The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-07-12

rushing for the beach.
Twenty-Five minutes after the first ship
had been sighted half the Spanish fleet
had surrendered or was on fire.
AS our vessels rushed toward them
every ship was hulled time and again
and it almost seemed in the sureness and
directness of our batteries as if it were
the target practice of a summer morning
ard rot the humiliation Of q squadron.
Even this interval would have been short
ened measurably, fer aiding them and
hindering US was the cloud of smoke
witch concealed, and at the best, only
half rev called the wrecked enemy.
1t was a grand, sad sight, pathetic
one to seamen who know how much sea-
men thought and patriotic effort had gone
into the construction of these six splendid
vessels now lying bruised and beating on
the shores they had hoped to defend
There was no time, however, TO ndulSe
in emotions of sympathy or of pity, Tor
still rushing eagerly westward. closely
followed by the New York and at further
distance by the Indiana, came the tor
pedo destroyers In the
Hot EaEerneSS Oh
we turned lose our smaller guns on these
loudly heralded and ineffective craft aud
finally by a lucky hit, dropped a twelve
inch shell into the bow of the leading as
stroyer At the same instant the little
HIST was rapidly closing upon them,
nouring a sickening fire into their fragile
bulls.
;o;r, in hic C1Oln
assault. and so effective was the rain of
rapid-f1re projectiles that both torpedo
boats swung their helms hard aport ran
for the shore and buried what was LETT or
them among the pitiless rocks Of the
coast
By 1915 we were in full cry after the
other Spanish ships, then about four miles
ahead and busy with hot replies to the de-
termined assault Of the Oregon, Texas and
Brooklyn. Bending every energy to over
take the Colon, which was then five miles
away and perhaps two miles ahead in
direct line mile and half further in
shore, we picked up
The Flying Vizcaya,
The game must have seemed up to her
then for with a quick turn to starboard
she ran shoreward. and we saw in an
instant that she was flaming fore and aft.
A beautiful Spanish flag flying from her
gaff and another higher still from her
maintop mast head, showed her to be the
flagship of the second in command. She
Jagged heavily in the water. No longer
did she carry a bone in her teeth and
her foaming wake was gone. When we
! drew near we saw something had gone
amiss with her, for just as we swung
with a touch of our helm to give her
finishing broadside the beautiful flags
drfted from truck and gaff end and the
white flag Of surrender went up, and the
cheers of our ship went with it,
We stepped our engines when close
aboard, and hoisted out our boats u save
her people We received on board 2oO
of her crew, the Hist took another hun
dred and that was all that was left of
them for the other hapless sailors were
lying dead and wounded on her burning
decks The Confle grafton aboard ship
was astounding; ana even now, when
the opportunity for calm reflection has
come, it is impossible to explain where SO
! collected on board an armored vessel
Through the air ports and gun ports OF
| the doomed ship quivering fires shone
with blood-red light upon the light
woodwork of the bridge and upper deck,
and long tongues of flame licked the tow
| ering masts. Over the ship cloud of
rosy light hoYered and when, after
| time the explosions Of the free powder
were added, great volumes of smoke shut
| out the sky. Several explosions of terri
BILE force followed, but Notwithstanding
| this and while the flames were still
! uuivering through every outlet and en-
! circling the hull, our boats were busy
with the rescue of the unfortunate
wounded and those more lucky survivors
| who had sought the water on the shore
| as their only refuge from dreadful
death.
When the Spanish captain of the Viz
caya, that courteous Eulate, of whom
we heard so much when his ship was in
the harbor Of New York, was lifted over
the side and carried aft, he presented his
sword to Capt. Evans but Evans,
Gentle as He Is Brave,
| declined to receive it, and. waving it
/ back with a friendly gesture, he grasped
the hand of the Spaniard and welcomed
his brother officer to the hospitality of
the ship.
Much affected by his reception, Capt.
Eulate asked permission to meet the
! Icwa's officers, and to each he gave
V arm grip of his hand and friendly
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