The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-07-14
Fighting D)B'S STORY.
Commander of the
Iowa Tells OF Cerve=
ra'S Destruction.
Il WAS A MOST MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE.
Graphic Description of the
Fearful Carnage Wrought
by the American Guns.
THE HIGHEST PRAISE ACCORDED GERVE2A.

The battle ship Iowa was the first
ship to see the Spanish fleet coming
out OF the harbor. Somebody ON the
bridge shouted: Whats that black
thing coming out of the harbor?''
A moment later the Iowa was at
general quarters, and the signal was
hoisted that the enemy's ships were
coming out. a gun was fred to at
tract the attention of the feet at 933
q. m.
"Fighting Bob Evans. the com
mander of the Iowa, was sitting in
his cabin, talking to his son, a cadet
on the Massachusetts, who, luckily
had been left behind in a picket
launch when the Massachusetts, went
to Guantanamo for coal at dawn.
Capt. Evans account of the battle,
as told in the cabin of the Iowa to q
correspondent is intensely interesting.
He said:
''At the time general quarters was
sounded, the engine bell rang full
speed ahead, and put the helm to
starboard and the Iowa crossed the
bows of Infanta maria Teresa, the first
ship out. As the Spanish Admiral
swung to the westward the 12-inch
shells from the forward turrent of the
Iowa seemed to strike him fair in the
bow, and the fight was a spectacle.
''As the squadron came out in col
umn, the ships beautifully sachet as
to distance, and gradually increasing
their speed to their 13 knots, it was
superb.
''The Iowa, from this moment. kept
up 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
leading ships.
''In the meantime, the Oregon, In
diana, Brooklyn and Texas were doing
excellent work with their heavy guns.
I'm 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 their speed.
THE range at this time was 1000
yards from the leading ship. The
lowa's helm wasimmediately put hard
to the starboard and the entire star
board broadside was poured into the
Infanta Maria Teresa. The helm was
then luckily shifted to port and the
ship headed 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 smokestacks
and super-structure of the ship. but
none struck her.
"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
dispensary, wrecking the latter and
bursting on the berth deck doing
considerable damage. The other
passed through the side at the water
line where it still remains.
''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 Amir
ante Oquendo, at a distance of 100
yards, the Iowa's entire battery, in
cluding the rapid fire guns was OPEN
ed on Oquendo. The punishment was
terrific. Many 10 and S-1nch shells
from the Iowa pierced the Almirante
Oquendo at the same moment. one
forward and the other aft. The Oou-
endo seemed to stop her engines for a
moment and lost headway, but she
Immediately resumed her speed and
gradually drew ahead of the Iowa and
came under the terrific fire of the Ore
gon and Texas.
AT this moment the alarm of tor
pedo-boats' was sounded and two tor
pedo-boat destroyers were discovered
in the starboard quarter at a distance