The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-08
ton.
Maria 3'erena Loads Of.

Maria Teresa passed out to sea- She
was followed by the Cristobal Colon,
Vizcaya and OQuendo, and last by the
destEwyers Furor and Pluton. The
lookout on the American vessels lying
i've or ten miles off the entrance to the
haz'bor sighted them Immediately.
Most of the crews We're at the usual
Sunday morning quarters without
thought of anything as surprising as
the Spanish fleet getting past the Mer-
limac, which they believed effectively
blocked the exit
There was great excitement and at
once the signal for full speed was run
ming from bridge to engineroom and
every ship started inshcre, and the great
13-inch and smaller guns fred shot
after shot at long range. AS the ships
ran in toward the shore, it soon became
evident the Spanish had not come, out
to make an aggressive fight, for they
5nrned to the westward as soon as they
Lad cleared the harbOr and started on
!aeir race for saf ETY., at the same time
sanding shots at the Americans as fasi
81: they could.
The Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Texas,
Oregon and Iowa We're Eearer the
Spaniards than any others OF the Amer
ican vessels, but still most of them
were too far away to get an effective
range. They crowded on all steam,
never stopping their fire for one mo-
ment. The Gloucester, fast little
yacht, that cannot boast Of any heavier
battery than several 6-pounders and g.
Founders, was lying three miles east OF
Morro, when the Spaniards came up
At first she joined i'll an attack on a
larger vessel and held eff some, Captain
Wainwright concluded to reserve his
efforts for the two destroyers i'll the
rear. The Gloucester steamed after
them when they appeared.
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
like Nelson, seemed to have the blind
eye. If he were signalled to put out
work which was heroic and astonish-
ing. At one time the Gloucester was
being fired at by the Vizcaya, both tor
pedo boat destroyers and the MORO
battery. That she was not sunk and
that she ha enough men left to wor k
her guns was marvellous, She lay close
in to where the Vizcaya came out and
ran along parallel, firing at the cruisers
| tiercely, in proportion to her size, as did
the Indiana and Iowa. Captain Eulate
of the Vizcaya probably feared torpedo
from the Gloucester, for he turned
loose his secondary battery at her as he
passed Oh into storm Of shells from
the battleships.
The destrOyers came out, and the
Gloucester accepted them at once as
parts Of her contract. These Destroy
ers were strong in machine guns and
guns of our three and six-pounder class
It seems that smoke jets burst from the
destroyers in 20 places as they slipped
along after the Vizcaya, and the water
all about the Gloucester was kept splash
ing by shells and by bullets from ma
chine guns, but the yacht steamed ahead,
keeping the destroyers directly between
her and shore and hammering them.
The MORO was throwing shells from
behind. and occasionally the Vizcaya
turned gun or two to aid her follow
ers. The yacht WAS often completely
hidden by smoke.
In 10 minutes the fire of the destroy
ers slackened, but, although some of
their guns were disabled, their machin-
cry was all right, and they moved on
until MORO could no longer take part in
the battle. Then the New York ap-
peared, hurrying on the news from the
Resolute that Cervera had dashed his
wedge of cruisers into the American
fleet and was dying gloriously The
New York was six miles away when
the destroyers saw her.
Try to Run to Cover.
Moro thundered at Sampson as he
came within range, but the admiral
never needed, seeing only in the dis
tance the dim forms Of the Vizcaya and
the Oquendo, hopelessly hemmed in by
circle of fire and in the foreground the
Gloucester fighting two destroyers at
short range. When the destroyers saw
the flagship they sped away from the
Gloucester and tried to overtake the
Vizcaya and get into shelter on her
starboard side.
The Indiana's secondary battery had
the first destroyer range and rained
shells upon it. Splintered and torn, but
still with their steering gear and ma
chinery intact, both destroyers turned
back to run for the mouth of the harbor
and seek safety inside. The fight had
been carried nearly four miles west of
MORO, and the New York was already
past the harbor mouth.
The Gloucester was ready for them
close at hand. She and the destroyers