The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-27

naturally easy to blockade-there be-
ing but one entrance-and that a mar
row one, the deep water extending close
up TO the shore lire, presenting no
difficulties Of navigation outside of the
entrance. At the time of my arrival
before the port, June I, the moon was
at its full and there was sufficient
light during the night to enable any
movement outside of the entrance TO be
detected. But with the waning of the
moon and the coming of dark nights,
there was opportunity for the enemy TO
escape. or Tor his torpelae boats to make
an attack upon the blockading vessels
| was certain with fair conciuslVeneSs
that the Merrimac did not obstruct il.
1 therefore maintained the blockade as
follows:
To the little ships was assigned the
duty. in turn, of lighting the channel.
Moving up to the port, at distance OF
from one to two miles from the MORO
dependent upon the condition OF the
atmosphere, they threw a searchliSht
beam directly upon the channel and
held it steadily there. This hghtened
UP the entire breadth of the channel
for half a mile inside of the entrance
so brilliantly that the movement of
small boats could be detected. Why
the batteries never opened fire upon
the searchlight ship was always a mat
ter of surprise to me, but they never
did. Stationed close to the entrance
of the port were three picket launches
and, at a little distance farther out.
three small picket vessels-usually cor
verted yachts-and, when they Wei
available, one or two of cur torpedo
boats. With this arrangement there
was at least a certainty that nothing
could get out of the harbor undecided.
After the arrival of the army, when
the situation forced upon the Spanish
admiral a decision, our vigilance in
creased. The night blockading dis
lance was reduced to two miles for all
vessels and a battleship was placed
alongside the searchlight ship, with
her broadside trained upon the chan
mel, in readiness to fire the instant
Spanish ship should appear. The com
handing officers merit the greatest
praise for the perfect manner in which
they entered into this plan and put 1t
into execution The Massachusetts,
which, according to routine, was sent
that morning to coal at Guantanamo,
like the others, had spent weary nights
upon this work, and deserved a better
fate than to be absent that morning.
I enclose for the information of the
department copies of orders and mem
orandums issued from time to time, re
lating to the manner of maintaining
the blockade.
ALL DESERVE PRAISE.
10. When all the work was done so
well it is difficult to discriminate IN
praise. The object of the blockade or
Cervera's squadron was fully accom-
plished and each individual bore we'll
his part in 1.-THE commodore in COM
mand on the second division, the cap
tains of ships, their officers and men,
The fire of the battleships was rover
full and-destructive; and the resistance
of the Spanish squadron was, IN great
part, broken almost before they had
got beyond the range of their own
forts The fine speed of the Oregon
enabled her to take a front poSi ton -
the chase, and the Cristobal Colon did
not give up until the Oregon had
thrown a 13-inch shell beyond her.
This performance adds to the already
brilliant record of this fine battesh'p,
and speaks highly of the skill and care
with which her admirable efficiency mas
been maintained during a service I'M
precedented in the history of vessels
of her class. The Brooklyn's westerly
position gave her an adj
vantage in the chase, which she main
tanned to the end, and she employed
her fine battery with telling effect. The
Texas and the New York We're gain
ing on the chase during the last hour,
and had any accident beialien the
or the Oregon, would have
speedily overhauled the Cristobai
Colon. From the moment the vessel
exhausted her first burst of speed, the
result was never in doubt. She fell,
in fact far below what might reason
ably have been expected of her. Care
full measurements OF time and distance
give her an average speed from the
time she cleared the harbor mouth IN
til the time she was run on shore at
Rio Tarquino of 1871 knots. Neither
the New York nor the Brooklyn
stopped to couple up their forward en-
gines, but ran out the chase with one
pair, getting steam, of course, as rap
idly as possible on all boilers. To stop
to couple up the forward engines would
have meant a delay of 10 minutes or
four miles in the chase.
DAMAGE TO AMERICANS.
IA. Several of the ships were struck,
the Brooklyn more often than the
others. but very slight material Injury
was done, the greatest being aboard
the Iowa Our loss was one man killed
and one wounded, both on the Brook
Ign. 1t is difficult to explain this i'm
munity from loss of life or injury to
ships in a combat with modern vessels
Of the best type. but Spanish gunnery
is poor at the best, and The superior
weight and accuracy of our fire speed
lily drove the men from their guns and
5ilenced their fire. This is borne out
by the statements of prisoners and by
observation. The Spanish vessels, as
they dashed out of the harDOr. We're IA
vored with the smoke from their own
guns, but this speedily diminished in
volume and soon almost disappeared.
The fire from the rapid-fire batteries
Of the battleShipS appears to have Deen
destructive. An eXamina-
ton of the stranded vessels shows that
the Almirante Oquendo especially had
suffered terribly from this fire. Her
sides are everywhere pierced and her
1eckS were StreWn with the charred re-
mains of those who had fallen.
Is. The reports of Commodore w. S.
Schley and of the commanding officers
are enclosed.
Is. A board, appointed by me several
lays ago, has made a critical eXamin-
alton of the vessels, both with a view
Of reporting upon the result of our
ire and the necessary feature involved
and of reporting upon the chance OF
saving any of them and of wrecking
The remainder. The report of the board
Will be speedily forwarded. Yours re-
spectfully,
W. T. SAMPSON.
Rear Admiral. United States Navy,
Commander-in-chief United States
Naval Forces, North Atlantic Sta
ton.
The Secretary of the Navy Department,
Washington, D. C.
sCHLEY'S REPORT.
"A Victory That Seems Enough For
All of U.s."