The herald., 1898-07-24
ANGfLfNOS IN ACTION
ADVENTURES OF TWO OF OUR
BOYS AT SANTIAGO
ONE ON SHIP, ONE on SHORE
'sHusky" King Was With the Rough
Riders and Martin Mueller Was
on the Battleship Oregon

Letters have been received from two Los
Angeles boys who took part in the recent
great events behind and in front of San
tiaso. One is from Herbert, otherwise
known as Husky" King, and is to his
mother, Mrs. NJ A. King, of AIS North
Grand avenue. 1t is dated July 9Th, near
Santiago" King is one of the Rough
Riders, and was in the terrible contests
during the first week in July.
He says: in our first fight there
were four thousand Spaniards and
eight hundred and sixty of US, and
II took US just a little over two
hours to drive them out. We had eighteen
killed and forty-five wounded. and the
Spaniards one hundred and sixty-four kill
ed and a great many injured. We rested
q week till the rest of the army came up.
and then we went at them again. Where
our brigade was there were two big hills,
protected by rifle pits and capped with can
non. Away we went at them. They
got lot of us before We reached them, but
when We got close they could not depress
the cannon so as to hit us, and off they
went We could see them jump In the air
when they were hit, and when our rapid
fire guns were turned on them that settled
them.
I'VE took these two hills, and then we
crossed valley and found three more hills
fortified, but we took those also, and now
Santiago is only three quarters of mile
away, and we can see part oft. This fight
lasted three days and two nights. the first
fifteen hours without stop. We had
twelve hundred killed and wounded, and
they had about twenty-five hundred. We
also took four hundred prisoners. In our
regiment we had five hundred and twenty
men, and of these we have lost eighty-six
killed and wounded. We expect to be in
Santiago in few days, and will have
good time when we get there
The second letter is from Martin Mueller,
son of Mrs. C. H. Mueller of sos Center
street. He is one of the brave fellows on
board the Oregon, and he took part in the
demolition of Cervera's fleet.
He says: ION this Sunday, July Sd, one
which 1 will never forget, the bugle
sounded the first call to quarters at twenty
five minutes past nine, and we were all
gathered for muster in our best toys when
a voice from the masthead sung out: The
Spanish fleet is coming out of the harbor,
SIR The orderly reported to the captain.
and on looking at the harbor we could see
the fleet right in front of the entrance
within three thousand yards. Our flag
ship. with two others. had gone for coal,
and the Spaniards gave US surprise which
we returned.
'Our captain headed US right in on them,
and the battle was begun. The fleet headed
for the east, keeping close to the beach,
and giving us their broadsides. Up to
this time the Oregon was the only ship in
action, but then the Brooklyn opened fire
and then there was running fight. What
we lacked in speed We made up with our
13-inch shells. and with one shot we drove
one of the cruisers ashore, and she sank at
fve-mie range. We put on the forced
draft, and in ten minutes the first big ship
was on fire from one of our 13-inch shells,
and they drove her ashore; this was the
Maria Teresa. The Oquenda shared the
same fate ten minutes later, and the Viz
caya followed. Meantime We sunk two
torpedo boats which came after US. This
was all done while we were going seventeen
knots an hour with every gun on our star
board broadside firing as fast as they
could be loaded.
Then the Oregon and the Brooklyn, the
only ships in the chase, took after one of
the finest ships Europe ever turned out the
Cristobal Colon. The Brooklyn could have
run ahead of the Oregon, but she thought
1t safer to stay with us, as she was hit in
the stern and had one of her compartments
filled with water, so after a three-hour
and quarter chase we thought we would
stop her with a ten-inch shell at five or
six miles range. We succeeded, and she
turned her nose in to the beach and hauled
her colors down. We took officers and
men prisoners and put our men aboard of
her, but it was found that she had worked
her nose off the beach and was sinking
fast, so she went down and the battle was
over, and the Oregon did 1t all, and was
never touched. The Colon we can raise,
but the others are a total wreck. How many
men were lost we cannot tell, but in the
morning we saw many bodies of officers
and men floating"
Mr.. Mueler's letter is enclosed In an en-
velope of fashionable cut and tint, which
he took from the Colon after she was cap
tured and just before she sunk