The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-31
luIess Roth of the spanish squad
rons Are stopped They Ma, Sink
One or More American b"tticshP~'
The Deadly Significance oS the
Powrr OF a Torpedo Boat.

fold, and now there Is hardi& an oihcet III
the Navy who does not favor the imme-
diate dispatch of Commodore Schley's
fiying squadron TO sink every vessel in
both fleets.
The new Spanish feet is formidable
one. The Maria Teresa is a sister ship
TO the Eizcaya. which recently visited
New York She is 20-knot ship, 364 feet
over all. with $3.50 tons displacement. 52
beam and PIG draUght She is heavily
armored and well armed.
The Cristobal Colon, also a 20-knot boat,
is $40 tons displacement, 32S feet over
all and 59S beam. She is armored and
armed similar 10 the Nizcaya- The De
structor is a torpedo boat destroyer Of
about $50 tons. and is an efficient craft.
II is thought here that the departure Of
this fleet was timed 50 THAI il should
overtake the torpedo notlla about the
time the notilla reached Porto Rico. The
torpedo boats would then be conveyed TO
Havana by the fleet and would be safe
from the attack OF our flying squadron or
predatory raid from a section OF the
Key West fleet.
Madrid March Bel Pals says that or
ders have been issued 10 mobilize an the
Spanish warshps and that a second tor
pedo squadron is being prepared for sea
at Cadiz. The Balearic Islands. accord
ing TO FL Pals. are being fortified and mil
itary engineers are starting Tor the Ca
nary Islands.
A dispatch from Barcelona says that
the armed steam yacht Giralda. purchased
by the Spanish government from Harry
McCalmont the English racehorse owner.
after the vessel had been rejected by
;he United States is now being fitted up
as a dispatch boat Fl Pals also says
four varships have been obtained by
Spain in France and that negotiations are
pending for the purchase of several tor
pedo boats in Great Britain.
According to El Liberal Of March IA
the vessels composing the Spanish tor
pedo fiotila are as follows:
Torpedo catcher Furor, of 500 tons
Commander d. Cartier; crew of -.
Torpedo catcher Pluton. Of so tons
Commander p. yasquez; crew Of p.
Torpedo catcher Terror. of 4e6 tons
Commander +. de la Rocha; crew Of q
Torpedo boat Rayo. OF 12o tons. Com
mander Senior Rizo; crew of -.
Torpedo boat Azor. Of l20 tons Com
mander K de EgEuino; crew Of y.
Torpedo boat Arioto. Of 100 tons, Com
nander NJ. Sonloza: crew Of 26.
According 10 El Heraldo of March ?
the distribution Of the Spanish warship:
in the Philippine Archipelago at that tim;
WAS as follows
In Manila and its arsenal are the crui
sers Reina Christina, Castillo. Yelasco
Don Juan de Austria. Tlloa. Elcano, Lez,
and Marques del Duergo the transport
Alava. Manila and Cebu and the gun
boat Paragua.
Between Jolo. Rio Mindauao. M:smar
and Ilana Bay. forming the southern
division. are the gunboats Samar. Mira
veles Mlndoro. Maniieno. Pampanga
Arayet and Paray and the launches Ur
darota. Nasco and Gardoqui.
In the Lanao lagoon are the launche
General Blarco. Lanao Corcuero and Al
monte
According TO the latest advices the gun
boats Albany and Callao patrol the Para
qua Isle aud the gunboat Calamianes is a
Balabac.
The gunboat Bulusan is at Subic, tn
Iyeyte in the Taal lagoon and the Ota
lora in the bay lagoon.
10 Uo, Cebu, POnape. zap and bot
groups of the Caroline Islands are re
spectively guarded by the protected crui
sers Isla de Cuba and Tsla de Luzon an
the gunboats Quiros and Ruy Lopo d
NillaObos.
Key West. March s1.-In the terped
an unpleasant surprise to the command
ers of the big men-of-war.
They were signaIly successful in avoid
ing detection, and in actual action tn
Iowa would have been sunk while IN
other ships would have been in grea
danger.
The prearranEed attack was made a
9:go O'Clock at night the torpedo boat
Dupont Winslow Ericsson, Porter an
Foote maneuvcring and attacking tn
Iowa Indiana ANA New York. The nigh
WAS unfavorable to the torpedo boats
but their performance was brilliant eve
under the light Of the moon and tn
glare of the seven searchlishts from tn
big ships.
The Dupont approached the Iowa at
speed of twenty-five knots. She wa
not discovered until il was too late 70
the battleship to train her guns on tn
saucy little destroyer. In action tn
Iowa would have been sunk before sh
could fire n gun. The Dupont had tw
and one-half minutes in which to tur
and retreat after red red rocket an
nounced her discovery. She turned he
stern TO the chagrined watchers on tn
Iowa in fift-siX seconds.
At another time both the Winslow an
Ericsson dashed directly between tn
Iowa and Indiana before they were dis
covered In war both vessels would hav
been in grave danger. Naval officer
say the fate of the Iowa would hav
been certain. The Porter and Foote an
large and searchlights easily found theI
befort they were within two and one
half miles of the ships.
These trials showed that il those /
charge of the Spanish flotilla are as eN
pert as commanders OF American torpe
do boats. in an engagement the Unite
States would surely lose one battleshit
and perhaps more.
Havana. March 31.-According to r
Correo. the Spanish battleship Cristoba
colon and the torpedo boats Pluton. FL
ror and Terror and the others now e
route from Spain. viii take positions i
Havana 10 cope with the American fee
at Dry Toriagas. FL Correo says tina
with the warships already in Havan