The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-05

Brooklyn and several other ships in
pursuit, all Of them firing at her con-
stantly and receiving fire themselves
from her after guns. There seemed no
possibility whatever for her escape and
while her fate is not definitely known at
this hour, it can be reaulIy imagined
from the words of Captain RObley D.
Evans, of the Iowa, who returned from
the westward with $50 prisoners from
the Vizcaya. just as the Associated
Press dispatch boat Wanda was leay-
ing the flagship.
In answer to an inquiry, he shouted
through the megaphOnes "I left the
Crtstobal Colon far to the westward an
hour ago and the Oregon was giving
her hell. She has undoubtedly gone
down with the others, and we will have
a Fourth of July celebration in Santi-
ago tomorrow
Captain Evans who had been in the
thick of the engagement up to the time
he took the ViZcaya officers and crew
from the shore, said that to the best of
his knowledge not one American ship
had been struck,
The torpedo boat Ericsson, which also
returned from the westward at about
the same time, made a similar report,
saying it was believed no man was in
jured on board the American ships,
though another report had it that one
man was killed on board the Brooklyn,
which could not be verified as this dis
patch was sent.
There is no means of telling now
what the Spanish loss was, but it is be-
lieVed to have been very heavy, as the
prisoners in custody report their decks
Strewn with dead and wounded in great
numbers, and besides there is a state
ment that many bodies could be seen
fastened to the pieces Of wreckage
floating in the sea after the fight was
over A large number of the Spanish
wounded were removed to the Aneri-
can ships.
There can be no doubt that Admiral
Cervera's plan to escape from santiago
Il iralT d.
miral Sampson, and the best evidence
of this fact is that when the Spanish
vessels were seen coming out of the
harbOr the flagship New York was
seven miles away, steaming to the east
ward towards Juragua, the military
base, nine miles east of Moro.
The New York was out of the fight
at the early stage. although she inn
mediately put about and followed the
other vessels in the race to the west
ward and overlook them in time to
join in the chase for the CristobaI
Colon after the other Spanish vessels
had been destroyed ny the Brooklyn,
the Oregon, Iowa, Massachusetts, In
diana. Texas Gloucester and other
ships of the fleet.
BROOKLYN, had her usual position at the
extreme western end of the line, ten
miles from the New York and Texas.
| It is a peculiar fact that he should have
| been in proper position to direct the
movement of his flying squadron
against the Spanish fleet, which he had
bottled up in Santiago harbor six weeks
/ before.
Americans Were Surprised.
AS a matter of fact, the entire Amer
lean fleet was much further off shore
than usual when the Spaniards made
their appearance this morning. With
the exception of the bombardment yes
terday morning, which resulted in
knocking down the flag on MOrro castle
and the the supposed silencing OF the
batteries which opened fire again this
morning as usual, the navy mad done
little recently to attract interest here
and the officers and crews themselves
were watching the developments of the
operations being conducted by the army
which had succeeded in reaching the
very gates of Santiago after an enor-
nous loss in killed and wounded in the
fighting of the past two days. 1t was
not believed that Admiral CerVera
would attempt to escape from his per
ilous position at this late day, but it
was supposed that he would keep his
ships in the harbor to shell the advane-
ing army, and that if Santiago fell he
would blow up or sink them before per-
mitting them to be captured by the fleet
lying outside
The Spanish admiraTs real plans.
however, were plainly not anticipated
He accepted the one chance open to him
that of running the gauntlet of the
powerful men-of-War lying in front OF
the harbOr and saving his ships Tor
future service by dashing out of the
trap in which he found himself and go
ing to some other field of operations
There seemed to be but one chance
in hundred that he would be able to
make the move successfully. but he
took that chance, and great piles of ma
val architecture, now ground to pieces
on the rocks a few miles from where he
started. tell the niournful story of his
failure. There are none who applaud his
conduct more than the American Off
GERS and seamen who sent his ships to
destruction.
Maria Teresa Led.
It was about o'clock in the morn
ing when the flagship Infanta Maria
Terasa- rassad under the wall of Morro