The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-09

| Copyright, $685. by the Associated Press.
Off Santiago de Cuba, July S.-Th'
! battleship Iowa was the first ship t.
see the Spanish fleet coming out of tn,
harbor. A moment later the crew wa.
at general quarters and at 1888 o. m. {
gun was fired to attract the Alteration
| of the feet
Captain Evans account of the battle
as told in the cabin of the Iowa, a:
told to a correspondent of the Associ
ated Press is intensely interesting. He
said:
"At the time general orders were
sounded the engine bell rang full
speed ahead and | put the helm tC
starboard and the Iowa crossed tbs
bows of the Infanta Maria Teresa, the
first Spanish ship out. AS the Span
ish admiral swung to the westward, the
Pinch shell from the forward turret
of the Iowa seemed to strike her fairly
in the bow and the fight was a
spectacle.
LAS the squadron came out in column
the ships beautifully spaced as to dis
lance and gradually increasing their
speed to Is knots, it was superb.
1.-The Iowa from this moment kent
up'a steady fire from her heavy guns,
heading all the time to keep the In
fanta Maria Teresa on her starboard
bow and hoping to ram one of the lead
ing ships.
In the meantime the Oregon, Indi-
ana, Brooklyn and Texas were doing
excellent work with their heavy guns.
I'm a very short space of time the
enemy's ships were all clear of the
harbor mouth and it became evidently
impossible for the Iowa to ram either
the first or the second ship on account
of the speed.
1.-The range at this time was 1000
yards from the leading ship. The Iowa S
helm was Immediately put hard TO
starboard and the entire starboard
broadside was pouring into the Infanta
Maria Teresa. The helm was then
quickly shifted to port and the ship
went across the stern of the Teresa in
an effort 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
smokestack and superStructure of the
ship, but none struck her.
IOWA DAMAGED.
1.-The Cristobal Colon, being much
faster than the rest of the Spanish
ships, passed rapidly to the front in an
effort to escape. In passing the Iowa
the Colon placed two six-inch shells
fairly in our starboard bow. One
passed through the cofferdam and dis
pensary, wrecking the latter and
bursting on the berth deck, doing con-
through the side at the water line
within the cofferdam, where it still re-
mains.
"As it was now obviously impossible
to ram any of the Spanish ships on ac-
count of their superior speed, the
Iowa's helm was put to the starboard
and she ran on a course parallel with
the enemy. Being then abreast of the
Almirante Oquendo.
At a distance of LOO yards, the
Iowa's entire battery, including the
rapid fire guns, was opened on the
OquendO. The punishment was terrific.
Two Pinch shells from the Iowa
pierced the Almirante Oquendo at the
same moment, ono forward and the
other aft The Oquendo seemed to stop
her engines for a moment, and lost
Roadway, but she Immediately resumed
her speed and gradually drew ahead
of the Iowa and caught the terrific fire
of the Oregon and Texas.
'At this moment the alarm of tor
pedo boats was sounded and two tor
pedo boat destroyers were discovered
in the starboa~d quarter at a distance
of 4 900 yards. Fire was at once opened
on them with the after battery and a
12-inch shell cut the stern of one de-
stroyer squarely off. AS the shell
struck a small torpedo boat fired back
at the battleship, sending a shell with
in a few feet of my head.
oil Ia n xyon
ers, splitting shots at one and the other.
was the little Gloucester, shooting first
at cruiser and then at a torpedo boat,
and hitting ahead wherever she saw it.
The marvel was that she was not de-
stroyed by the rain of shells.
'In the meantime the Vizcaya was
slowly drawing abeam of the Iowa and
for the space of Is minutes it was give
and take between the two ships The
Vizcaya fired rapidly, but wildly, not
one shot taking effect on the Iowa,
while the shells from the Iowa were
tearing great rents in the side of the
ViZcaya As the latter passed ahead
of the Iowa she caught the murderous
fire of the Oregon.
TWO IN FLAMES.
"At this time the Infanta Maria Te-
resa, and the Almirante Oquendo,
leading the enemy's column. were seen
to be heading for the beach and in
flames.
''TEe Texas, Oregon and Iowa pound
ed them numerically. They ceased to
reply to the fire and in a few moments
the Spanish cruisers were a mass of
flames and on the rocks with their flags
down, the Teresa flying a white flag.
1.-The enemy's crew stripped them
selves and began jumping overheard,
and one of the smaller magazines be-
gan to explode.
Meantime the Brooklyn and the
Cristobal Colon were exchanging COM
pliments in lively fashion, at appar-
emily long range, and the Oregon, with
her locomotive speed, was hanging
well on to the Colon, also paying at
tention to the Vizcaya. The Teresa
and the Oquendo were empty and in
flames on the beach, just 20 minutes
after the first shot was fired.
Fifty minutes after the first shot
was fired the Vizcaya put her helm to
port with a great burst of flame from