Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-07
GER VERA'S DARING DASH.
spanish Fleet to Destruction Great
Work by the Gloucester.

Copyright 1898, by the Associated Press)
on Board the despatch boat Wanda off .
Santiago. July 3.-Witn the exception Of
the bombardment yesterday morning
which resulted In knocking down the flag
on MORO Castle and the silence /
ing of the batteries which opened ire |
again this morning as usual the navy had !
done little recently to attract interest here |
and the officers and crews themselves |
were Watering the Developments OF the |
operations being conducted by the army :
which had succeeded in reaching the very
gates OF Santiago after enormous loss in /
killed and wounded in the hghtng of the /
past two days. 1t was not believed that T
Admiral Cervcra would attempt to escape .
from his pcrilous position at this late day, /
hut IT was supposed that be Houid keep |
mis- ships in the harbor to shell the adj |
NanCing American army ana that If San
tidYo fell he would blow up or sink them
before permitting them TO be captured 10y
the fleet lying outside. The Spanish adj
mirars real plans, however, were plainly /
not ANTICIPATED. lie accepted the one :
chance open to him--that of running the
gauntlet of the powerful mcn-of-war lying
in front OF the harbor and saving his ships
for future service by dashing out of tho
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 ne took that
chance, and while great piles of naval ar
chltcCturc now ground to pieces on the .
rocks Il few miles from where he started
tell the mournful story of his failure, there
I are none who applaud his conduct more
than tho American officers and seamen
VINO sent his ships to destruction.
1t was about o'clock this morning
when the flagship lnfanta Maria Teresa
passed under the wall of Moro Castle and
steamed out to sea. She was followed by
the Crist )bal Colon. Nizcaya and Oquendo,
aud last by the torpedo boat destroyers
I P!uton Il vi Furor.
The lookout on the American vessels
which ore lying five or ten miles off the
entrance to the harbor sighted them i'm
mCddtcly Most Of the American cruisers
were at the usual Sunday morning quar-
tiers without thought of any thing as sur
prising as the Spanish feet getting past
the sunien collier Merrimac, which they
had been deluded into believing cffcctual-
ly blockaded the exit of the fleet. There
was great excitement at once and very
rapid action all along the American lines
Signals for Full speed ahead" was rum
ming from bridge to engine room of every
ship and the entire fleet commenced to
move In shore toward the Spanish. and
the great IL ana l3-nch guns of the bat
tleshipS and the smaller batteries on the
iother vessels fired saot after shot At Ions
range.
AS tho ships ran in towards the shore
II soon became evident that the Spaniards
| had not come out to make an aggressive
hight. for they turnol to the eastward as
soon as they had cleared the harbor. and
I started ON their race for safety, al the
:, same time sending answering shots at the
American ships as fast as the men could
load and lire the guns. The Brooklyn,
Massachusetts,. Texas Oregon and Iowa
wore nearer the Spaniards than any 9TH
crS OF the American vessels but still most
, OF them were too far away to get an cf-
fectivc range. They crowded on all steam
! however N prcparati ton for the chase new
cr stopping their ire for one moment.
:. The Gloucester, Il fast little yacht thai
cannot boast of any heavier battery than
several six Founders and three Founders,
was lying off Aguadores. three miles east
or Moro, when the Spaniards came out.
. NJ nrst she Joined III the attack upon a
large vessel and then held off, Capt
! wainwright concluding to reserve his ef-
forts for the two torpedo boat destroyers
IN the rear.
I The Gloucester steamed after them
when they appeared and chased them to a
point i've miles west of MORO, 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 the destroyers She fired llCO
shots during the chase, and II was not
long before both destroyers were on tire
and plainly disabled.
Notwithstanding this they both return
ed the Gloucesters fire and a shower of
small shells fell all round the yacht The
Furor evidently determined that she
would not stand the fire any longer and
she put about and headed back for SAN
tiago. Then the Gloucester simply smoth-
cred her with shots from her rapid fire
guns. and, running like the wind. forced
her TO turn around and again head west
| ward.
I Smoke commenced to rise from the Fur
or's sides and she put i'm toward the shore
! Betorc 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 mass Of flame and was
drifting about helpiessly.
The Pluton was In the same distressed
, condition and was also headed for the
shore. running up alongside of low bluff,
where she soon pounded to pieces and
finally broke in two completely. 1t was n
most dangerous landing place for her crew
and but about half of them reached the
shore alive.
The Gloucester did not so any further
west but lay of shore and sent in IA boat
to the assistance of the crews of the des-
troyers. 1t did not take the flames long
to reach the Jurors magazines and there
was two terrific explosions. probably of
the gun cotton aboard OF her, which blew
holes in her bottom Her stern sunk i'm
, mediately and as II settled in the water
her bow rose straight In the air and she
I went to the bottom In perpetual oblivion.
giving out a kissing. scadlng sound as
she disappeared below the surface
Meantime the larger American ships
were gaining on the Spanish cruisers and
a storm of shots was passing between the
pursuers and the pursued.
| The American fire was ranid that
the ships were enveloped In thick clouds
of smoke and 1t was impossible to tell at
: the distance which vessels were doing the
greater execution. The Brooklyn and the
| ave battleships were keeping up an in
ccssant fire upon the 1nfanta Maria Te-
rosa, the Nizcaya and the Almirante
Oauendo and the latter were returning Il
| krn VIII Ihnugh with no succnSs- ,rhc