The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-07-15

The following graphic description of
the attempted flight and the subse-
qucnt destruction of Admiral Ccrvera's
feet is from the pen of IIarryS ;. Brown,
special correspondent of the New York
Herald and London Times:
scattered along the shore for a dis
tance of ten miles to the west of MORO
castle now lie the four-armored cruis-
ers and two torpedo boat destroyers
that comprised Admiral Cervera's fleet.
In "A running fight of two hours these
vessels, the cream of the Spanish navy,
were almost annihilated this morning
by the powerful ships of Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet under the immediate
command of Commodore Scllley.
Admiral Cervera, after making as
plucky a fight against overwhelming
odds as is recorded in naval history,
was compelled to surrender. He was
taken as prisoner of war, together with
every man of his fleet not drowned or
killed in the action. The Spanish adj
miral was wounded in one arm.
His splendid ships. the Cristobal CO.
lon, flagship; the Vizcaya, Almirante
Oquendo and lnfanta Maria Teresa,
and the torpedo boat distroyers Furor
and Pluto lie on the Cuban rocks, she'll
riddled, smoking hulks.
Cervera, on the Colon, made the long
est run toward liberty. He yielded to-
fate only in the face of death, and is
a prisoner now on the Gloucester, which
before the war was j. Pierpont Nor
gan's yacht Corsair.
When his ships, all alame, were
pounding on the shore ten miles from
santiago. a boat from the Gloucester
put out to him. and he gave his sword
10 Lieut.. Morton. who was in charge.
As the Golden Rod steamed past the
flagship, after the battle, l was i'm
formed by an officer on the deck that
Admiral Cervera. with 1900 of his
men, had surrendered. OF the pris-
oners, more than 400 of the crew of the
Nizcaya were taken by the Iowa, Capt
Evans.
Every vessel in Admiral SIMPSONS
feet went through the fierce engage
ment without injury. But one man in
the American ileet was killed and two
were injured.
From the very first of the fighting
the little Gloucester was in the thick
est Of it. At one time she was pour
ing her s~ia-pounder shells against the
entire Spanish fleet, while the guns of
Moro castle we're making her their
target. She riddled the Spanish de-
stoyers md fought the Vizcaya and
Oquendo as fercely as if She were "A
hattieship.
Magnificent beyond description was
che bold dash by which Cervera at
tempted to get his fleet out of Santiago
harbor. Cervera himself led the way
With his flagship. the Cristobal Colon.
II was to be a dash to liberty or 20
death. and the Spanish admiral made
the plunge with eyes open.
sunday quiet rested over the en-
trance to Santiago harbor. No signs
OF life were visible about old MORO.
Beyond md toward the city of Santi-
ago all was still. After two days oi
fighting the armies of both nations
were resting IN their trenches. Oh
this way, for a distance of half "a dozen
miles from shore. the vessels of Admi-
raj SIMPSONS ileet lay lazily at their
stations.
Admiral Sampson, desiring TO ascer
tain the exact condition of the Spanish
coast d~efenses about Aguadores, or
dered the flagship to go in that direc
ton. All alone the New York leisurell
steamed off to the eastward.
Idle thoughts occupied h minds
OF the men in the fleet. They e
specializing. AS they had been Tor weeks
when would come their opportunity u
get at"the Spanish fleet in the harbor
Suddenly rs a flash, at $3.50 o'clock, Z
vessel appeared near the entrance "a
the harbor. She was throwing on
great black clouds of smoke, and wa
pointing straight toward the Ameri
can fleet.
The ease of the American officers an'
sailors rudely was disturbed. They
grabbed their glasses. scanned tn
harbor entrance, and were amazed q
discover that an armored cruiser wa
coming out.
In the absence of Admiral Sampson
Commodore Schlcy, from the Brook
lyn, ordered the American warships 3
rush in shore. In a few moments il
was seen that the vessel emittin
such great clouds Of smoke was tn
Cristobal Colon. Admiral Cervera'
flagship. She had passed the wrecI
4 Of the Merrimac and was making 70
the sea at full speed.
Before Commodore Schley and hi
men could recover from their surpris
other clouds OF smoke came into vie'
beyond the Cristobal Colon.
With a rush fully equal to that
The spanish flagship, the Almirant