The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-05
DESTRUCTION OE SPANISH FLEET
Continued from Page -

against the Spanish fleet, which he had
bottled up in Santiago harbor six weeks
before.
AS matter of fact, the entire Amer
lean fleet was much further off shore
than usual when the Spaniards made
their appearance this morning.
AMERICANS WE'RE SURPRISED.
With the exception of the lombard
ment yesterday morning, which result
ed in knocking down the flag on MORO
castle and the supposed silencing of
the batteries, which opened fire again
this morning as usual, the navy had
done little recently to attract interest
here, and the officers and crews them
selves were watching the developments
of the operations being conducted by
the army, which had succeeded in
reaching the very gates of Santiago
after an enormous loss in killed and
wounded in the fighting of the past
two days. 1t was not believed that
Admiral Cervera would attempt to eS-
cape from his perilous position at this
late day, but it was supposed that he
would keep his ships in the harbor to
! shell the advancing American army,
and that if Santiago fell, he would
blow up or sink them rather than per-
nit them to be captured by the Amer
lean squadron lying outside.
The Spanish admirals real plans,
| however, were plainly not anticipated.
He accepted the one chance open to
him-that of running the gauntlet OF
| the powerful men-Of-war lying in front
of the harbor, and saving his ships for
| future service by dashing out of the
| trap in which he found himself and
going to some other field of operations.
! There seemed to be but one chance in
a hundred that he would be able to
make the move successfully, but-he
fool hot oh md hill mill
of naval architecture, now ground to
pieces on the rocks a few miles from
where he started, tell the mournful
story of his failure, there are none who
applaud his conduct more than the
American officers and seamen who sent
his ships to destruction.
APPEARANCE OF THE FLEET.
1t was about o'clock this morning
when the flagship Infanta Maria Te-
reSa PASSED under the wall of MORO
castle and steamed out to sea. She was
followed by the Cristobol Colon, Viz
caya and Oquendo, and last by the tor
pedo boat destroyers FurOa and Plu-
ton. The lookout on the American yes
sells, which were lying five or ten miles
off the entrance to the harbor sighted
them Immediately Most Of the Amer
lean cruisers were at the usual Sunday |
morning quarters, without thought of
fleet getting past the sunken collier |
Merrimac. which they had been delud-
ed into believing effectually blockaded |
the exit. There was great excitement |
at once, and very rapid action along the |
American line. The signal for full spe ID |
ahead was running from bridge to en- |
CINE room of every ship, end the en- |
tire fleet commenced to move in shore |
toward the Spanish, and the great u |
and 13-inch guns of the battleships, and |
the smaller batteries on the other YES
sells fired shot after shot at long range.
As the ships ran in towards the shore
it soon became evident that the Span
iardS had not come out to make an
aggressive fight, for they turned to
the westward as soonTaS they had
cleared the harbor and started on their
race for safety, at the same time send
ing shots at the American ships as
fast as the men could load and fire the
guns. The Brooklyn, Massachusetts,
Texas, Oregon and Iowa were nearer
the Spaniards than any others of the
American vessels, but still most of
them were too far away to get an
effective range. They crowded on all
steam, however, in preparation for the
chase, never stopping their fire for one
moment. .a-is..-,
PLUCKY GLOUCESTER.
The Gloucester, a fast little yacht
that cannot boast of any heavier bat
terry than several six-pounders and
three-pounders, was lying off Aqua
dores, three miles east of Moro, when
the Spaniards came out. At first, she
joined in the attack on a leading
vessel, and then held off, Captain
Wainwright concluding 10 reserve his
efforts for the two torpedo boat
destreyers in the rear, The Gloucester
steamed after them when they ap-
mo- rod Or~6 Of1n cd 70 int five
miles west of MORO castle, pouring ,
shot after shot into them all the time.
Her efforts bore abundant fruit, for
to her belongs the credit for the
destruction of both of the destroyers.
She fired 1,400 shots during the chase, =.
destroyers were on fire and plainly {
disabled. /
They both returned the Gloucester's
fire, and a rain of small shells fell I
around the yacht. The Furor evidently
determined that she would not stand &
the fire any longer and she put about /
and headed back for Santiago. Then
the Gloucester simply smothered her s
with shots from her rapid-fire guns /;
and running like the wind, forced her +
TO turn around and again head west h
ward h
Smoke commenced to rise from the C
Furor's sides and she put in towards
the shore. Before she had gone far ,
what was left of her crew abandoned
her and took to the boats, reaching
the shore later. By that time she was
a mass of flames and was drifting
along helplessly.
The Pluton was in the same dis =
tressed condition, and was also headed v
for the shore, running alongside of a /
low bluff, where she soon pounded to {
pieces and finally broke in two COM /
pletely. 1t was q most dangerous
landing place for her crew, and but C
about half of them reached the shore a
alive t
The Gloucester did not go any fur t
Their west, but lay off shore and sent e
n a boat to the assistance of the crews
If the destroyers. 1t Gid not take the
lanes long to reach The Jurors mag
lzines, and there were two terrific eX- I
blossoms, probably of the guncotton on
BOARD of her, which blew holes in her
POTION. Her sterc sunk Immediately.
md as it settled in the water her bow p
'ose straight into the air, and she io
vent to the bottom in perpetual obliv- p
on, giving out a Kissing, scalding q
sound as she disappeared below the 9
surface. s
DESTRUCTION OF CRUISERS. W
Meantime the larger American ships e.
we're gaining on the Spanish cruisers, Ct
ma storm of shots were passing be-
ween the pursuers and the pursued.
The American fire was so rapid that
he ships were enveloped in thick. C
LIQUIDS of smoke. and it was impossible
o tell at the distance which vessels
we're doing the greater execution The
BROOKLYN and the five battleships were ri
eeping up an inceSSant fire upon the +,