The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-07-14
TELLS OF THE. BATTLE
''Fighting Bob" Evans Story Q;
Capture Of Cervera. =
A Graphic Description Of the Pursuit.
and Total Destruction of the Span.
ish Fleet-Awful Slaughter
OF the Enemy. %

ana Total Destruction of the Span
ish Fleet-Awful Slaughter
OF the Enemy. p
Chicago, July "a dispatch dated '.On
Santiago de Cuba" gives the following in.
teresting account Of the destruction al
Admiral Cervera's fleet:
The battleship Iowa was the first shin
TO see the Spanish fleet coming out of the
nar6or. Somebody on the bridge shouted
What's that black thing coming out OF
the marlboro" A moment later the Iowa
was al general quarters, and the signal
was nolsted that the enemy's ships were
coming out. A gun was fired to attract the
attention OF the fleet at 9:33 a. m.
t1ght1ng Bob Evans, the commander
OF the Iowa, was sitting in his cabin, talk
ing to his son. a cadet on the Massachu-
eetts' who. luckily. had been left behind
IN picket launch when the Massachusetts,
Capt. Evans account of the battle, as told
IN the cabin of the Iowa, is intensely in
teresting. He said:
''Fighting Bob's" story.
.o "At the TT time general quarters was
ahead. and put the helm to starboard and
the Iowa crossed the bows of the Infanta
Maria Teresa, the first ship out. AS the
the Pinch shells from the forward tur.
ret of the Iowa seemed to strike him fai,
IN the bow, and the fight was spectacle.
ships beautifully spaced as to distance and
gradually increasing their speed to 10 knots
it was superb. The Iowa from this mo-
e Up at Sfead thy sps o Feep efSSs
Infanta Maria Teresa on her starboard
bow and hoping to ram one Of the leading
chips. In the meantime the Oregon. 1nd1:
cellent work with their heavy guns. In q
very short space Of time the enemy's ships
an 81 the int
to ram either the first or the second ship,
this time was 1000 yards.
Fired a BrOadsfde.
hard to the starboard. and the entire star
fsnts Maria ia Teresa: f5e helm vas then
a agky S S ts1n to 5 end the ship
to head off the Oquendo. All the time the
engines were driving at full speed ahead.
A perfect torrent of shells from the enemy
passed over the ssmokestacks and super
gtructure Of the ship, but none struck her.
than the rest of the Spanish ships, passed
rapidly to the front in an effort to escape,
Shells Struck the Iowa.
two six-inch shells fairly in our starboard
bow. One passed through the cofferdam
and a,,dat daispensary wrecking the latter and
able damage. The other passed through
the sides at the water line within the COT
ferdam, where it still remains.
ram any of the Spanish ships on account
was put to the starboard. and she ran on
then eo abreast of the Aiirsnte n
at a distance OF LOO yards, the Iowa's en-
tire battery; including the raptdd;-fire guns,
ment was terrific. Many u and eight:inch
shells were seen to explode inside Of her
and smoke came out through her matches:
the Almirante Oquendo at the same mo-
ment, one forward and the other aft. The
Oquendo seemed to- stop her engines for a
mediateiy resumed her sp See and grad
ually drew ahead of the Iowa and came
under the terrific fire of the Oregon and
Texas.
Fate of the Torpedo Boats.
AT the moment. the alarm of torpedo
destroyers were discovered in the star
board quarter at a distance Of 1000 yards
Ere was at once 9pen3eed on them hem, with the
the shell struck, small torpedo boat fired
back at the battleship. sending a shell
among the advancing cruisers, splitting
shots at one and then at another, was the
little Gloucester, shooting first at cruiser
head wherever she saw it. The marvel was
that she was not destroyed by the rain OF
shells In the meantime cant the V7caya was
and take, between the two, ships. The
Vizcaya fired rapidly but wildly, not one
shells from the Iowa were tearing great
rents in the sides of the Vizcaya.
Struck Their Colors.
,''As the latter passed ahead Of the Iowa
she came under. the murderous fire Of the
Oregon. At this time the Infanta Marta
Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo, lead
ing the enemy's column, were seen to be
heading. for the beach and in flames. The
mercifully They ceased to reply to the
fire and in few moments the Spanish
cruisers were. mass of flames and on tho
flying white. flag at the, fore: The crews
Of the enemy's ships stripped themselves
and began Jumping overheard, and ons
Of the smaller magazines began to e1.
'.Mean time the Brooklyn and the Crists-
ba! Colon were exchanging compliments
and the Oregon, With her locom 2 Give spee e
was hanging we'll on the Colon, also paying
attention to the Vizcaya. The Teresa and
the O9uendo were in flames on the beach
fired
Vizcayn in Flames.
FIFTY minutes after the first shot wes
fired the Vizcaya put her helm to port with
Of the ship, and headed slowly for the rocks
at Acceraderos. where she found her last
resting place.
Help for the Enemy.
'.As it was apparent that the Iowa could
not possibly catch the Cristobal Colon and
that the Oregon and Brooklyn undoubtedly
would, and md, as the fast New York was also
GhNnIh mr. Of
ton given TO the 1900 or 1900 Spanish Of
f1cers and men who had struck their colors
Admiral Sampson: 1 Therefore headed fol
the wreck Of the Vizcaya. now burning fu-
riously fore and aft When was in 50 far
cred ali my boats and sent them at once
to the assistance of the unfortunate men
who we're being drowned by dozens OF
that the insurgent Gubans from the shore re
were shooting on men who were struggling
in the water. after having surrendered to
could not put stop to the mutiIation OF
many bodies by the sharks inside the reef
These creatures had become excited by the
blood from the wounded mixing in the
succeeded in saving many of the wounded
be recommended for prom otion clambered
up the side, of the Vizcaya and saved three
men from BURNING to death: The smaller
with magnificent cloud effects. The boat:
were WEI , G;f1ming alengside in steady string
ated Spanish officers and sailors on t.
the, Iowa's quarter deck. All the span:
tards We're absolutely without clothes
of shells. Others were mutilated in every
conceivable. way. AS I knew the crews
Of the first two ships wrecked had MOI
been visited by any Of our vessels, l rar
down to them. I found the Gloucester, with
Admiral Ceryera and a number Of his of:
hcers aboard, and also a large number
condition. Many prisoners had been killed