The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-27
WEAR sCHLEY Boards.
Bitterness Existing Between Men OF
the Brooklyn and the New York.
Washington Post.


A letter recently received here from an
officer on the Brooklyn, besides giving some
interesting details of the destruction of
Cervera's fleet, emphasizes the bitterness
OF feeling between the officers and crews
of the Brooklyn and New York over the
famous naval engagement. In fact, this
young officer who is well known here, de-
clares that this feeling amounts to hate on
the part of the men of Schleys vessel. The
letter reads:
You get so many contradictory reports
about the battle that doubtless you Won
der sometimes if there ever was fleet.
So I'm going to tell you, in the most gen.
eral way how 1t happened. The ships were
ranged in a semi-circle about the mouth OF
the harbor, distant three miles, the Brook
I TyI.. the o extreme west; Texas next. then
that day because he saw that the New Or
leans, New York, Newark and Massachu-
sets were away. He knew he could run
away from all the battle ships except the
Brooklyn, and thought he could beat her.
SO his plan was for all four of his cruisers
10 concentrate their fire on the Brooklyn.
as there would then be no ship that could
pursue him. 1t was a splendid PLAN wise
ly chosen opportunity, excellent strategy.
and the only thing he lacked was the men
behind the guns With American gunners
he would have sunk us in ten minutes
Schley saw through the game in min
ute and remarked to Captain Cook that he
thought the Brooklyn would have to be
sacrificed, but he never heSitated. We
steamed right in toward them, firing with
our port battery until we got so close that
we were In imminent danger of ram and tor
pedo. Then we turned to the right. and as
they tried to run between us and the shore
we circled around and chased them down
the coast to the westward A newspaper
man from Jamaica told me afterward that
the Vizcaya people had chosen us as their
special antagonist, even we had done
with them ever since the two ships lay side
by side at the Queens jubilee. They cer-
tainly put up game fight, but we bored
them through and through and they kept
up a hot running fight for an hour and
half. 1t was a. good thing for us that the
Oregon no q in ho-
hind us and raced along at above fifteen
knots
I'VE had the Vizcaya on our quarter and
the Cristobal Colon on our bow until the
former was forced to run ashore. perforated
with five-inch and eight-inch shells. There
was not thirteen-inch shell In her, which
makes it look as If the Brooklyn, and not
the oregon, did the work. The moral effect
of the Oregon was good however, and 1
think 1t was the way she kept up that
scared the Cristobal Colon into surrender
while it was still an even chance whether
she would get away or not. After the battle
was over her captain begged to be allowed
to come aboard to satisfy himself with his
own eyes that we were not a battle ship.
He swore that every. one of his shots hit
us. The Spanards fairly turn our heads
with tales of the terrible fire we kept up
and how we outmaneuvered their forlorn
tales, We fought the whole battle but am
inclined to believe that the Texas, Iowa and
the Oquendo, Maria Teresa and two torpedo
boats Each one of them claims to have
done 1t alone.
Captain Evans was aboard, blowing to
the commodore about how the Iowa sank
two destroyers and two cruisers. He was
about to go on and claim the other two
cruisers as his victims when the commodore
dryly. remarked that he was sorry the
Brooklyn didn't get into it, and that she
didn't fire a shot You should have seen
Fighting Bob shut up. This incident is
characteristic Of both men. Here's the way
we sing 1t now:
Where was Sampson when the feet came
out?
Where was he, and what was he about?
Come, my little man, tell me If you can. ~
Where was Sampson when the feet came
out?
You know the New York didn't fire
| shot except at few old hulks that had
hauled down their flags and came, boiling
up to the Colon about an hour after she
had surrendered to Commodore Schley.
There is a very bitter feeling between the
New York and the Brooklyn. They are
very jealous of u.s. and we hate them for
the petty meannesses they have shown us
ever since they came down here There
will be free-for-an fight when the crews
get ashore together, with a little firewater
inside We are all growing Schley boards;
they will be all the rage when we strike
New York.