The Mena star., 1898-07-27
HOW SPAIN LOST HER SHIPS.
STORY OF THE BATTLE BY SPAN
 lSH OFFICERS.
Fearful Destructiveness of the Amer .ican Fire Jumped From Red Hot Decks Into the Jaws of
 Sharks.
From the New York World.

out or santiago narD IS Sblll the Ouly thought, the only talk, of the Spanish prisoners on Seavey's island by day, their only dream. or nightmare, by night Every one of the survivors will, as long as he lives. tell his countrymen that the gunDers of the Iowa. Oregon, Brooklyn and Texas concentrated their fire upon the ship he was on
 Let Lieutenant Carlos Boado-Suances first tell his experiences on the Fulton, the torpedo boat destroyer. These are nearly his own words:
 "Admiral Cervera expected to lose most of his ships but he hoped that the Cristobal Colon would get away. That is why he transferred his flag to the Maria Teresa, so that he might perish with the less fortunate. The two torpedo boat destroyers were to stay behind the armored cruisers until the American ships closed in and then the torpedo boats were to dart out from behind the armored ships, head ing straight for the nearest enemy.
 That was the plan. See how it failed. There were seventy-two men on our boat (the Pluton). don't be- lieve that one man expected to be alive in half an hour. But we were confident that we would take one of your battle ships down with us. Not man showed cowardice. Every one was ready to die, but no one was pre- pared for exactly what awaited us. We were shot to pieces before we got within half the torpedo striking dis tance of the American ships. We found ourselves riddled and could not strike a blow in return. That young commander of the Gloucester (meaning Comm ander Wainwright of the Maine) is as brave as any man alive, but he did not destroy us. It was the shells of the Brooklyn and Texas that blew us up.
 Admiral Cervera signaled the other ships behind him as he started out of the harbor
 My dear boys, your admiral prays for speedy victory.
 "But in five minutes we were ln the internal regions The nearestAmerican ship, the Iowa, was 14 miles away. Life anywhere on board the Fulton wasn't worth quarter of a cent. Our vessel, without armor, offered no place of refuge. On one of the armor clads man feels somewhat safer on the lee side of turret or with the coming tower between him and the enemy, but our men were just as safe oil the open declx-safer, indeed, than below, for the shots soon shattered our steam pipes, and escaping steam scalded tc death the stolSers and engineers.
 My chum and classmate was struck by u sheii irI tue breast W iiiiiiie staTidifil three feet from me. He was decapl tated as quickly as by the guillotine The head and body separated and fel off the deck into the sea. The sheb struck the edge of the coming tower aud exploded The concussion threw me on my hands and knees. At ths same instant heavier shell struck tn, Pluton's side and she careened vio lently I grasped at the little railing running around the coming tower {, prevent falling overheard and pulled myself up by my left hand. The nex moment another shell struck the decl exactly where l had been momen before, exploding and wounding mt slightly. How escaped is $ miracle cannot explain. All this happened il the first few minutes. The Iowa ans the Brooklyn were still more than mile away when our gun crews wer, killed or wounded, so that we soor ceased to fire.
 ''The Furor and the Pluton carried seventy men each; forty-eight on tn, Fulton were killed and ffty-fve ol the Furor.
 Lieutenant Antonio Lopez Cerou, a line officer on the Infanta Maria Te resa. had the honor of standing neal Admiral Cervera during the fifty-sever minutes American onslaught, The lieutenant is sure that as the Spanish fleet came out from the deep entrance to Santiago harbor only two big Amer ican ships were in sight within two miles. These must have been the Iowa and Rroolxlvn. The Indiana was gen.