | shooters, who, after the fleet had been destroyed, were picking off heipless Spanish sailors who drifted past on bits of wreckage. These sharpshooters also were firing at Spaniards strug- gling in toward shore. Captain Evans landed some marines from the Iowa to protect the survivors, and sent word to Cubans that he would shell their s if they continued their guer- This warning had the de- sired effect, and no further trouble of that kind was experienced. The work of rescuing the Spanish |survivors was directed by Lieutenant Bell of the Harvard. The Chicago naval reserves manned boats and dragged the exhausted Spaniards from the wreckage and the water. To get the survivors back on board the ships it was necessary to fill them with brandy. Most of the Spanish seamen were drunk during Sunday’s battie, they having been well suppliea with liquor on the night before the fleet | made its dash for the sea. Constant danger attended the rescuing of the Spaniards, owing to frequent explo- sions on board Cervera's ships, all of which were heavily stocked with am- munition. From Sunday noon until yesterday morning the men in our fleet were treated to a most remarkable ex- hibition of fireworks. The Spanish survivors were practi- cally naked when rescued, but within an hour clothing and shoes had been provided for all. They had been made quite comfortable by Sunday evening. | They will be sent north to-morrow on the Harvard and St. Louls. Admiral Cervera, I am informed, obtained his first news of Dewey’s victory after he had been taken prisoner. Captain Usher of the Ericsson made a hard run to get a shot at the Vizeaya, but the white flag was floating over Captain Eulate’s ship when the Erics- son came up. “‘American shells had torn holes izcaya's 12-inch plates,” Captain Usher afterward, ‘“and through them I could see naked men, bloody and gashed, roasting in the shell. Her guns had been left shotted and’ were going off by themselves from the heat, but by care we were able to get alongside. Her decks and sides were red hot. Two men were clinibing down a davit tackle, and as the ship rolled they would swing against her scorching side, then swing back and out again. I took 110 men off the Viz- caya, all as bare as when they were born. I know no worse sight than naked men with bleeding wounds ex- posed. One swam toward me. Are you an officer?’ I asked. “‘No,’ he answered, ‘only a mournful soldier.” “From none of the wounded came a whimper or groan. In my dreams I had seen the Vizcaya in just such dls- tress and had succored her crew. In disposing of them I placed them about my little deck just as I had done in my dream.” From the third officer of the Infanta Maria Teresa it is learned the Span- lards were overwhelmed by the inten- sity of the American fire. “We could not breathe and were blinded by fire. We knew from the first we had no chance to escape.” Admiral Cervera's preparations for dashing out of Santiago harbor had been under way four days. Not only did he have a large supply of ammuni- tion on board, but he had taken on pro- visions enough for a long voyage. -« One of Cervera’s officers, I am told, declares that the attempt to escape was done for its political effect in Spain rather than the hope it would be successful. Admiral Sampson has been glving much thought to the possibility of saving one or more of Cervera’s ships. The admiral to-day inspected the wrecks and found the armor plates of the vessels perforated with holes. The Vizcaya is little more than a sieve. Boys Arrested for Murder. SANTA BARBARA, July 6.—Three Bpanish boys named Flores, Pena and gulntero. were arrested to-night at Los lamos for the murder of Daniel Hanley last night, on Buell flats. Bloodstains and other incriminating dence v\u: “SHAFTER SHOULD BE RE LIEVED” Brigade Officers Demand That His Successor Be Named. Commander Is | Men Are in Il in Bed and His a Wretched Plight. E-E-§-5-N-2-E-N-E-E-0-E0EEOEEEE. Its commanding gen- If he is ill he should be re- I am quoting what the brigade com- L We are in the face ! . . . Truthfully, the expedition was pre= B pared in ignorance B series of blunders. B -eral has not yet been even within two miles B of the scene of operation. . m overcome by heat and has been lying on s his back the greater . Sihee. s s m lieved; if not, the presence of some man @ Wwith absolute authority is necessary at the m front. a manders demand. RICHARD HARDING DAVIS. of possible disaster. and conducted in a He was part of the time ever -0 0-E-N-E-E- T-m-E-E-E-E-E-E-N-E-B--E-u-Ea Special cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 189, by James Gor- don Bennett. IN THE TRENCHES, SAN JUAN, Cuba, July 3, by The Call-Herald dispatch-boat Som- ers N. Smith to Kingston, Ja- maica, July 6.—As far as the Spaniards permitted the army rested to-day. made because no advance was possible without artillery. Little reply was made to the constant infantry fire from San- tiago last night. The Spaniards opened upon the entire line with shrapnel and Mausers. OQOur troops replied, and after an hour’s firing ceased. Only a few were wounded. The chief effect was to destroy the men’s rest, which they sorely needed. The situation at present is this: Santiago rises from the harbor to the crest of a long hill. Three- quarters of a mile back from the hill are the hills of San Juan, oc- cupied by our entire army. Our troops took the hills before the artillery had arrived. We cleared them of the enemy’s troops and lost many men. Now that we have them we cannot again ad- vance until the artillery has opened the way. Another such victory as that of July 1 and our troops must retreat. The situation is exceed- ingly grave. Judging from the quality and quantity left behind them in the trenches, the Spaniards are boun- tifully supplied with food. Their fire is constant and heavy, show- ing no lack of ammunition. The city is protected by heavy guns. We have only sixteen 3- inch guns, for the siege guns have not even been taken from the ships. It is as impossible to take Santiago with the infantry now overlooking its walls as to open a safe with a pocket pistol. I have been writing about this campaign since it opened and cer- tainly I havenot beén an alarmist. Mistakes have been made, yet the present does not seem to be the time to comment upon them, and thus cause needless anxiety. The situation here now is crit- ical, alarming, and it would be false to make it out otherwise. The troops should never have been sent here without the en- tire force of artillery at Tampa, and until it arrives they can No advance was | neither advance nor retreat. They can only lie on their faces or he shot at if they rise. They have | been in most cruel heat and wet, with frequent showers, for three days. They are unable to move about. They are under an un- | ceasing fire. Even the strongest and bravest cannot stand such a strain long. Lack of speech, of exercise, of food and of tobacco and the incessant fire of bullets and shrapnel will destroy any constitution. I went along the trenches this morning and saw men lying in |the high grass, which was as wet |as a sponge. The dew had not | been out of the clothes they wore since June 30. They had not even had time to take them off for a bath. Some of them had been without food for forty-eight hours. When the food did come it was hardtack and coffee. Those who smoke—and they are in the majority—were suffering agonies from lack of tobacco. Their nerves were so unstrung in con- sequence that as a substitute they were smoking grass, tea leaves and herbs. Overhead the fire was inces- sant. Ten men at a time manned the rifle pits and were relieved every hour. The rest of the com- pany or troop lay lower down the crest, trying to sleep. Shrapnel burst over them, killing and wounding several. They were under uninterrupted fire from sharpshooters. I do not see how men not made of iron can stand such a state of affairs much longer. It is not a question of weeks, but of hours. This may sound hysterical, yet it is written with the most serious and earnest intention. We are in the face of possible disaster. Nothing has been done by these expeditions beyond proving the heroic courage of the American soldiers. ; Truthfully, the expedition was prepared in ignorance and con- ducted in a series of blunders. Its commanding general has not yet been even within two miles of the scene of operations. That officer rode to a hill two miles from San Juan the day before the battle. He was overcome by heat and has been lying on his back the greater part of the time ever since, - iy e General Wheeler, who refused to remain in bed with his fever, is here beside me, asleep on a poncho with bullets passing over him. There are Generals Sumner, Kent, Lawton and Chaffee and Colonel Wood. Never before have so many commanding offi- cers lived so constantly on the fir- ing line; yet the man who is sup- posed to direct the entire expedi- tion is in a tent at the rear. If he is ill, he should be re- lieved; if not, the presenck of some man with absolute author- ity is necessary at the front. I am quoting what the brigade commanders demand. * The commanding general’s or- ders are disobeyed without a mo- ment’s hesitation. I have heard them countermanded in my pres- ence by colonels. This is written with the sole purpose that the entire press of the country will force instant ac- tion at Washington to relieve the strained situation. Here is what is needed: First, artillery; but, as that cannot arrive soon, the navy must be urged until it acts. General Pando with 6000 men is at Santiago. Admiral Sampson could do much by landing stores, guns and quick-firing guns and bluejackets and coming to the rescue of the men along the hills. He can bombard the city or lose a few torpedo-boats and force his way into the harbor. . He asked that the army should come here. Well, it is here, hold- ing its own on the hills which it captured with skch loss. The army needs artillery. It needs some one in command who is well, strong and able to stand the hardships of a campaign. It needs reinforcements and it needs mules for transports. And it needs all these things—now. R. H. DAVIS. WARSHIPS DESTROY THE CRUISER ALFONSO XII NEW YORK, July 6.—A cablegram to the Sun from Havana, via London, says: The Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII, which left this harbor to-day, pro- ceeded eight miles to the westward be- fore she was discovered by the Ameri- can blockading squadron. The latter then gave chase to her. The cruiser attempted to enter Mariel, but was stranded at the entrance to the port. The enemy fired 500 shots at her un- til they set her on fire. Detachments of infantry and artillery hastened to the shore and saved her crew and part of her cargo. Two of the crew were . —_— Enter Shafter’s NEW YORK, July 6.—The Washing- the following: Santiago may surren- der to the American army without any | further engagement. A dispatch has | been received from Major General | Shafter, in which it is stated that the strongest pressure is being brought to bear upon Linares to surrender to the American forces without a battle. Gen- eral Shafter states in this dispatch that up to the present time hundreds of women and children have left San- tiago and came into his lines for pro- tection and food. A large number of cers, one of whom is a colonel who par- | ticipated in the engagement of July 2, have deserted from the Spmnsh{ army and entered the lines of Major General Shafter. Women and children are be- ing fed and cared for by Miss Clara Barton and her assistants. According to the refugees who have made their way to the lines of the | American army, conditions in Santiago | de Cuba are something terrible. Food |is extremely s arce, and there is a eat amount of suffering. ngenoral Shafter states in his dispatch that he has been informed that the en- tire business population of Santiago, the foréfgn Consuls and Archbishop of the city have all united in a strong ap- peal to Gereral Linares to end_ the suf- fering and to surrender the city with- out further engagement. Officials on duty at the War Department informed me that in case General Linares re- fuses to surrender the city it is | thought that Major General Shafter wiil not bombard the city for some days, but will simply take pre(‘a.u(lr]ns | to prevent supplies of any sort being | taken into the city. He will, it is thought, succeed in his purpose of cap- turing the city without further blood- shed. S ARMIES LIE UNDER A FLAG OF TRUCE Linares Again Refuses to Surrender. Hobson Well Cared For. Special cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 153, by James Gor- don Bennett. GENERAL SHAFTER'S HEAD- QUARTERS BEFORE SANTIAGO, Tuesday, July 5, by Herald-Call dis- Spanish soldiers, including several offi- | FIGHTING AT SANTIAGO MAY NOW BE OVER Belief Expressed That Linares Will Surrender Without a Struggle. Starving Spanish Soldiers and Officers Lines for Food and Shelter. Kingston, Jamalca, Wednesday, July t the Herald sends | 6.—General Shafter’s men to-day are D !having a second respite from the hard fighting which began Friday morning | and continued until Sunday afternoon. Flags of truce still fly over both American and Spanish positions. Few of the .merican officers knew the reason when General Shafter or- dered them to do no more firing until further nctiez It afterward transpired that Colonel i:orst had plodded to San- tiago with a white flag carried by Ser- geant Lynch. General Shafter's emis- sary was not permitted to enter the ¥, but was compelled to remain out- side while the communication he took from the American commander was be- ing taken to the Spanish officials. After a long wait a carriage approached the point where Colonel Dorst was waiting and a long conference with General Linares’ representatives inside fol: lowed. Colonel Dorst was informed that the city would not surrender. The Spaniards added that they would not resume firing until the Americans had withdrawn their flag of truce, but im- mediately thereafter they would begin the battle where they had left off. British Consul Ramsden, after the conference, chatted with me about the condition of the besfeged city. I told him that many men ja the field were anxious to enter Santiage, hoping to get some good cool drinks. “We hav. nothing of that kind left in the ci he replied with a smile. of Spanish wine left, but that's about all.” Mr. Ramsden sald that flour was $36 a bag, chickens $2 each and other food in proportion. Assistant Naval Constructor Hobson, I learned from Mr. Ramsden, has re- ceived the best of care from the outset. ‘When he was captured Admiral Cer- vera instructed the Spanish officers to see that Hobson was made as comfort- able as poszible. The officers have been assiduous in their attentions and they have become great friends of Hobson. CAPE HAYTIEN, July 6.—The an- nouncement is made here that a dis- patch from San Juan de Porto Rico, carried to St. Thomas by a carrier pigeon, asserts that to-day the United States auxiliary cruiser St. Thomas had an engagement with the Spanish torpedo-boat destroyer Terror and > — L] -~ ’ ¢ / 4 “Electricity is Life.” Are you weak? 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