Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-27

Admiral Sampson
tive during the night that the enemy was
deferred from making the attempt to as-
cape at night and deliberately elected to
make the attempt in daylight. That this
| was the case L was informed by the COM
| handing officer of the Cristobal Colon.
1T seems proper to briefly describe here
| the manner In which this was accomplished.
| The harbor of Santiago is naturally easy
to blockade. there being but one entrance,
and that a narrow one, and the deep water
extending close up to the shore line pre-
senting no difficulties of navigation outside
of the entrance. At the time of my arrival
before the port-June 1.-The moon was at
| it's full, and there was sufficient light dur
| ing the night to enable any movement out
| side of the entrance to be detected; but
| with the waning Of the moon and the COM
| ing of dark nights there was opportunity
| Tor the enemy to escape, or for his torpedo
| boats to make an attack upon the block
aiding vessels. 1t was ascertained, with fair
onclusiveness. that the Merrimac, so gal
| lantly taken into the channel on June 8,
did not obstruct it.
Il therefore maintained the blockade as
follows: To the battle ships was assigned
] the duty, in turn. of lighting the channel.
Moving up to the port at a distance Of
from one to two miles from the Morro de-
pendent upon the condition OF the atmos-
phere. they threw searchlight beam d.
rectly up the channel, and held it steadily
there. This lightened UP the entire br aadth
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 search
nght snip was always q matter of surprise
to me; but they never did. Stationed close
TO the entrance of the port were three
picket vessels, usually converted yachts
ana. when they were available, one or two
OF our torpedo boats With this arrange
ment there was at least a certainty that
nothing could get out of the harbor unde-
tected. After the arrival of the army. when
me SITUATION forced upon the Spanish ad-
mlral decision, our vigilancs increased
The night blockading distance was re-
duced to two miles for all vessels and q
battle ship was placed alongside the search
usht snip, with her broadside trained upon
the channel in readiness to fire the instant
Spanish ship should appear
Praise for the Officers.
THE commanding officers merit the great
est praise for the perfect manner in which
they entered into this plan and put it into
execution. The Massachusetts, which ac-
corning TO routine, was sent that morning
to al at Guantanamo, like the others, had
spent weary nights upon this work, and
deserved a better fate than to be absent
that morning. / inclose for the inforna-
tlon OF the department, copies of orders
and memorandums issued from time to
time, relating to the manner of maintain
ing the blockade
when all the work was done so well IT
Is difficult to discriminate In praise the
object of the blockade of Cervera's SQUAD
ron was fully accomplished and each in
ul'lonal pore well his part in it, the COM
modore in command on the second division
the captains of ships, their officers and
men The fire of the battle ships was
powerful Ind destructive. and the resist
ance OF the Spanish squadron was in great
part, broken almost before they had got
beyond the range Of their own forts The
hne speed of the Oregon enabled her to
take front position In the chase and
the Cristobal Colon did not give I'D unti
the Oregon had thrown a thirteen-incb
shell beyond her. This performance adds
to the already brilliant record of this fine
battle ship and speaks highly of the skin
ana care with which her admirable eff
cheney has been maintained during a serv-
Ice unprecedented in the history of YES
sells of her class
The Brookiyn's westerly bIockadins nosi
tlon gave her an advantage in the chase
which she maintained to the end and she |
employed her fine battery with telling eff
Iect. The Texas and the New York were
gaming on the chase during the last hour
and had any accident befallen the Brook,
lyn or the Oregon. would have speedily
oVerhauled the Cristobal Colon From
mat moment the Spanish vessel exhausted
her hrst burst of speed the result was never
In doubt. She fell, in fact far below what
might reasonably have been expected of |
her. Careful measurements of time and
average
the time she cleared the harbor mouth I'M
VI the time she was run on shore at Rio |
Iarquino OF 1871 knots. Neither the New
YORK nor the Brooklyn stopped to couple |
up their forward engines, but ran out the |
chase with one pair, getting steam. of |
course. as rapidly as possible on all boilers.
10 stop to couple up the forward engines |
would have meant delay of fifteen min |
utes or four miles in the chase. !
Brooklyn Hit Oftenest.
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 Brooklyn. 1t is difficult to explain |
this immunity from loss of life or injury !
to ships in 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 speedily drove |
the men from their guns and silenced their |
fire. This is borne out by the statements |
Of prisoners and by observation The !
Spanish vessels, they dashed out of the |
their guns, but this speedily diminished !
in volume and soon almost disappeared |
The fire from the rapid fire batteries of the |
battle ships appears to have been remark |
ably destructive. An examination Of the |
stranded vessels shows that the Almirante |
Oquendo especially had suffered terribly |
Srom this fire. Her sides are everywhere |
pierced and her decks were strewn with |
the charred remains Of those who had fall |
lem"
Admiral SanlpsOn's Absence.
Admiral Sampson thus explains his alb !
sence from the blockading station at the |
time the enemy came out:
1.-The flagship New York was four miles |
east Of her blockading station and about |