, 1898-07-07
D0NS WEAKENED
NOT A SINGLE SHIP IN CERVERA'S
FLEET WENT DOWN
GAME.
Cofors We're Struck on Every Vessel
and the Flower of the Spanish
Navy Met an Ignominous Fate
Sailors on the Colon Were Drunk
When Captured.

they were beached by their crews their
valves were opened, windows smashed
and every effort made to sink and
wreck them. Not a single IL of Ger
veia's ships vent down game with
flags flying, but each in turn struck her
co,ors and surrendered. The Cristobal
Colon got we'll away, and looked to be
escaping. The chase by the cruiser
Brooklyn and the battleship Oregon
after the Colon will ever live in naval
history For fifty miles the Oregon
made sixteen knots, keeping up a run
ming fire all that time. The Texas was
the death, after helping to finish the
Viscaya. Oquendo and the Maria Ter
esa. The Brooklyn had hooked on all
Ave of her engines, and yet the Oregon
stayed with her. Every time the men
in the engine room heard an s or 49,
inch II explode they would work like
Trojans.
When the Colon was beached the
Oregon reached her first and put a prize
crew on board. headed by Lieutenant
Coggswell in charge. They found near
ly all the sailors on the captive vessel
drunk. When it was plain she was 60
ing to be captured the wine stores were
thrown open to the men. The ship was
~splendidly appointed. She had 500
tons Of flour, chickens. pigs and five
mich COW on board. The pistols and
clothing of General Linares were also
found there, showing that he had in
tended to escape ON the Colon.
At II o'clock Sunday night. after the
prize crew had left her. the cruiser
careened and she is o on her beam
ends, all her guns pointing p]erpendicu>
larly to her blackened and Scared hull.
All the fine plate and elegant appoint
ments are lost.
Admiral Sampson said: "Of course
the victory is very gratifying. The
l 800 prisoners will be sen to New
York. All the ships in the engagement
fought splendidly."
1t was just 9:1S o'clock Sunday morn.
ing, and on every American ship the
call to quarters for inspection had been
sounded. The officers and men wore
white duck suits. Suddenly the report
of a six-pounder sounded from the Ore,
gon, lying off the entrance to the har-
Dor, II every eye was ]involuntarily
fixed on the narrow strips of skv be-
tween MORO and Socapa. The evil
dence of ewes could hardly he believed.
Steaming calmly from The harbor an
.parently very SLOWLY. but in fact quite
rapidlv. came one after another Of the
four Spapis cruisers in this order.
CristobaI Colo, A1niranta
Oouendo. Maria Teresa and aftor Them
the two torpedo boat destrovers Pin,
ton and Furor
The electric eonps sounded on eve,.v
shin and without waiting for ,ba SIGMA,
for the Aapsb;n with tho So,o ohiac, ~,
heading off tho Sn,nisb aaa, tho four
sbins nearest tho en,r,nce made ,ftar
avinp sou,d,on rko ono
great machine
simultaneously with tho firing ~
WARNING oun h,, 4ba oronor uo,,
the signa1 70 tho m,s+ba.d - tho Tox
&c .Tbo o,onr .rvinn o.oa.o,
Tho erst sbo, o.mo fnom tho Cno,su,,
a,gsb;n oo,,ondo Cor,ora hod ,uana
ferred his nennant IN that cruis.r avid
had left the second admira, vi1ami,
on the Cristobal Colon Like = flash
the answer came from the e,,ns on tba
Oregon. BROOKLYN and TEXAS Tho
Spanish forts on both sides NJ tho b,r-
Dor Joined in the 6pbt and nourod , ho,
fire around orr sbins until tho a;,b+ of
Cervera's sbins to tho vastu,rd ora
the hot pursuit had carried them all
beyond the range NJ the land ha,t.rios
"The enemv fred tho fret sbot " 80,
Captain phil;n NJ tho Texas &c r..
pointed out with pride the shell bo,es
and scars which told what a game part
his fine vessel played in the fight. "As
far back as history goes" he went on.
'in the days of Joshua, at Manila, here