The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-08-03
SACRIFICED TO FOLLY

~AStNA~A-AA A~A--@NA-
SACRIFICED TO FOLLY,
The Naval Battle off Santiago Hope
less for the Spaniards.
BRAVE DONs TELL A SAD STORY.
From the Chicago Record.
While the officers OF Admiral Cerve-
ra's squadron decline TO discuss the
probabilities of peace or the conse-
quences that may follow Watson's ex-
pedition and the invasion of Puerto
Rico, they talk very freely Of their own
experience, and consider themselves as
having been sacrificed to atone for the
sins of the ministry at Madrid. This
expression was used by one Of them in
discussing the fate of their fleet. They
declare that the dispatch &c their YES
sels from Spain to the West Indies un-
der the circumstances then existing
was an unprecedented example Of adj
ministratiye folly, for which Mr.. Mo
ret, then minister Of the colonies at
Madrid, was directly responsible, but
he was supported by all of the men,
bers of the cabinet except the minister
of marine, who finally aud with great
reluctance consented to issue the neces-
sary orders to Admiral Cervera. They
explain that public sentiment in Mad
rid and elsewhere throughout the PEN
insula, as represented by the politicians
and the newspapers, demanded some
offensive demonstration toward the
United States They were not satisfied
with the defensive policy of the admin
istration. They were impatient because
the Spanish army in Cuba was bottled
up in Havana, Santiago and other
ports by our blockade, and because
every vessel sent to its relief was cap
tured as a prize of war. They insisted
that fleet of cruisers which was idle
at Cadiz should be sent out to destroy
our commerce, take prizes among our
shipping, and blockade and bombard
the ports Of the United States in retail
alton for what our fleet was doing in
Cuba.
Admiral Cervera's officers say that
these demands were made by people
who were not aware of the unfitness of
the navy, and the minister could not
make it known without exposing the
long-continued corruption Of the ma
rine department and the robbery of the
government by the diversions of funds
appropriated for naval defenses- They
think il possible the true state Of affairs
was unknown to some of the ministers,
and that perhaps Mr.. Moret shared the
deIusion. The minister of marine, who
was fally aware of thesituatiOn, remon-
strated, and was sustained by promin-
ent officers of the navy. But he was
compelled to yield, and finally issued
peremptory orders for an expedition
which every man familiar with the
navy knew was not only hopeless, but
suicidal.
The vessels lacked arms, men and
fuel, and one of them, the Cristobal
Colon, did not carry guns enough for
ship Of one-tenth its tonnage. When
Admiral Cervera was asked where the
guns were, he replied: ain the pockets
of the contractors 1t is claimed that
on the four vessels-the CTistobal Co
lon, Vizcaya, Oqnendo and Maria Te-
resa-there were only six guns of large
caliber, two each upon the three last
named.
When asked what the government
expected TO accomplish by sending
over the fleet, one of the captains, with
a sarcastic smile, replied that Moret,
who is a dreamer. believed it was pos
sible to lombard New York, Boston,
Washington, Chicago, st. Louis, and
blockade all the rest of the cities of the
United States with four half-armed
men of-war and three tOrpedo-boat des-
troyers.
''we al protested,p be declared.
1--WE knew that the moment we lefl
Spain we were lost; that our destruc
ton was only matter Of time. We
felt that we we're sent as a sacrifice by
the government to satisfy public clamol
and that II was matter Of indifference
whether we were properly armed ol
not. The less guns the better. The les
guns the less loss. That is the dread.
full story.
"When we left Cadiz we were prom
ised mer, coal and other supplies at St
Vincent, and we did receive there some
stores Of food and provisions and some
guns, bat the torpedo-b boats could moi
go any farther. Their machinery was
unfit. and we had to abandon them.
They never could have crossed the AT
lantic. They were not built for heavy
weather.
ave sailed from Cape Verde on Apri
2e-four cruisers and the torpedo-boaI
destroyers Furor, Terror and Pluton ir
tow - making about eight knots al
hour, and were accompanied by the
hospital ship Alicante. We did no
have sufficient coal to reach Havana
but the minister Of marine promised
that We should meet two English brigs
the Restormel and the Twickenham
laden with Cardiff coal. at Martinique
But they were not there. The Frsncl
authorities refused to allow us to bu,
fuel, and the only way we could get Z
Curacao. where the minister Of marin