The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-19
FIGHTING BOB EVANS STORY.
wainwright Missed signal and Won
Fame and Glory.

Capt Rohley d. Eyans was the chief
sneaker at the Glover Club banquet, Civ
on in connection with the recent peace
iubilee exercises, says thu Philadelphia
Press. Capt. Evans spoke OF the naval
events leading up to the war with Spain.
He spoke for nearly half an hour, and as
he showed a disposition to stop, he was
greeted with loud cries of More; on to
Santiago and In resuming he said:
"Of Santiago, there has been much talk.
Some say that Shaftsr did not conduct
his campaign on proper lines. However
that may be. know very little, for am
not an army man. I submit. however, as
fundamental fact, that Gen. Shafter
was sent to Santiago to lick the Span
iards, and announce most emphatically
til at they were we'll licked.
"Of our little scrap, can only say that
it was the prestiest little mix-up that
was ever seen. And want to say here
that no fleet ever met a Drawer enemy
than we did at Santiago. These Span
iards stood up and got killed in the best
possible shape. Six hundred of them died
in less than 80 minutes SO you can see
that there was very little finching on
Cervera's ships.
During the fight there were two very
interesting moments. The first when
the four big cruisers of the enemy came
outside of the harbor. firing away with
mechanical regularity. and presenting
most magnificent spectacle. They were
not hitting anything, but that made lit.
tie difference at that time, they tried
hard enough. As we closed in there came
a moment when the fleeing Spanish ships
had an almost perfect ohance to use their
rams on our vessels. I submit now that
not a single one changed his course a
single inch. They came out of that har-
Dor and ran away. and that was all they
attempted to do, fighting as they went.
THE second point was when Dick
Wainwright misread signal. / know he
won't admit that he did misread 1t; how
ever, I'll tell you the incident. In the
Gloucester Wainwright Was just off the
harbor mouth when two Spanish torpedo
E0at destIoyers were noticed making
straight at him. The Indiana 4signaled
The enemy's torpedo boats are coming
out. Wainwright read it, Close in and
attack enemy's torpedo boats, and you
know the rest of the story.
There was dramatic picture which |
want to call your attention to. 1T was
after the Vizcaya had run ashore, and l
had to stop the Iowa some 400 yards
away. l saw the survivors on sand
bar, which was merely a narrow strip of
about 200 yards. away from shore, on eth
or side of a small inlet. On one side a
school OF hungry sharks were making
fierce rushes toward the men, and on
the other the Cubsns were shooting
away, utterly regardless of the fact that
they We're fighting helpless foe. Out in
front We were not supposed to be very
friendly.
FINALLY saw Capt. Eulate of the de-
stroyed ship coming toward my vessel
you call black Spaniard, one of thoSe
fellows that would cry as though his
heart would break every few minutes
when in trouble. He sat in the stern of
a small boat that had belonged to his
vessel. She was partly stove in and had
about a foot of water, or I should say
blood and water, in her bottom.
las / looked down in the gangway
think it was the most horrible sight that
ever witnessed. In the bottom of the
boat lay two dead Spaniards, one with
his head completely shot away. The
Spanish captain was wounded in three
places, and each Of the four men who
rowed his boat was more or less cut up.
We slung chair over the side and care
fully hauled him GA board.
GAS he came up TO the starboard gang
way the marine guard saluted and he was
received with all the honors of his rank.
AS he stepped toward me he burst into |
tears. threw his hands up in the air, and
then, with gesture of utter despair, but |
with all the grace OF the pretty gentle |
man, loosed his sword belt, and pressing |
q fervent kiss on the hilt of the weapon |
he extended it toward me. Every man |
on that ship knew that that Spaniard was
giving up something of value equal to |
his life / am not very good natured, but |
I could not take that sword
This met with loud cries of "You did |
right, Bob," and one lusty- lunged indi. |
vidual announced that there was not |
man in the country that won Id take it. |
Capt. Evans, who recognized the speaker |
from the rural districts, answered: ooh, |
you don't know what some of these up |
country Pennsylva mans would do. 1t |
was pretty good sword. "
Continuing, Capt. Evans said: 81
didn't know exactly what to do with the
Spanish captain to get him into our sick /
bay. AS was about to ask him of his
wounds he stepped toward the gangway
and looked Shoreward. About quarter
If a mile of lay the once magnificent
7essel Ia which he had boosted he would
;ow the Brooklyn ba ok to Spain.
''She was burning fore and aft, terrific
,olumus of flame shooting up around her,
md suddenly with burst of tears Capt.
EuIate kissed his hand and babe foDu
arewell to the burning hulk and said
With impBssioned voice, 'Adios Vizoaya.
AS he did this the very same instant
here came tremendous roar, and the
yizcaya's magazine blew her superstruc-
ure hundreds of feeet into the AIR Had
he incident occurred that way ON the
ilage anybody would have said it was too
we'll timed.