The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-14

'he WTtth, SO ndu n eOOu W ioOh
at IL before we got to work. She lay
with her bow about northeast just touch
ing the water, for only a foot of her boot
topping showed above water. She was
burning fiercely inside the superstruc-
.ture and the after ports were red with
flame. While we were near the main
mast fell with a crash, the large mill
tary top falling across the after 1l-inch
barbette. The guns were popping as the
fire reached them, the shells whistling
above our heads and by the sharp crack
or sulen boom Judge we had sample
shot from every piece OF ordnance on the
ship.
SCENES OF EXPLOSION.
Every minute or so the fire would reach
a box Of rapid-fire ammunition and an
| explosion very like a Flower pot" would
| occur. Thin feathery trails of smoke
| shooting far hcavenward in ii dozen dit
| ferent directions. While we were some
distance off even from the Iowa one could
see the men going down the sides on
| ropes and swimming ashore in little
! groups. Our first boats took men right
from the ships side, while some hung on
ropes and refused to let go, fearing
| they would drown.
Several had to be pulled away by main
| force. We had three boats al work when
j got there and the United States yacht
Hist had two small skiffs employed in the
|
see no one on board. Anyway, IL was
at this time too hot for human being TO
live abord of her. The ship was crack
| ling mass of flame.
| l saw a great, gaping shot hole in the
| forward barbette and good many shreds
| or clothing about the bridge and forecas-
tie. The paint dark green) was begin
| ming to peel off the ship and showed a
| dirty yellow side--the color of hot steel.
1t was sad indeed TO look at a fine ship
| In her death throes, but did not stop an
| instant as there was much to be done.
On a reef between the Nizcaya and the
beach were dozen or so of naked men
up to their waists in water. AS l was
afraid of going ashore IN the launch |
cast off Hepburn's cutter and left him to
| pick those up while | went on towards
others to the westward. There were men
swimming, some with ana some without
life preservers. men clinging to wreckage
singly and in groups, and nearly all were
yelling for me to come to them. We
went along from one man to another and
cast lines to them, hauling them on
| board.
NEARLY EXHAUSTED.
Many were nearly exhausted when we
reached them They were all as naked
as the day they were born. I picked up
one lot of four men. ore of whom had on
a violet colored undershrt. AS soon as
five gold pieces / thought he wished to
reward me, so I motioned that ] would
not take them, but he pressed them upon
me to keep them for him lest some of the
sailors steal them. He told me he was
Lieutenant de Vaisseu, but as he could
not speak a word of French or English
and my Spanish is limited we did not
talk much. ] picked up twenty-five men
and these, with the boats crew, made a
heavy load for the little launch. Luckily
| there was but little sea running. only a
| heavy ground swell. I could SEQ more
men in the water further on, but ] could
not take them, so | started over to Mr..
| Twining's cutter to ask him to go for
them. The launch's water had almost
given out. So while Mr.. Twining went to
pick up the men | steamed back to the
| Hist.
l got twenty buckets of water there and
the officer of the deck said they had no
doctor aboard and asked me to take two
wounded men they had picked up to the
Iowa. ] got the two wounded chaps in
the boat and steamed back for the cut
ter On the way the wounded men called
out for aqua" and gave them some we
got from the Hist and fixed them up as
well as ] could. One shook my hand and
showed his gratitude by his eyes. as he
had no other means. Both men had
| tourniQuets of rubber hose on their arms
so they were safe temporarily.
When / reached the cutter Mr. Twining
hailed me: 81 have three dead men on
the boat and no more room. Go over
there and get dead man that's floating
| there and come back and pick me up.
steamed to where he indicated and after
some trouble succeeded in getting the
man aboard. He was floating face down,
with his knees partly drawn up.
GATHERING THE DEAD.
TT
ling them, so ! had to help haul him in
to show them there was nothing to be
afraid of. His mouth was frothy. his
eyes CLASSY, but | worked with him some
time, trying to restore respiration, but
without success. He was done for.
After a long steam back we arrived a,
the ship, where we hoisted the dead
aboard and laid them aft. covered with
the Spanish flag. One Of the wounded
died soon after he got aboard. He was
from one of the other boats, so there
were five dead under the flag. The res
cued men were fitted out with canvas
suits as soon as possible and we gave
the officers some of our blouses etc. tc
help out. Some Of the officers got off ir
a boat which came over the ship.
The captain, however, was picked ur
by our first cutter. AS he nearcd oul
gangway he looked back at his burning
ship, once so proud and strong. and now
d WRECK, anu TAKING OIL MS cap he WaNeC
it sadly towards the ship in last salute
murmuring. "Ah, NiZcaya' Nizcaya"
with great feeling. He was wounded il
the head and had a large bandage ovel
his forehead. He came up the side anc
as his foot touched the deck he doffec
his cap and mutely offered his sword t.
Captain Evans. The captain said: mo
cannot take it from such a brave man,
and he was taken to the cabin anC
treated with the greatest consideration