The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-12
Copyright by Associated Press.)

sOciated Press Dispatch Boat Daunt-
less, via, Port Antonio, ia, July s.
by Way Of Kingston, ia, July 8, 11:50
p. m.-The vessels which composed
Admiral Cervera's squadron, convert
ed into wrecked charnel houses, are
Iittering the Cuban coast and the
scenes Of d~esolation, ruin, horror and
death battle description.
At the entrance of the harbor of
Santiago lies the Reina Mercedes sunk
at midnight on July 3rd.
Westward five miles from the har-
Dor is a torpedo boat destroyer, stuck
fast in the rocks, close in shore and
battered by the surf Rocks jutting
out of the water just in front where
she lies hide her hull from view. Her
davits and the top of her coming tow
er alone mark her resting place.
Visible from the sea. a few miles
further, in an inlet embraced by two
mighty arms of black rocks that ex-
tend half a mile into the sea, are the
remains of the twin cruisers Infanta
Maria Teresa and Almirante Oquendo,
formerly the pride of the Spanish
navy.
On beyond, lies the Vizcaya, a mass
of ruins, and forty-twO miles away
from Santiago the CristObal Colon
lies helpless on her side, with her
smokestacks under water.
The Infanta Maria Teresa and the
Almirante OquendO stand upright,
stuck fast on the rocky shoals. All
that is left of them is their hulls,
the heavy armor defying total annihi-
latiOn. Inside of them the work of
destruction is complete. Their boilers,
engines, bunkers and magazines have
been blown into unrecOgnizable masses
of twisted, melted iron. Exploded
shells, burned rifles and revOlvers,
pieces of yellow bras work and gold
and silver coin, melted by the intense
heat, are streWn all over the remains
of the once proud cruisers, whose pro-
tective decks only stand in place.
But the most CHASTITY, horrible sight
in those silent steel collins are the
mangled, scared and charred bodies of
hundreds of brave sailors, sacrificed
for their country. BuzZardS are feed
ing off the dead and hoVer over the
WreCkage. on the beach, other flOcks
of vu!tures sit in silent waiting for
the sea to give up it's dead. Every
tide ado to the tale of horror, wash
ing up such objects as, for instance,
n sleeve enclosing a wasted arm, other
portions of human bodies gnaWed by
sharks and countless relics of the bat
tie. Attention has been given to the
burial of the dead of the enemy, and
over 100 bodies taken from the hip
or washed ashore have been inferred
upon the beach, by Rear Admiral
SIMPSONS orders. Those which now
remain are either almost totally con-
sumed by fire, charred beyond recog-
milton, or lie in the depths of the sea.
These form the food of the buzzards
who keep constant vigil about the
wrecks.
The buried remains lie in a confused
mass, Unnumbered and unnamed on
the sandy beach, where the vessels
went ashore. A rude wooden cross
from the Wreckage alone marks the
grave, a grave which Spain may well
mourn.
Boats crews from the Texas n
the Associated Press dispatch boat
landed this morning on the wrecks of
the Almirante OquendO and lnfanta
Maria Teresa. Commodore Schley saw
some Spaniards on board of them and
thought our men had better take their
arms, but they would not wait. When
they neared the ships they saw the
S~paniards leaping off and swimming
ashore. Not a shot was fired, how
ever. Probably the Spaniards a
been lOoting.
The wrecks are described as look
ing like big steel buildings after de-
StruCtiOn by fire. The deck beams
of the warships are twisted as if the
flames had the power of a tremendous
explosion. Side armOr plates weighing
tons have been wrenched off and
there We're many evidences in the
large holes of where the shots of the
Brooklyn and Oregon had landed. The
decks were strewn with officers uni
forms, provisions and some small
arms. All the guns are ruined except
an 1112-inch gun III the forward tur-
ret of the Infanta Maria Teresa,
which seems to be in perfect order.
There is absolutely no hope of hoat-
ing the Spanish ships.
VALIANT ACTION OF OUR LIT
L WARSHIPS.
Key West, Fla. July $3.50 p. NJ
There is now little doubt that the
Spanish steamer destroyed by the
Hawk, Prairie and Castine at Mariel
on Wednesday last was the trans-At-
lantic liner Alfonso XII. of nearly
5000 tons. Although the American
ships were unable to approach close
enough to clearly establish her identity
on account of the brisk fire from the
steamer and the shore batteries, her
appearance correspondent almost ex-
actly with the. description of the AL
fOnso XII as given by Lloyds. The de-
struction of the ship, the chief details
of which have already been published
was a daring piece of work. The credit
does not all belong to the Prairie,
whose big guns finally encOmpaSseC
the Spaniard's ruin and left her a mass
of blazing wreck on the beach. The
work of the little converted yacht
Hawk was heroic to a degree. 1t was
she who first discovered the enemy
and alone gave chase, running back
for the assistance of the two larger
%gunboats only when the ~Spaniard drew
in under the Mariel batteries and close
to two Spanish gunboats lying in the
harbOr.
Before seeking aid, however, the
Hawk lowered a small boat, name
by Ensign Schofield and a crew of six
In the bright light of the tropica.