Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-07-07
CERVERA'S FLEET NO MORE.
The Spanish Admiral Took Desperate Chances Escape Bot
Our Ships Under Schley Promptly Drove Them on
the Beach and They Are Now Battered Hulks.

cided to give battle against ovcrwhelm-
ing odds In the open water rather than
remain and blow up his own ships In
the harbor of the beleaguered city.
Cervera's flag was hidden for time
rs he fled westward, his port broad
side emitting flashes and tongues Of
flames which marked his progress.
For the next five minutes he ran II
gauntlet such as no ship ever run In
history, and when his cOnsorts were
burning and he surrendered his ship
he still had n gun or two capable OF
action.
The Indiana fell on the Oquendo,
paying no heed to the Moro battery,
whose gunners tried hard to protect
the cruiser as she moved to the west
ward. The Iowa let Cervera go on
into the hands OF the Oregon, Massa-
chusetts and Brooklyn, ana then turn
ed with the Texas to pound the
Opuendo. I.H ll- s-.
Then every American ship was In
action and smoke shrouded the coast
and blew lazily, revealing geysers
about the ships where the Spanish
shells from the cruisers and the Moro
the hnrbor. 1t was the ViZcaya COM
Ing mt full speed, smoke curling over
her bow as she took her course to the
westward and brought her guns into
play.
Behind her came the lnfanta Maria
Teresa and Spnin's two much dreaded
torpedo boat destroyers, perhaps 200
yards apart. The Maria Teresa was
received with terrific storm OF shells.
Smashed and on fire, she was benched
close to the Moro.
The Iowa steamed for time for
ward with the OQuendo, and the In
diana did the same with the ViZcnyn,
but as the fight thus moved westward
1t became clear that the Americans
We're willing that the Spanish ships
should run far enough from Moro to
lose the aid of the guns there and in
twenty minutes this was done.
This was n hit of strategy which
was developed under fire. and which
was adopted at once by all the Amer
lean ships without orders; In fact, the
smoke often made 1t impossible to see
the signals which Commodore Schley
was making from the Brooklyn, so
tremendous was the firing all along the
line. Both the Oquendo and Nizcaya
were sometimes within thousand
yards of the Indiana. The range var
led. but as rule 1t was short and
extremely deadly: nevertheless the
high speed and thick armor of their
class stood the Spanish in good stend
as they followed in the path of honor
marked out by Admiral Cervera.
Three-quarters of an hour after the
action began it was evident the Span
ish had many guns disabled ana
would have to surrender. There We're
terrible casualties on the enemys
ships.
AS the smoke cleared little one
could see the Spanish flagship, her
port broadside spouting smoke, still
holding on to the westward. The rex
as and Massachusetts Joined the In
diana and the Iowa. The Oquendo and
the yizcaya hugged the shore and
steamed after Cervera, pledged to go
with him to defeat and death.
Shells burst on the deck of the Span
ish cruisers at short intervals. Often
they were on fire, but again and again
they extinguished the flames and man
ned again and again the guns from
which they had been driven.
The green coast on their starboard
smoked with the shells which flew
over, and crashing sounds heard amid
the thunder of great rifles told Of arm
through their protected sides.
Two destroyers coming on after the
yizcaya were headed off and perfor-
nted by the guns of the Indiana and
Gloucester. They ran upon the shore
and blew up.
The New York was six miles away
when the destroyers saw her. The
Moro thundered at Sampson ms he
came within range, but the admiral
never needed, seeing only in the dis
tance the dim forms of the Vizcaya
and Oquendo, hopelessly hemmed in
by n circle of fire, and In the fore
ground the Gloucester fighting two
destroyers at short range.
The Spanish admiral was lost in
smoke to the westward, when, at n
quarter before eleven O'Clock, the
Vizcaya hoisted white flag. This
was followed by the Oquendo's 60
ing ashore with flames bursting from
her decks.
The Iowa, Indiana, Texas and Mas
sachusetts ceased firing, the Massa-
chusetts going at once to join the Or
egon and the Brooklyn in pounding
up and smashing Cervera's ship.
Once headed off, the Oquendo
turned into n small bay four or five
miles west of Santiago, where she
lay close to land.
With an ever-weakenlng Droadsiue
the Vizcaya followed. first heading
out as If to break through the line Of
battle. The Indiana and Iowa closed
in. and their formation made her es-
cape in that direction impossible,
Captain Eulate then attempted TO
reach the east side of the bay, occu-
pied by the oquendo. but in vain.
With n glass could see that the
vizcaya's bulwarks near the stern
had been torn away. Smoke poured
out where shells had exploded INSIDE,
and she was on fire. Her guns, WIN