The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-29
THE LOG OF THE COLON.
It's Interesting Story Of the Voyage
Of CerYera.

Of CerYera.
HOW THE SPANISH SHIPS SAILED
AWAY TO THEIR DOOM.
for Battle-The Voyage to Cuba-In the
Harbor of Santiago, with the Sound of
Guns and Scenes of War on Every Side.
In the hands of the PRESS lis special
bulletin published on board the U. ;. ;.
New York, being an abstract from the
log of the Spanish ship Cristobai colon,
now q shattered wreck on the beacn OH
Santiago. This alb stract, which is very
handsomely printed, was sent to a iady
of this city by an officer OF the new
York. and Is very interesting doou-
ment.
The record beg ms on April Sth, the day
th, Cristobal Colon SAILED from Caol1 IN
company with the NJ aria Teresa, the nag.
ship, never more to drop anchor under
the Spanish flag In the harbors OF olo
Spain. BY the entry in the log ror cnis
day IL may be s.en that the course on
leaving Cadiz was south AZ degrees west,
which was towards the Cape de Verde Is
lands. The log also records the faou tnat
the speed for this day. which ended at
noon on April 9th, was from IL 10 ID
knots, and that the days run was soo
milss. Seven boilers were In use, 81 tons
of coal consumed for the day, and the
screw revolutions were from 60 to ".
with an average steam pressure OF lao
pounds.
At this time all Of the Unitad States
were guessing where Csrysra was bound,
and for some days, until the arrival Oh
the fleet at St. Vincent. the suspense Gil
along the Atlantic coast was great. The
entry for the next day in this log shows
| that high mass was celebrated on board
at ten O'Clock, the articles of war were
read to the assembled crew and the exec
utive officer published the general court
martial order. On April 10th ana lltn,
the sea day from noon to noon oelng
used, Tenerif was sighted ahead, ana
signals were exchanged, the international
code being used. At this point pilot
boarded the ship with sealed package
for the captain. We can imagine the Gu
=; Iaf. wa
! by the crew of the Cristobal Colon as he
was rowed off from shore towards the
Spanish ship. We can almost see the big
ship rolling about majestioally IN the
heavy swell, her tunnels helchfng forth
black smoke, her guns SO soon TO be
trained upon our ships now turned In
board and secured for sea, her dirty crew
crowded together forward watching the
pilot as he climbed up the ships side
with his mysterious package for the cap
tain. We can imagine the excitement
these men felt as they saw the package
delivered to the officer of the deck to be
sent by him to the captain, and then how
the sailors wondered as the ships head
was once more turned seaward. the pilot
leaving in his little craft, which went
bounding over the big waves towards the
shore whittier many of the Cristobal
Colon's men would doubtless have been
glad to have followed him.
The log of this ship fails to inform US
Just what this message was which the
captain received from the pilot, but we
see by referring to the column in which
the distance 1un," is noted that the
ship made $40 miles this day and 279 the
next, so evidently the orders which the
captain obtained off TIE nerif induced him
to crowd on all possible steam and hurry
on his way. On these two days the crew
was exercised with small arms, and one
of the guns which was foun to be out of
order when tried was put into condition
for instant use. Undoubtedly the Colon
was preparing to meet the "Pigs of Yam
kees'' at an early date.
At 40 q. M, April 18th, the log con-
tains this entry: Flagship anchored.
At 10. os (Colon) anchored in fathoms
of WATER Then the bearings of various
points on shore are noted, and the last
entry informs us that the ship was now
riding peacefully on the quiet waters of
St. Vincent harbor, Cape de Verde
islands.
HARD WORK AT ST. VINCENT.
From April 14th to April 2Sth the fleet
remained at anchor in Porto Grande, ST.
Vincent, with As fathoms of chain out on
the Cristobal Colon. The entries for these
two weeks will show with what feverish
haste the Spanish ships were being pre-
pared for sea. While we. here in the
United States were daily fearing the ap-
pearance of these ships off our coast. or
expecting to hear from them somewhere
on the Spanish Main with SIMPSONS
fleet in pursuit, they remained at this
point straining every nerve to get to sea.
The log tells the story better than any
thing else
April IA l5-At 8 p. m. went into sea
ovtipCricbad oil ,puooae