The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-05
CERYERA'S DARING EXPLOIT
DETAILS OF SPANISH SOUADRON,S
 DASH FOR LIBERTY.

As Gallant Mun@uvre as Has Ever Oc-
 cured In the History of Naval War fare-Spanish Admiral Fought Every Inch of Ills Way Even When His Ship
 Was AbIaze and Sinking Did N Not Sur
 render Until He Reached the Shore
 His Squadron Most Thoroughly An- l nthiIated.
 | [Copyrlght 1898, The Associated Pressl | Ten Miles West of the Entrance of Santiago Harbor, Sunday, July 3, D.. m., by the Associated Press dispatch boat Wanda, to Port Antonio, Jamaica, Monday morning, July f, via Kingston, Jamaica, July 4, 4:45 a. m.-Admral Cervera's squadron, consisting of the armored cruisers Cristobal Colon, Al mirante Oquendo, Infanta Maria Teresa and Vizcaya and two torpedo boat de- stroyers, the Furor and the Fulton, which had been held in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba for six weeks past by the combined squadrons of Rear Admiral Sampson and Commodore Schley, lies to-day at the bottom of the | Caribbean sea, off the southern coast of Cuba. The Spanish admiral is a prisoner of war on the auxiliary gun boat Gloucester formerly J. Pierpont Morgan's yacht Corsair), and from one thousand to fifteen hundred Spanish officers and sailors, all who escaped the frightful carnage caused by the shells from the American warships, are also | held as prisoners of war by the United | States navy. The American victory is complete, and, according to the best in formation obtainable at this time, the American vessels were practically un- touched and only one man was killed, though the ships were subjected to the heavy fire of the Spaniards all the time the battle lasted.
 Cervera's Gallant Dash.
 Admiral Cervera made as gallant a dash for liberty and for the preserva- ton of his ships this morning as has
 
 warfare. In the face of overwhelming odds, with nothing before him but in- evitable destruction or surrender if he remained any longer in the trap in | which the American squadron held him, he made a bold dash from the harbor at the time the Americans least expect ed him to do so and fighting every inchs of his way, even when his ship was ablaze and sinking, he tried to es- cape the doom which was written on the muzzle of every American gun trained upon his vessel.
 Discovered by the Americans.
 The Americans saw him the moment he left the harbor, and commenced their work of destruction immediately. | For an hour or two they followed the flying Spaniards to the westward along the shore line, sending shot after shot into their black hulls, tearing grea [ | holes in their steel sides and covering their decks with the blood of the killed and wounded.
 Spaniards Beach Their ships.
 At no time did the Spaniards show any indication that they intended to do otherwise than fight to the last. They showed no signals to surrender even when their ships commenced to sink and the great clouds of smoke pouring from their sides showed that | they were on fire. But they turned | their heads toward the shore, less than l a mile away, and ran them on ihe beach and rocks, where their destruc- | tion was soon completed. The officers and men on board then escaped to | shore as well as they could with the assistance of boats sent from the | American men-ofwar and threw them- selves upon the mercy of their captors, who not only extended to them the gra- cious hand of American chivalry but sent them a guard to protect them from the murderous bands of Cuban soldiers hiding in the bush on the hillsides eager to rush down and attack the unarmed, defeated but valorous foe.
 Short Work.
 One and another of the Spanish ships became the victims of the awful rain of shells which the American battle ships, cruisers and gunboats poured upon them, and two hours after the first of the squadron had started out of San | iago harbor, three cruisers and two tor pedo boat destroyers were lying on the shore ten to fifteen miles west of Moro Castle, pounding to pieces, smoke and flame pouring from every part of them and covering the entire coast line with mist which could be seen for miles. Heavy explosions of ammunition occurred every few min utes, sending curls of dense white smoke a hundred feet in the air and causing a shower of broken iron and steel to fall In the water on every side. | Cervera Surrenders on Shore. Admiral Cervera escaped to the shore | in a boat sent by the Gloucester to the assistance of the Infanta Maria Teresa and as soon as he touched the beach he surrendered himself and his com- l mand to Lieutenant Morton and asked to be taken on board the Gloucester, | which was the only American vessel | near him at the time, with several of | his officers, including the captain of the flagship. The Spanish admiral, who was wounded in the arm, was taken to the Gloucester and was re- | ceived at her gangway by her com I mander, Lieutenant Commander Rich ard Wainwright who grasped the hand | of the gray bearded admiral and said to him: q congratulate you, sir, upon | having made as gallant a fight as was 1 ever witnessed on the sea" Lieuten-