The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-08
Its Heroic Dash for Liberty
Ends in Its Complete
Destruction.
NOT ONE OF THE VESSELS AFL0AT
Desperate Fighting of the Land Forces Around
Sa~ntiago--Our Lines Closing in on the
City---The Demand for Surren-
der---The Bombardment
to Begin Today,


Cured every few minutes, sending
curls of dense white smoke 100 feet in
the air and causing a shower of broken
iron and steel to fall in the water on
every side.
The bluffs on the coast echoed with
the roar of every explosion and the
Spanish vessels sank deeper and deep
er into the sand or else the rocks
ground their hulls to pieces as they
rolled or pitched forward or sideways
with every wave that washe upon
them from the open sea.
CERvERA'S CAPTURE.
Admiral Cervera escaped to the
shore in a boat sent by the Gloucester
to the assistance of Infanta Maria
Teresa and as soon as he touched the
beach he surrendered himself and his
command of Lieutenant Morton and
and asked to be taken on board the
Gloucester, which was the only Amer
lean vessel near him at the time, with
several of his officers, including the
captain of the flagship. The Spanish
admiral, who was wounded in the arm,
admiral and said to him.: Il congrat-
| ulate you, sir, upon having made as
gallant a fight as ever was witnessed
on the sea" Lieutenant Commander
Wainwright then placed his cabin at
the disposal of the Spanish officers.
| THE RACE OF THE CRISTOBAL
COLON
At that time the Spanish flagship
and -four other Spanish vessels had
been aground and burning for two
hours, and the only one of the escaping
fleet which could not be seen at this
| point was the Cristobal Colon. But
half a dozen curls of smoke far down
on the western horizon showed the
c~%~ @l@4 rro ftpr how Tho vic
tObal Colon was the fastest of the
Spanish ships and she soon obtained
a lead over the others after leaving the
harbOr and escaped the effect Of the
shots which destroyed the other YES
sells. She steamed away at great speed
with the Oregon, New York, Brooklyn
and several other ships in pursuit, all
of them firing at her constantly and
| receiving fire themselves from her af-
ter guns. There was no possibility
whatever for her escape and while her
fate is not definitely known at this
hour, it can be readily imagined
| from the words of Captain Evans, Of
the Iowa, who returned from the west
ward with $40 prisoners from the Viz
caya just as the Associated Press dis
patch boat was leaving the Spanish
flagship.
In answer to an inquiry, he shouted
through the megaphone: Il left he
Cristobal Colon far to the westward
an hour ago and the Oregon was CIV
ing her hell. She has ndoubtedly
gone down with the others n we
will have a Fourth of July celebration
in Santiago tomorrow"
Captain Evans, who la been in the
thick of the engagement up to the
time he took the Vizcaya's officers
and crew from the shore, said that to
the best of his knowledge not one
I.~ NOD hoor fpi1o
The torpedo boat Ericsson, which
also returned from the westward at
about the same time, made a similar
report, saying it was believed no man
was injured ON board the American
ships, though another report had it
that one man was killed on board the
Brooklyn, which could not be veri-
fed as this dispatch was sent.
SPANISH LOSS VERY HEAVY.
There is no of telling now
what the Spanish loss vas, but it is
believed to have been very heavy, as
the prisoners III custody report their
decks strewn with LEI and wounded
in great numbers, and beside there is
a statement that many bodies could
been seen fastened to pieces OF wreck
age floating in the sea after the fight
was over. A large number of the
Spanish wounded were removed to the
American ships.
There can be no doubt that Admiral
Cervera's plan to escape from SANTA
60 harbOr was entirely unexpected by
Admiral Sampson and the best evil
dence of this is the fact that when the
Spanish vessels were seen coming out
of the harbor h flagship New York
was seven miles away steaming to the
eastward toward Juragua, the mill
tary base, nine miles east of Moro
The New York was out of the fight
altogether 6 every stage but she inn
mediately put about and followed the
others.
Commodore Schley's flagship, the
Brooklyn, had her usual position at
the extreme western end of the line
ten miles from the New York and the
Texas. 1t is a peculiar fact that he
should have been in proper position tG
squadron against the Spanish fleet
which he had bottled up in Santiago
harbor six weeks before.
AS a matter of fact, the entire
American fleet was much further of
shore than usua when the Spaniards
made their appearance this morning
With h exception Of the lombard
ment yesterday morning, which result.
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
h 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
escape from his perilous position at
this late day, but it was supposed