The Red Cloud chief., 1898-08-26
SECRET OF THE COLON
COMMANDER PROMISES
REVELATIONS.
II is HInted That the ship was Sacrificed
when Escape Was Certain--Canuot For
get Captain sigsbee and the BattIesbip
Maine.

| bhiiio DiuH Moreu OF the spanish snip
Cristobal Colon in an interview, yes
terday, discussed the events of the
last few weeks without bitterness.
Captain Moreu is one of the officers on
his way home. There was even a play
full suggestiveness in his tone when he
replied to the inquiry whether he
would say goodbye to the American
feet as he passed down the bay IN the
Normandie.
"Ycs," he went on, "why should not
| have friends on board your ships?
We did not fight MS personal foes.
Captain Cook of the Brooklyn-you
don't know him? All, fine man.
Half an hour after the battle l had
given him my photograph and he had
given me his. On mine / wrote: We
have just fought two hours and half
Each did his duty. We were not per-
sonal foes. Now that it is all over,
we are comrades and friends.
That is the way feel toward the
| Americans. I believe they have DIFF
ferent opinion of the Spaniards from
what they had before the war"
Captain, do you think Hobson will
raise the Colon?"
mo, he will not. She is tipped on
| her side and her 1000 tons have
smashed her Any vessel saved there
will cost twice its value"
"Thc Colon was a beautiful vessel
ventured the reporter.
Beautiful and every inch fighting
ship. Iwould have got away; none of
them could have stopped me, but"
The captain paused and said: "Got
awsy, said, you understand, mean
1t. Schley knows it. Sampson knows
IL and so does Cook. l told them IL
was not the Brooklyn nor the Oregon
that kept me from escaping. They
say / only went sixty-four miles. !
tell you it was sevcnty-two. Divide
that by the time and you will see my
average was l7.2 knots an hour and at
times ls. The Oregon could only go
10, and was steadily dropping the
Brooklyn behind. Oh, no. neither Of
the two kept me from escaping, but
cannot tell you now why ! was not
able to save my splendid ship" and
the captains voice tremblcd.
"You won't have long to wait.
though, you won't have long to watt"
he repeated.
"When l tell why. It will be on the
floor OF the cortes. ! am n member OF
the Spanish parliament. represent
the Montril district in Granada prov
ince. have been permitted by the
President to go home now. that may
be present Mt the opening OF the cortcs,
which will take place in few days.
Then will explain and many things
dark now will seem clear. l know
many Americans don't seem quite
clear from their own accounts as to
why did not escape when ] was in
the lead and gaining. They will know
soon. ] am not saying this to dctract
at all from the achievements of the
American fleet. The men did as they
could, but there is an unwritten chap
ter yet to be known before history il
written.
mo one viii say the Colon was ma
terially damaged by the American
fire." he went on. "She was hit only
six times. BY your own reports
made twenty-six holes in the Brook
lyn and there were forty.two traces Of
hits on her side. Does that not speak
well for Spanish gunnery? They say
our gunners could not shoot. Well,
the Brooklyn's sides tell different
story"
"Why did not you sink her them
"Our guns were too small. The
three ves1,ls with heavy guns--thc
vizcaya, the Maria Teresa and the
Oquendo--were on fire. l was left
alone with only rapid-fire guns of a
comparatively small caliber. If had
had l3.inch guns or IL or 12-well,
there might have been different story.
Those holes in the Brooklyn would
have meant more.
great deal from their fight with the
Colon. They will not give mp their
heavy guns for the light rapid-fre.
Sampson told me as much. / told
them they could not and they smiled
when l asked them where they would
be II had had heavy guns.
1T was the fortune of war that
heavy guns were only on board the
ships with wood work that would catch
fre. The first shell that struck any
of our ships started fire. There was
no fire on my ship, bccaush she had no
wood work. She was like the Brook
lyn and would not burn"
What do you think of the New
York;"
"A bad ship 1t was lucky for her
she did not get into the fight. She
would have burned like our three ships
Rear Admiral Sampson was in perfect
accord with me on that subject, and
agreed that shell might have set her
on fire, and with her wood work she
would have gone the way OF the Viz.
caya."
WHO should get the credit for the
victory-Sampson or Schley?" he wa,
asked.
"Be tn officers are men of great in.
telligense and high character" nc
said. "But Sigsbee. All, what shall
l say of him?' said the captain. bit