The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-07-29
THE BATTLE
@ OF SANTIAGO.
AS SEEN BY A KINSLEY BOY WHO
WAS IN THE FIGHT.

w AS l..
The following is a letter written to
Myrl Goddard OF this city by his
brother, Will, who is with the battle
ship Oregon. He left here two years
ago and went to Oregon where he ship
ped as common seaman OF the age
of eighteen. He has received several
promotions and is now one of the crew
which mans the 13-inch guns in the aft
turret. The paper on which the letter
is written is out of the cabin of the
Colon's commander, and has his Off
ciai letter head printed on it.
Dear Brother
The last time
wrote l said to myself that I would
not write again until we had captured
the Spanish fleet so now l am able to
write.
Yesterday morning, the third of
July, we scrubbed down decks as usu-
al and had breakfast az 7:30 a. m.
At O'Clock the decks were cleared
up for Sunday inspection. 1t was
pretty smooth and hot. At 9:25 the
first callto quarters was sounded and
at 9:27 the alarm gongs were set Off;
u man just before singing out s. Here
comes the Dago" and jumped for his
gun which everyone else did. We
were laying in our usual blockade po-
sition except the New York which had
gone about y miles east to where the
army landed. The Massachusetts had
gone to Guataaimo. and the Indiana
had left shortly after daylight, which
left the Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa and
Oregon with the yachts Colchester,
Vixen and Hawk with the blockade.
The enemy's ships We're first sighted
when they came around the bend in
the channel, mile away from the en-
trance with forced draught and men
at the guns, while we were ready for
inspection and did not think of them
coming out, aud had no pressure on
our big guns, but inside of two min
utes We we're going at full speed close
in to the Spaniards across Fighting
Bob's bow and every gun in the star
board battery going for all it was
worth The Maria Theresa came first
and went back in, and then the Viz.
caya with the admiral on board came
out and headed west followed by the
Cristobal Colon, and then came the
Oguendo and Maria Theresa and last
~ the torpedo boat destroyers. Oul
six-pounder on the forward part o.
the bridge was the first gun fired which
hit the Vizscaya. Then all the guns
commenced. The first shot out of the
forward 1S-inch gun struck the Maria
Theresa in the stern and fixed her, sc
the prisoners on the Colon said. Any.
how sae w2s r,Gdled with shot and Oh
fire and she tor.!s,! ard made for the
beach. We in the 13-inch turret al
that time were unable to train on the
enemy, so we turned our guns on one
of the torpedo boat destroyers, the
shell striking her amidships and she
went to pieces as if she were a bomb
herself. Our siXte :n-pOunders during
this time, were raining shells on the
t. B. D. IS and so were the yachts and
the Iowa. In less than 20 minutes
from the time they came out, two were
on the beach and the others blown up.
The Oquendo headed for the beach
about five minutes after the Maria
Theresa. They lie in good condition
with their bows on the beach and on
an even keel but with their upper work
all burned. The Maria Theresa has
one mast still standing. BY the time
the Oquenda Went ashore, the Texas
and Iowa we're astern. Those ships
were about half mile from US when
they headed FOR the beach. The Girls
tobal Colon was ahead and the Vizs-
caya right close on her port quarter
and a flying, and so were we. We
Just filed them full OF shot, set them
on fire aud started them for the beach
where they were left for the Texas and
Iowa to settle, but the Texas only
stopped g. short time and then fol-
lowed US. Fighting Bob Evans
watched them burn, on his big 11-knot