The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-09-02
OREGON'S SECRET

=, c.,,inv into Hattie quick y-capi.
r,a,. Kept the steam Mp, Aiiltsady
for business When the Dasis sounded
C,det s q. MagAl in the Chicago
,r,,,es.Herald: Al first the Up was
6IIed WITH the rattle of drums beating to
quarters and the clarion OF bugleg, all Of
Inch we knew meant that We were TO
Az ar die and the most touching incl
Amt was the way those hundreds Of men
,,.ut nj the work. singing and Joyous,
,,i,botIt a thought OF their personal
S.rger, None OF them had eyer been
',.Ier IRE before we came heresARd yet
Wv would point out shells striking the
,,sier close by and yell. LON ball! =
md as the shells whistled over US,
"Hlgh BALI -,
,n,ned n terrible fire on uA. and II was
oriy owing 10 their poor markemnnahip
,hrt our ships did not ggt sEiddled.
stSose four spanish ships Mad about
Sarty or fftS rapid-lire guns apiece,
,sbich gave them twenty TO twenty.
gye guns on a broadslde, capable OF fir
Ing an average Of three shots a minute
rom the heavier guns and ten shots
minute from the lighter guns. They
vent the water all around US boiling
with their shells, even II they did not
strike us, Il has turned out that the
S','g was only once hit by q small
sbrI which hardly made more than a
s.,t i'm her heavy armor. Twice we
were also hit with fragments OF burst
inF shells. 49,,
cred coming out Of the harbdr the Ore
r5n al once commenced shining to-
Ward the entrance before the other
sbIps OF the squadron commenced NOV
i"g The Iowa was soon bearing in to-
",srd them. but seemed to stop in her
cfTort 10 get turned around to the west
word. which was the direction taken by
Inc Standards. By this time the oregon
,rsg going ut full speed and making
Tight FOR the fleet. She crossed the bows
81 the Iowa like a shot.
One Of my old classmates. who was In
the military top Of the Iowa when the
oregon passed her. said to me: "All OF
a sudden l saw an enormous wave on
The port bow, and looking around / saw
inc OREGON walking by us, looking like
volcano as the black smoke poured
from her tunnels. said to myself: For
INC love Of Mike are we standing stlll?'
fGe PASSED. barely missing US, and left
us behind and the way she closed with
that renr vessel wns the finest sight /
ever expect TO see"
This is the opinion expressed by oil
the officers on the other ships, and that
dash Of the Oregon viii live in the menu
ery OF every one who saw II to the end
rr their days The credit for the beau
iiful work done by the Oregon, whereby
gne carried on the honors OF the day. Is
que TO Captain Clark, who quickly saw
Ire objective point of the Spaniards and
,r;!ded the ship SO as to intercept them.
Laptain Clark is now the pride Of the
whole feet. and is recognized as a tao
tIclan OF the very highest order. 1t Is
= pleasant sight to see the way in which
me jackies In the fleet admire him.
The day OF the fight, when he went over
10 the flagship TO report to the admiral
In regard to the chase Of the Colon, the
sailors all lined up on the rail OF the
different ships as he went by in his
gig and cheercd him again and again.
rhe boys OF the different ships have
written a number OF songs dedicated to
bin.
The high speed we were able to get
up right away and the way we hung on
10 them. driving them on to the beach
one after the other with the heavy fire
from our guns, was what saved the day.
il must be remembered that the four
Spanish cruisers were almost battle
chips, and had greater speed than
most cruisers In the American navy. All
OF our battleships, except the Oregon.
were foul bottomed and apparently had
little steam on, so that when the enemy
came out and went to the westward at
sixteen or seventeen knots speed. those
battleshlps which were in condition to
rake only twelve or thirteen knots
found themselves left behind.
By the foresight Of the captain and
the chief engineer OF the Oregon we had
kept. every boiler In use and q high
steam pressure on from the time we
left San Francisco until the Spanish
Meet came out OF Santiago harbor.
Then we felt rewarded for this persist
rlce by being able to go through our
feet as though they were standing stu,
ard by the time we were abreast OF the
rear vessel In the Spanish fleet we were
making sixteen or seventeen knots our
selves and overhauled each one in sue
ccsslon. This may be OF interest, for
many Will undoubtedly wonder how It
came about that the Oregon was able to
take the leading position, although she
vas the farthest nway when the enemy
came out