The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-09

"The crews or the enemyS ships stripped themselves and began jumping overheard, and one of the smaller mag azines began to explode. Meantime the Brooklyn and the Cristobal Colon were exchanging compliments in lively fashion at apparently long range, and the Oregon, with her locomotive speed, was hanging well on to the Colon, also paying attention to the Vizcaya. The Teresa and the Oquendo were in flames on the beach just twenty minutes after the first shot was fired. Fifteen min utes after the first shot was fired the Vizcaya put her helm to port with a great burst of flame from the after part of the ship, and she sailed slowly for the rocks at Acceraderos, where she found her last resting place. As it was apparent that the Iowa could not pos sibly catch the Cristobal Colon, and that the Oregon and Brooklyn undoubt- etly would, and as the fast New York was also on her trail decided that the calls of humanity should be answered and attention was given to the twelve or fifteen hundred Spanish officers and men who had struck their colors to the American squadron commanded by Ar miral Sampson I therefore headed for the wreck of the Vizcaya, now furiously burning fore and aft. When I was in as far as the depth of the water would admit I lowered all my boats and sent them at once to the assistance of the unfortunate men who were being drowned by dozens or roasted on the decks I soon discovered that the in- ,1,o shooting the men who were struggling in the water after having surrendered to us. I immediately put stop to this, but I could not put stop to the mutil- ation of many bodies by the sharks in- side the reef These creatures had be- come excited by the blood from the wounded mixing in the water.
 My boats crews worked manfully and succeeded in saving many of the wounded from the burning ship. One man who will be recommended for pro- motion clambered up the side of the Vizcaya and saved three men from burning to death. The smaller maga- zines of the Vizcaya were exploding with magnificent cloud effects. The boats were coming alongside in a ! -SlSduY SlTlIlS, tlu NllllIlS llulihS "SAS helping the lacerated Spanish officers and sailors on to the Iowa's quarter deck All the Spaniards were abso- lutely without clothing. Some had their legs torn off by fragments of shells. Others were mutilated in every conceivable way.
 'As know the crew of the first two ships wrecked had not been visited by any of our vessels I ran down to them. I found the Gloucester with Admiral Cervcra and a number of his officers aboard. Many prisoners had been killed on shore by the fire of the Cu- bans. The Harvard came over and l requested Captain Cotton to go in and take off the crews of the lntanta Maria Teresa and the Aimirante Oquendo and by midnight the Harvard had 976 prisoners aboard, great number of them wounded. For cour age and dash there Is no parallel in history to this action of the Spanish admiral. He came, as he knew, to absolute destruction. There was one single hope: That was that the Cris- tofal Colon would steam faster than the Brooklyn. The spectacle of two torpedo boat destroyers, paper shells at best, deliberately steaming out in broad daylight in the face of the fire ot a battleship can only be described in one way: It was Spanish and it was ordered by Blanco. The same must be said of the entire movement.
 Tn contrast to this Spanish fashion was the cool, deliberate Yankee work. The American squadron was without sentiment apparently. The ships went at their Spanish opponents and literal ly tore them to pieces. But the mo- ment the Spanish flag came down it must have been evident that the senti- ment was among the Americans, not the Spaniards. I took Admiral Cervera aboard the Iowa from the Gloucester, which had rescued him from the dead and received him with a full admirals guard. The crew of the Iowa crowded aft over the turrets, half-nak and black with powder, as Cervera stepped over the side bare-headed Over his undershirt he wore a thin suit of f1an- nel borrowed from Lieutenant Con- mander Wainwright of the Gloucester. The crew cheered vociferously. Cerve- ra is every inch an admiral, even if he had not any hat. He submitted to the fortunes of war with a grace that pro- claimed him thoroughbred.