The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1898-07-09
SPANS NISSH|PSSlINK.

THE SPANISH FLEET AT SANTA
90 ANNltiILATED.
A Glorious Victory for the Americans
as Great as the Battle at rlanila
Cervera and Thirteen Hundred Span
iard's Taken Prisoners. Hundred.
Killed. Only One American Life
Lost.
Ten miles west Of the entrance
of the Harbor of Santiago de
Cuba, Sunday July 3, 4p. M, via
The Associated Press Dispatch
Boat Wanda, to Port Antonion,
via Kingston, Jamaica, July 4,
4:45 assn. Admiral Cervera's
fleet, consisting Of the armored
cruisers Cristobal Colon, Almi
rante Oquendo, Intenta Maria
Teresa and Vizcaya, and two tor
pedo boat destroyers, Furor and
Pluton, which had been held in
the harbor Of Santiago de Cuba
for six weeks past by the combin-
ed squadrons Of Acting Rear Adj
miral Sampson and Commodore
Schley, lies to-day at the bottom
Of the Caribbean Sea, off the
southern coast of Cuba.
The Spanish Admiral is a pri-
soner of war on the auxiliary
gunboat Gloucester (formerly Mr..
j. Pierepont Morgan's yacht
Cor6air) and 1000 to 1900 other
Spanish officers and sailors,
all of whom escaped the frightful
carnage caused by the shells from
American warships, are also held
prisoners of war by the United
States navy.
The American victory is COM
plete, and accoding to the best
information obtainable at this
time, the American vessels were
practically untouched, and only
one man was killed, though the
ship were subjected to heavy fire
by the Spaniards all the time the
battle lasted.
Admiral Cervera made as gal
liant a rush for liberty and for the
preservation of his ships this
morning as has ever occurred in
the history of naval warfare.
In the face of overwhelming
odds, with nothing before him
but inevitable destruction or sur
render if he remained any longer
in the trap in which the American
fleet held him, he made a bold
dash from the harbor at the time
the Americans least expected him
TO do so. and fought every inch
of his way, even when his ships
ware sinking. He tried to escape
the doom which was written on
the muzzle Of every American
gun trained upon his vessels.
The Americans saw him the
moment he left the harbor, and
commenced their work of des-
truction Immediately. For an
hour or two they followed the fly.
ing Spaniards to the westward
along the shore line, sending shot
after shot into their blazing hulls,
tearing great holes in their steel
side and covering their decks
with the blood of the killed and
wounded.
At no time did the Spaniard
show any indication that they in
tended to do otherwise than fight
to the last.
Admiral Cevera escaped to the
shore in boat sent by the Glou-
cester TO the assistance to the In
fanta Maria Teresa, and as 500 n
as he touched the beach he surren-
dered himself and his command to
Lieut.. Morton and asked be to
take on on board the Gloucester,
which was the only American
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, was taken
to the Gloucester, and was receiv-
ed at her ganway by her comman-
der, Lieutenant Commander Rich.
ard Wainwright, who grasped the
hand of gray-bearked Admiral
and said to him:
81 congratulate you, sir, upon
having made as gallant a fight as
was ever witnessed on the sea-
Lieutenant Com.hader Vain
wright then placed his cabin al
Che disposal of the Spanish
officers.
/ Samnsou,s Official Peport.