Oregon Gity GooFier .
A. V. OUSH, rnblUher.
OffEflON CITY. .OREGON
DOINGS OF THE WEEK
& Complete Review of the Telegraphic
Have of This and All For
eign Lands.
' Thursdays detachment of 170 Cu
bans collided with the Spanish rear
guard. The Cubans lost two men killi
ed. The Spanish loss is not known.
The navy department has received
a cablegram from Sampson, saying the
Spaniards at Santiago report that Hob
son and his companions are well. They
are confined four miles from Morro.
j Thursday night, the American army
of invasion had reached on its advance
the edge of the table land on which the
"harbor of Santiago de Cuba lies. Here,
seven miles from Morro castle, the
main body of troops united, and the
Spaniards were in full retreat toward
jgantiago.
Admiral Sampson Is now in con
jstant and practically immediate cable'
.communication with the navy depart-'
ment Six dispatches were leceived in
irapid succession through the early
hours Friday morning. They showed
that only half an hour elapsed between,
the filing of the message by the admiral
and the receipt of it in Washington.
General Lawton's brigade, whichi
jested Thursday at Deinajuyabo, four
miles west of Daiquiri, resumed its
inarch at daylight. Before noon hia
brigade, consisting of the Second Mas
sachusetts, the Twelfth infantry, the
;First battalion of the Fourth infantry,
two companies of the Tenth infantry,
and the Second battalion of the Fourth
infantiy, occupied Juragua, five miles
beyond, and the American flag was,
hoisted there. The Spaniards, retired
before the advance of the Americans,
which was covered by Cuban skirmish
ers, burning the block houses as they
went
A dispatch to the New York World
from Santiago de Cuba, Jane 24 via
Port Antonia, Jamaica, says: One
man was killed today and eight
wounded on the TexaB. The battle
ship at the time of the landing of the
troops went to Matamoras to make a
feint attack on the fortifications there
in connection with a land force of Cu
bans under Rabi. The Texas silenced
the Socapa battery. Just as the action
.ended a bIioII struck thebattlo-shipand
exploded with the result given above.
;The dead man is F. U. Blakely, of
.Newport, Ii. I., an apprentice of the
(first class. The wounded ares R. C.
.Erigle, H. A. Gee, J. E. Lively, G. F.
Mullen, J. E. Nelson, Ii. Russell, W.
J. Simonson, A. Sooevist. Russell is
very seriously wounded.
Owing to the continued strike in the
.Welch coal mines, JMigland's coal is
(running low, and steamers are forced
to turn to America Tor their supplies.
A soriotis riot attendant upon a strike,
in which women took a leading part
occurred at Oshkosh, Wis. Non-union
men were shut out of a sash and door
factory and the plant ivas ordered closed
down.
A Madrid dispatch from San Juan
says: An America! cruiser appeared
off the harbor and the cruiser Isabella
and gunboat Terror sailed out to attack
her. The American withdrew immedi
ately. One Spaniard was killed and
.three wounded.
. No revenue stamps will be required
on money orders, according to a con
btructiou of the new law. Instead, an
additional charge of the amount of tho
tamp provided for will be made for
the money order upon its issuance from
the postolnee.
Surgeou-Oenornl Van Reypen, of the
navy, has received a number of letters
from officers with Admiral Sampson's
squadron testifying to the gratefulness
and appreciation with which the deli
caoies Bimt fur the sick and wounded
have booiv received.
A Madrid dispatch says: News of
serious fighting near Santiago has been
received here. Cervera cables that the
situation is critical. The governor of
Santiago admits that the Spaniards
have been obliged to rutiro, but a Span
ieh victory is claimed.
A Cuban Bout has brought news to
the United Status camp at Baiquiri
that Corvera's ships are now in buttlo
array. The positions have been
changed to make tho guns command
the harbor entrance. Both Spanisl
torpedo-boat destroyers have boon to
tally disabled by the incessant firing of
the American ships.
Colonel Torroy's regiment of rough
riders have left Cheyenne for Jackson
villo. This regiment is made up of
tho pick of the mount uu mid plain
men skilled in the use of the rifle And
revolver, and will unquestionably make
valuable addition to the mounted
forces to bo sent to Cuba.
Cornell won the university boat rao
at New London, Conn. Yale crossed
the lino four lengths behind and
Harvard came in third. It was a pretty
contest, but was Cornell's race, almost
'from the Btart, her crew taking the lead
(before reaching the half-mile line and
.maintaining it until the finish line was
oroasod.
Minor News Items.
O. Q, Tow, a Chinaman, has enlisted
in the army and will join company L,
now at tho Presidio, San Francisco.
The total assessed value of equalized
property in Kentucky is 1552,077,007,
on which 3,000,000 state taxes will
bo called.
The new French chamber of depu
ties is oom posed of 254 republicans, 104
radicals, 74 radical-socialists, 67 so
cialits, 88 rallies, 44 reactionaries and
!10 free lances.
LATER NEWS.
Gen. Shafter reports that at 9 o'clock
Monday eight the army was within
three miles of Santiago and in plain
sight of the city.
The United States em base v has re
ports from several sources to the effect
that Spain has purchased the powerful
Chilean armored cruiser O'Higgins,
last heard from at Cape Verde, where
a transport with Spanish soldiers is
said to have gone to take her over.
Admiral Sampson reports that the
auxiliary oruiser St Paul arrived off
Santiago Monday and discharged her
troops. Captain Sigsbee reports that
on Wednesday afternoon while off San
Juan, he was attaoked by a Spanish
unprotected cruiser and the Spanish
torpedo-boat Terror. The Terror made
a dash, Which was awaited by the St.
Paul. Shots from the guns of the St
Paul hit the Terror three times, kill
ing one officer and two men and wound
ing several others. The Terror drop
ped back undei cover of the fortifica
tions with difficulty, and was towed
into harbor in a sinking condition,
where she is now being repaired. Later
the cruiser and gunboats started out
again, but remained under protection
of the forts.
By proclamation issued Tuesday tfie
president gave notice of the intention'
of the government to aBsume the for
midable task of blockading about 500
tulles of the Cuban coast line in addi
tion to the section already blockaded,
and also to blockade San Juan, Porto
Rico. This increases the extent of the
blockade on the Cuban coast fullv four
fold. The demands upon the navy
will not be nearly so heavy in proper-1
tion to the territory coveied as in the
case of the initial blockade, for the
reason that the new blockaded coast
lies entirely within the great bight on
the south coast of Cuba, in which wa
ter ia generally very shallow, and the
ports are few into which a vessel oould
enter. The moat important of these
ports are Manzanillo, Trinidad and
Tunas. i
Orders have been issued for the im
mediate sailing of another large expe
dition to reinforce Shatter. The sol
diers will sail from Tampa and will
number 0,000 men. It is understood
they will be taken from General Sny
der's second division of the Fourth
army corps. Eight transports will oarry
the expedition to Key West, where
they will be joined by a strong naval
convoy and proceed to Santiago. Prep
arations have been proceeding vigor
ously for some days, but the rigid cen
sorship at Tampa prevented a word go
ing out regarding the expedition.
Snyder's Second division, the Fourth
army corps, looked upon by the war
department as tho one best equipped
for an immediate start, Is now at
Tampa, and is made up of three brig
ades and nine regiments, which include
both regulars and volunteors.
A belief exists that the true objec
tive point of Camara's fleet is not Ma
nila, but Hawaii and finally San Fran
cisco. The navy department on Monday
posted the following bulletin: "Com
modore Watson sails today on the New
ark to join Sampson, when be will
take under his command an armored
squadron with the oruisois and proceed
at once off the Spanish coast" Wat
son's "Eastern squadron" consists of
the Newark, Iowa, Oregon, Yosomlte,
Yankee, Dixie and three colliers. They
leave Santiago immediately.
Four batteries of American artil
lery and a galling gun have been
placed on a hill overlooking the basin
in which Santiago lies. The American
troops were within 200 yards of the
Spanish entrenchments last Sunduv
night It is believed that more
artillery will be uecessary before an
assault can bo made upon the Spanish
works. All the hills about Santiago
are covered with block houses. There
are 34 lines of intrenchments and be
hind them are four lines of rifle pits,
while the fronts are seoured by rows of
barbed wire.
A dispatch from Port Antonio savs
that while the dynamite cruiser Vesu
vius was making observations along
the inner harbor of Santiago a few
nights ug3, ample evidence was dis
coveied that the sunken collier Merri
mac does not completely blockude the
ohannel. Further information develops
the fact that two battle-ships can enter
the hrarbor abreast, one passing on
each side of the Merrimac. This will
be of great advantage to Sampson when
the final attack on Santiago begins.
Lieutenant Hobson and his men are
still in communication with the fleet.
Theie is little prospect that thoy will
be exchanged before the attack on
Santiago is made.
Blanco has issued a proclamation an
nouncing that any ono daring to ex
press an unfavorable opinion of, or sus
pected of being dissatistid with the
presont policy of the government, will
be Bummurily shot without trial or
investigation. This proclamation, it
appears, oaused dissatisfaction among
the members of the police force, who
threatened to revolt if full rations were
not given them. It is expected that,
as the police is a numerous body, tum
ble will result. Spanish infantry and
jartillery soldiers are maintaining guard
over them at every oornor. Famine, it
seems, is imminent, and stories of sup
plies for Havana ooming via Batabano
are reported to bo untrue.
Cleveland, O., will be the headquar
ters of the rrotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers for the next 10 years begin
ning with 1900.
Bejamin B. Comegys, the president
of the Philadelphia National bank,
has just completed 50 years' service in
that prominent financial institution.
In New York a flag 120 felt in
length, the largest ever made, was on
exhibition. It is intended to raise it
over the walls of Mono castle " hen
Havana is taken '
ACROSS TO SPUN
Mighty American
Squadron About
to Sail. '
MAY LEAVE ON JULY FOURTH
Magnificent Opportunity to Strike
Crushing Blow Carry lng the War
Into Africa and Thus Securing; a
Naval Base at Ceuta.
Washington, June 29. The admin
istration finally came to a decision to
.send an American squadron to the
Spanish coast and into the Mediterra
nean. Several times since the war
broke out, rumors to this effect have
been oiroulated, but the project had
not materialized it required the Span
ish movement toward the Philippines
by Camera's squadron to decide the
navy department to adopt thie bold
stroke. This first announcement to
day through a bulletin posted at the
war department of the government's
intention was received with incredul
ity. There was a suspicion that the
story was given out to deceive tho
Spanish government. However, when
later in the day, the detail of the ves
sels selected to constitute Commodore
Watson's eastern squadron was an
nounced, and official orders were given
to provision the fleet for four months,
it became apparent to the last doubter
that the government was in earnest in
this pilrpose to dispatch the fleet to
Europe.
The three vessels selected as colliers
have started alreadv on their way to
Newport News to take on a large sup
ply of coal. It will requiro a week to
get them down to Sampson's fleet, so
that if the start is to be made from
that point, it will be impossible for
Commodoro Watson to get away before
the Fourth of July. This would seem
to be an auspicious date for the begin
ning of an expedition that will for the
firBt time in the world's history start
from the New World to attack Conti
nental Europe. So attempt is made
to deny that the government is influ
enced in ordering this movement by a
desire to check the progress eatsward
of the Cadiz fleet. It was not believed
that the' Spanish admiral could be
guilty of the folly of uncovering his
home ports in this fashion, but inas
much as he seems determined to do so,
the naval startegists could not do less
than take advantage of the magnificent
o port unity thus afforded them to strike
a crushing blow at Spain, and thereby
perhaps save muoh time and loss of life
and money iu the conduct of the tedi
ous campaign in Cuba.
The determination to send this
squadron against Spain was the out
come of direct official advices reaching
the state and navy departments as to
the progress of Admiral Camara's
squadron. These advices give a list
of the Spanish ships now nearing the
Suez canal, which differs somewhat
from the list given in the press d is
patohes and by Lloyd's. Tho official
list is as follows:
Pelayo, Carlos V. Audaz, Osada,
Prosperina, Patriots, Rapido, Buenos
Ayres, Isla de Pane y Colon, Covan
donga and San Francisco.
The additional information comes
from official sources that this Bquadron
is at Port Said, and expects to take on
board 10,000 tons of coal before enter
ing the Suez canal. Such a heavy coal
ing will take some time. It disoloses
also that the admiral expeots to make
n long sail, and is doubtless headed for
the Philippines, a point which the
offloials here doubted at first.
The squadron is the most formidable
Spain has afloat, in total tonauge,
strengtn ol individual sin pa, armor
and guns. The Pelayo is the strongest
of the ships and is the only battle-ship
in the SpaniBh navy. She is 9,900 tons,
with a speed of 10.7 knots. She car
ries 85 guns of various caliber and has
seven torpedo tubes. The largest guns
are the 12-inoh Hontorias, one forward
and one aft, and 1 1-inch Hontorias,
one on eaoh beam. The Carlos V is
of 9,050 tons, with a speed of 19 knots.
She lms 28 guns, the largest being 11-
inch Hontorias, worked electrically,
one forward and cue aft. She has Bix
torpedo tubes. The Audaz and Osado
are torpedo-boat destroyers, finished in
England just before the war began
They are 400 tons each and are 30 knot.
Each carries six guns and two torpedo
tubes.
The Eastern squadion which the
United States will Bend against Spain
far outranks the Spanish squadron, the
Iowa and Oregon exceeding the Pehivo
and Carlos V at every point, while the
othor United States vessels are far su
perior, ship for ship, to those of the
Spanish squadron, with the single ex
ception of the two Spanish torpedo-boat
destrovers.
When the American fleet sails for
Spaiu it will take with it complete in
foi mation as to the entire stretch of
Spanish coast with detail maps of
every harbor and its fortifications.
The war board had a mass of this in
formation before it, and spent most of
the day studying Spanish charts and
fortifications, with a view of outlining
tne series ol blows which are to bo de
livered to Spain at homo.
The Spanish coast is divided into
three captain-generalcies, uainelv, Fer-
rol on the noith, Cadiz on the eouth,
and Cartegena on the east. At Ferrol
is the naval school and the school of
naval application. At Cartegena
the school of ordnance, and the toipedo
school
ARE UNDER WAY.
Vessels Will Be Hushed to Manila at
Top Speed. ;
San Francisco, June 29. Another
fleet of transports has sailed out
through the Golden Gate, to the broad
Paoific. This afternoon the third fleet
of vessels loaded with soldiers, and
Bupplies for the Philippines hoisted
anohor and amid the screaming of 100
whistles and the clanging of bells and
the booming of cannon, prooeeded
down the bay toward the
by tonight will be well on
ocean, and
their way
to the Philippines.
The first movement of the vessels
comprising the fleet was the signal for
the crowds which had gathered along
the docks to commence cheering the
departing soldiers, and for the steam
whistles along the city front to scream
their good-byes to the ships and men
who are going to Manila to proteot the
interests of their country, and to spread
the doctrine of freedom on the othef
side of the world. 8teamboats, yachts
and email bay craft of all kinds hover
ed around the big steamers, and some
even went close enough to permit their
passengers throwing oranges and other
things to the soldiers gathered on the
decks of the transports.
The scene on the transports was a
thrilling, one; the men were perohed in.
the rigging like so many insects, and
handkerchiefs and flags waved and
fluttered from every porthole and spar.
As the .vessels prooeeded slowly down
the bay the noisy demonstrations of
the people on the ehore became more
pronounced and increased until the din
was awful and added to the noise of,
whistles and bells, was the booming of
many cannon from the batteries at Fort
Mason, but the farewell given the sol
diers was no less hearty than the wel
come given them when they first land
ed within San Francisco's limits.
The ships which left today carried
about 4,000 men, under command of
General MaoArthur, who has made the'
Bteamer Indiana his flagship. - The
City of Para, the Ohio and Morgan
City were the other vessels to sail with
the Indiana. The Bteamer Valencia
was not ready for sea today, and will
probably sail with the Bteamer New
port on Wednesday. General Merritt
and his staff will proceed to the islands
in the Newport, which has been espe
cially prepared for the service.
Army officers in this city are much
perturbed regarding the movements of
the Spanish Bquadron, which is report
ed to be bound for the Philippines via
the Suez canal. It is said that the
transports which left here today will
bo rushed through to the islands at top
speed, in order to have as large a force
as possible ready to receive the Dons,
should Manila be the ultimate destina
tion of the Cadiz fleet.
CERVERA RESTLESS.
It Is Thought That He Contemplated
Sneak Ins Out.
Off Santiago de Cuba, via Kingston
June 29. It is believed Admiral Cor-
Vera contemplated making a dash out
of tne harbor late tonight, f our col
umns of smoke weie seen at sundown
advancing toward tho mouth of tho
harbor, and two small boats, believed
to be torpedo-boat destioyers, were ob
served in the neighborhood of the
sunken collier Merrimac. Conso
quently,Rear Admiral Sampson ordered
extra precautions to be taken. The
torpodo-hoats Ericsson and Porter stood
very close into the harbor all night,
but, no snips came out. Shortly after
midnight, tho dynamite cruiser Vesu
vius fired three guuootton shells in the
direction of Morro castle. They ex
ploded on the ridge behind the eastern
hills. The damage clone is not known.
The blockade continues without inci
dent. The'Cubans, with the advance foroes
in spite of the good behavior of their
oomrades at Guantamimo, seem to ba
utterly worthless. All day they sit in
the shade of their palra-thatohed
camps, and at night they smoke cigar
ettes and gorge on Uncle Sam's ra
tions, while in Bight of them Uncle
Sam's boys, with empty stomachs and
not a bit of tobacco for their pipes,
build roads all day under the blazing
sun and sleep on their rifles under the
sky at night.
Accident to the Yankee
Washington, June 25. The details
of the accident on the Yankee on Deco
ration day have just reached tho navy
department. While the ship was at
sea. a trial was made of the guns. One,
a six-pouuder, using English smokeless
powder, hung fire after the trigger was
pulled. The gunner, without await
ing, threw open the breech just as the
charge exploded. The rear blast killed
Corporal J. J. Murrav and severely
wounded Private Jesse Fuller, both of
the murine oorps. Tjie powder is be
lieved to bo defeotive, as other hang-
fires have been hail with it. and if
used at all in the future it will be with
great care. None of the naval militia
men, who in large part man the Yan
keo, were hurt.
Sngaiita Will Resign.
.London, June 27. The Madrid cor
respondent of the Daily Telegrapl
savs: When the cortes closed martial
law was proclaimed. The Sagasta cab
inet will resign and make way for a
new covernuient, which will open ne'
gotiations for peace.
Suiplolous of Insurgenta.
London, June 29. A dispatch to
the News from Port Antonio, Jamaica,
says'. The Americans appear to be sus
picious of the insurgents, who oould be
used in bushwhacking.
"But how oan we be sure," says an
American officer, "that any one of
them ia not a Spaniard ready to lead
us into trouble. We can't talk their
nigger Castilian, and when they guide
us we have to go it blind. We should
trust them completely or not at all."
A WRECK AT SEA
Two River Steamers
Bound for Alaaka
Destroyed.
UNDER TOW TO THE YUKON
Bterawheelen Gamecock and Stag
hound Ruined All Provision Were
Washed Overboard No Lives Lost
Property Damage, 8125,000.
Astoria, June 28. When the Elihu
Thompson, towing ' the stern wheel
steamers Gamecock and Staghound,
started for Alaska Friday afternoon,
the prediction was freely made that
they would never reach their destina
tion. This prediction has come true,
and the three vessols put back into port
this afternoon. The Bternwheelera are
total wrecks; their decks are awash,
and, but for the cordwood stored be
tween decks, they would have gone to
the bottom.
Eearly this morning the lookout at
Cape Disappointment reported that the
Bteamers had crossed in and anchored.
The report also stated that the river
boats were badly battered. When the
tide began flooding the Thompson got
under way and slowly towed the disa
bled steamers into port,' reaching the
city at 4 o'clock. Never were vessels
more completely demolished by the
sea. The decks were three feet under
water and huge gaps had beon rent in
the steamers' sides. The upper works
had caved in, and were carried away
by the seas. Baggage washed about on
the lower decks and broken timbers
were scattered over the vessels. Thev
were docked near the western extrem
ity of the city, whither a crowd of
nearly 5,000 people flocked to view
them.
The expedition met disaster at the
very start. iriday evening, while
crossing the bar, the hogchains on both
the Gamecock and Staghound parted.
Despite this the Thompson continued
on her course. The river steamers be
gan breaking almost immediately. The
situation was not serious, however, till
about midnight, as the weather was
comparatively calm. Soon after 12
o'clock the passengers, of whom thore
were 87 on the two steamers, became
alarmed. The holds began to fill and
the timbers would strain and give
away with every wave. About 1:80
Captain Fisher, of the Gamecock, sig
nalled the Thompson with a red light,
but she oontinuod on her course.
By 4 o'clock in the morning, all the
lower woms of the boats were rent
apart and there was two feet of water
iu the holds. Boats were sent back from
the Thompson, and the passengers,
who had provided themselves with life
preservers, were ordered to jump into
the sea. Mr. Knapp, the Kansas City
promoter, as tho first man to obey the
command, and the others soon follow
ed. Captains Lane and Fisher, each
with three men, remained on the
steamers. By 6 o'clock, the boats were
leaking badly, and it was decided to
put back to port, after having prooeed
ed 85 miles up the coast. They crossed
in at daybreak this morning.
REAR-END COLLISION.
Several Members of Torrey's Rough
Riders Killed.
Tupelo, Miss., June 28. A railway
accident occurred at this place at 8:40
this afternoon, by which five members
of Torrey's regiment of rough riders
from Cheyenne lost their lives and
others received injuries. The aooident
occurred on the Kansas City, Memphis
& Birmingham road. The first section
stopped to take water and had whistled
to start on, when the second section
rounded the sharp ourve in the track
just before the town is reached, and
dashed into it. The rear car of the first
seotion was the sleeper Seville, con
taining Colonel Torrey and his staff.
This car was completely demolished,
yet, strange to Bay, every inmate es
caped unscathed, except the colonel,
who is injured, though not seriously.
The chief fatalities occurred in a
coach which stood in the centor of the
first seotion, which carried troop O,
from Laramie. This coaoh was com
pletely telescoped, and the soldiers
within were jamimd and bruisod be
neath masses of timbers, broken car
seats, and other debris. In the second
section, one baggage oar was thrown
irjto the ditch, but in this train few
weie hurt, and none seriously.
Immediate action was taken by the
soldiers to save their imperilled com
rades, and with axes and ropes, and
buckets of watot they worked like de
mons, tenting away the wreokage to
get at the wounded and dead and
quenohing the fire, which had started
in the sleeper Seville, which was a
mass of wreokage, covering a steaming,
hissing engine. The wounded were re
moved to a vacant building in the
town.
New York, June 28. The torpedo-
boat Talbot left today for Key est,
and will call at Norfolk.
May Abandon Caimanera-
Play a del Este, Guantanamo, Bay,
June 28. It is believed in camp here
that the town of Caiman era, on the
upper bay, is about to be abandoned
by the Spaniards, who are said to be
in a desperate oondition, owing to lack
of food. The report is that they will
leave this town and (all back on Guan
tanamo. There is a clock in Brussel which
has never been wound by human hands.
It is kept going by the wind.
IN A DEATH TRAP.
tame More Details of the Battle of La
Cjuasinti. ""
Juragua, Cuba, June 23 The initial
Bght of Colonel Wood's rough riders
ind the troopers of the First and Tenth,
regular cavalry will be known in' his
tory as the Battle ' of La Quasina.
That it did not end in the complete
daughter of the Americans was not due
to any miscalculation in the plans
if the Spaniards, for as perfect an am
buscade as was ever formed in the
brain of an Apaohe Indian was pre
pared and Lieutenant-Colonel Roose
velt and his men walked squarely into
it. For an hour and a half they held
their ground under a perfect storm of
bullets from front and sides, and then
Colonel Wood at the right, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Roosevelt, at the left,
led a charge which turned the tide of
battle and sent the enemy flying over
the hills toward Santiago.
It is now definitely known that 16
men on the Amerioan side were killed,
while 60 were wounded or are repot ted
to be missing. It is impossible to cal
culate the Spanish losses, but it is
known they were far heavier than those
of the Americans, at least as regards
actual loss of life. Already 87 dead
Spanish soldiers have been found and
buried, and many others are undoubt
edly lying in the thick underbrush.
The wounded were all removed.
That the Spaniards were thoroughly
posted as to the route to be taken by
the Americans in their advance toward
Sevilla was evident as shown by the
careful preparations they had made.
The main body of the Spaniards was
posted on a hill in the heavily wooded
Blopes on whioh had been erected two.
blockhouses, flanked by irregular en
trenchments of stone and fallen trees.
At the bottom of these hills run two
roads, along which Colonel Roosevelt
and eight troops of the First and Tenth
cavalry, with a battery of four howitz
ers, advanced. These roads are little
more than gullies, and at places almost
Impassable. In these trails the fight
occurred.
About two and a half miles out
from Siboney, some Cubans, breathless
and excited, i us tied into the camp with
the announcement that the Span
iards were but a little way in front,
and strongly eritrenched. Quickly the
Hotchkiss guns out . in the front . were
brought to the rear, while a strong
scouting line was thrown out. Then,
cautiously and in silence, the troops
moved forward until a bend in a road
disolosed the hill where the Spaniards
were located. The guns were again
brought to the front and plaoed in po
sition, while the men crouched in the
road waiting impatiently to give Roose
velt's men, who were toiling over the
little trail along the crest of the iidge,
time to get up.
At 7:30 A.M., General Young gave
the command to. the men at the Hotch
kiss guns to open fire. The command
was the beginning of a fight that for
stubbornness has Beldoni been equaled..
The inst:At the Hotchkiss guns wete"
fired, the hillsidus commanding the
road gave fortli volley after volley from
the Mausers ot the Spaniards.
"Don't shoot? until you see some
thing to shoot at," yelled General
Young, and the men, with set jaws
and gleaming eyes, obeyed the order.
Crawling along the edge of the road
and protecting themselves as muoh as
possible from the fearful fire of the
Spaniaids. the troops, some of them
stripped to the waist, watched the
base of the hill, and when any part of a
Spaniard became visible, they fbed..
Never for an instant did they fulter.
One dusky warrior of the Tenth, with
a ragged wound in his, thigh, coolly
knelt behind a rock, loading and firing,
and when told by one of his comrades
that he was wounded, laughed mid
said:
"Oh, that's all right; that's been
there for some time."
In the meantime, away off to the
left, was heard the crack of the rifles
of Colonel Wood's men, and then the
deeper toned volley firing of the Span
ish. Over there the American losses
were the greatest.
Colonel Wood's men, with an ad
vanoe guard well out in front and two
Cuban guides before them, but appar
ently with no flangers, went squarely
into the trap set for them by the Span
iards, and only the unfaltering courage
of the men in the face of a fire that
would make even a veteran quail, pre
vented what might easily have been a
disaster. As it was, tropp L, the ad
vance guard, under the unfortunate
Capron, was well surrounded, and but
for the reinforcements hurriedly sent
forward, every man would probably
have been killed or wounded.
"There must have been nearly 1,500
Spaniards in front and to the sides of
us," said Lieutenant-Colonel Roose
velt today, when discussing the fight.
"They held the ridges with rifle-pits
and guns, and had a body of men in
ambush in the thick jungle at the
Bides of the road over which we were
advancing. Our advance forward struck
the men in ambush and drove them
out, but we lost Captain Capron, Lieu
tenant Thomas and ' about 15 men
killed or wounded. '
"I want to say a word for our own
men," continued Lieutenunt-Colonel
Roosevelt. . "Every officer and man
did his duty up to the handle. Nut a
man flinched."
Prairie Ordered to Key Vet.
New York, June 28. The auxiliary
cruiser Prairie, whichi has been at
Tompkinsville ooaling and taking on
ammunition and stores, has received
orders to proceed at full speed to Key
West. She will sail tomorrow.
Provinoetown, Mass., June 28. The
ram Katahdin left today for Hampton
Roads. She was followed by the cruis
er San Francisco, bound for Key West.
The collier Southern accompanied the
latter.
v