The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-21
Her Captain Says There's an On
written Chapter to the Battle.
HE CHERISHES NO ANGER
Captain Moreu Declares His Ship Was
Not Destroyed by the Americans.
He Will Tell What Did De-
stroy 1t to the Cortss.

iSh oh'p SiiStoOdi SOieh III III ihtCi
discussed the events Of the last few
weeks without bitterness. There was
ven a playful suggestiveness In his
tones when he replied to the inquiry
whether he would say goodbye to the
American feet as he passed down the
bay on the Normandie.
YES" he went on, why should not I
have friends on board your ships. We
did not fight as personal foes. Cap
tain Cook of the Brooklyn-don't you
know him? Ali A fine man. Half an
hour after that battle 1 had given him
my photo and he had given me his.
On mine / wrote: We have just fought
two hours and a half. Each did his
DUTY. We were not personal foes. Now
that II Is all over we are comrades and
friends That is the way I feel to-
ward the Americans. / believe they
have a different opinion of the Span
iards than they had before the war;"
Captain, do you think Hobson will
raise the Colon?"
mo. he will not. She Is tipped on her
eide and her finch CUR have smashed
her. Any vessels saved there will cost
twice their value"
The Colon was a beautiful vessel"
ventured the reporter.
Beautiful and every inch a fighting
ship. l would have got away; none OF
them could have stopped me, but"
The captain paused. and said:
away, / said. l mean 1t. Schley knows
II. Sampson knows il and so does Cook.
i told them that 1t was not the
Brooklyn, nor the Oregon, that kept
me from escaping. They say / went
only Ga miles. i tell you it was 70. d.
vide nal by the time and you will see
that my average was 17.2 knots an our
and at times is. The Oregon could only
90 1H and r WA qtaadilv drnnninu the
Brooklyn behind. Oh. no. neither of
them kept me from escaping. but 1
cannot tell o why I could not ave
my splendid ship" and the captains
voice trembled.
You won't have long to walt,
though; you won't have long to wait"
he repeated. when l tell why. 1t will
be on the floor of the cortes, as a mem
Der of the Spanish parliament. I will
represent the Montrit district in Gran
ada province. I have been permitted
by the president to go home now. that
cortes, which will take place In a few
days. hen i will explain, n many
things dark now will be made quite
clear. ] know many Americans don't
seem quite clear from their own ac-
counts as to why I did not escape when
I was in the lead and gaining. They
will know soon.
IT am not saying this to detract from
the achievements of the American feet.
The men did all they could, but there
is an unwritten chapter yet to be
known before history is written. No
one will say the Colon was materially
damaged by the American fire." he
went on. she was hit only six times,
BY your own reports I made rs holes
in the Brooklyn and there were 4;
traces of hits on her side. Does not
that speak we'll for Spanish gunneryi
: They say our gunners could not shoot
! Well, the Brooklyn's sides tell a differ
/. .ent story
:. why didn't you sink her, then"
, 'Our guns were too small. The three
Maria Teresa and Oquendo-were or
4 fire. l was left alone with only rapid
fire guns of comparatively small cali.
Der. II I had had 13-inch guns. or 4
or 12-well. there might have been &
different story. Those holes In tn
Brooklyn would have meant more.
Your naval men have learned
, great deal from their fight with tn
; Colon. They will not give up thei
heavy guns for the light FIRE
Sampson told me as much. ! told then
: they could not and they smiled when
= asked them where they would be IL
!. had had heavy guns. 1t was the for
| tune OF war that put heavy guns on tn
!, ships with wooden work that woul'
i catch fire. The shell that struck an,
OF our ships started a fire. There wa
h no fire on my ship because she had n
woodwork. She was like the Brook
Ign and would not burn"
What do you think of the Ne,
a York;
"A bad ship. II was lucky enough 10
her she did not get into the fight. Sh
would have burned like our three ship:
Rear Admiral Sampson was In perfec
{. accord with me on that subject an
/ agreed that a shell might have set he
l. on fire, and with her woodwork sh
= would have gone the way of the Viz
,e caya."
/; victory-Sampson or schley?" he wa
p asked.
both officers are men OF great In
lie ~teliigence and high character" h
n said. But of Captain Sigsbee-whs
n. bitterly. After the Maine explosio
e, he was In Captain Eulate's cabin Q
the vizcaya. There were tears in h
eyes. He said his career in life wa
u. ended ecaus he had lost his ship. w
~ rescued the American seamen viii
% their officers were drinking chsmpagI
y, on shore. and then Sigsbee goes I'M
80 court. forgets all about his tears ar
- lamentations in Eulate's cabin ar
- tries to shoulder the blame on us. Me-
er did we have a hand In blowing I
a the Maine. and I am convinced tn
~ after the straightforward. square wa
we have fought this war the Americs
~ people do o believe we blew her up
n do you expect to be brought befo
a court martial OF your RETURN"
We will appear before a court OF Il
curry. That is regular and formal. ;
matter whether II is a defeat or a vi
~ tory. IL anything happens 10 a Spanii
'' fleet proceedings go before a court
- inquiry"
As Siiveia Sees It.