The record-union., 1898-07-19


situation had there been good batter
les, properly manned in the harbor.
Commodore Schley's party first
steamed around the wreck of the Maria
Mercedes, which lies with her bow
pointed toward the city. She had a list
to starboard and rested on a reef near
the foot of Morro cliff. The cruiser
was sunk to the upper deck. on which
one 6-inch gun remained. One torpedo
tube was loaded and the auxiliary bat
terry seemed in place. Evidently the
crew of the Mercedes left her in a hur-
~. This is less to be wondered at when
it is noted that there were great gaps
In her sides, showing where two II and
two 13-inch shells had struck her.
The sea washed through the after
cabin, which was decorated in old fash
Toned style and in the wind fluttered
silk curtain which could be plainly
seen over an inner door, as the launch
steamed by
About 6UO yards ahead of the Reina
Mercedes and almost in line with her
was the wreck of the Merrimac, lying
in fully six fathoms of water on the
very edge of the channel Had not the
current swung the doomed ship along
side instead of athwart the channel.
the latter would have been well block
ed. When Assistant Naval Constructor
Hobson took the collier into the har-
Dor. he was hunting for a four fathom
spot. and only missed by a few hun
dred yards.
AT the firing station on the west side.
the American party met a Spanish ar
tillery Captain who was courteous, but
gloomy. Commodore Schley was his
own interpreter, and advised the officer,
with the few men under his command.
to go up to the city and surrender as
quickly as possible
When the Spanish Captain was asked
to point out the route TO the 6-inch
battery on the west hill, he said there
was none and explained that the way
to get there was over steep, rocky and
difficult ground. 1t was learned later
that this was not true, and it was sur
missed that the Spaniard was anxious to
prevent the Americans from seeing the
damage done by the bombardment.
Commodore Schley said he was deter
mined to have a glimpse of Santiago
City and the launch was headed along
the west side of the channel going
slowly and sticking to the shallow wa
ter lest some contact mine put an end,
as the Commodore remarked, "to our
pleasure party
Skirting the broad, lafe-like spot in
the harbor, where the Spanish fleet,
destroyed two weeks ago to-day, used
to lie during the bombardments, and
noting the brilliantly painted buoys
which marked the shadows, Punta
Gorda was rounded and distant about
two miles the city of Santiago shown
out. The Cathedral was especially well
defined and the masts and tunnels of
not few vessels showing at it's
wharves.
At that distance Santiago did not
show any traces of the destruction
wrought by the 101 out of the JOG
S-inch shells fired on the city last
Monday. Returning to the Brooklyn,
Commodore Schley, accompanied by
his staff, entered the harbor this morn
ing, soon after the mines We're ex-
ploded
Captain Cook Of the BROOKLYN Is az
thority for the statement that the form
er Spanish flagship, the Infanta Maria
Teresa, has fioated off the reef on
which she stranded and that her heavy
armament is practically uninjured The
Captain also says this cruiser will al
most surely be saved and form AN addi-
tion to the United States navy as a
trophy of the glorious July Sd.
The Cristobal Colon may also be
saved, though a good deal depends up
on the weather. which is very uncer-
tain at this time of the year. A heavy
storm might drive the cruiser so high
on the coral reef that it would be i'm
possible to float her Many of the
naval men are outspoken in their criti-
cism of the treatment of the Colon i'm
mediately after her surrender They
believe the ship could have. been saved
when she slipped back from the reef
into the deep water. had divers, car
penters and machinists, with a com
petent prize crew, been sent on board
of her.
The crew of the Brooklyn regarded
the ViZcaya as their particular enemy
since the time when they We're both
present at Queen Victorias jubilee dis
play when there was much comment
abroad on what good fight might be
expected between the two ships if they
ever met OF the four big ships which
We're in Admiral Cervera's fleet, only
two are surely doomed to destruction
Hcy Tie tut anu Tie AL
Oqunedo and these, as a COIN
were the two cruisers which
went into Havana harbor after the
blowing up of the Maine, and were
moored near the wreck of the United
States battleship in all their bravery
of paint, gliding and bunting. seem
ing to gloat over the ruin caused, while
the people of Havana shouted them
selves hoarse, fired myriads of bombs
and Dragged increasingly of what the
two formidable cruisers of Spain might
do with the United States navy should
a fight ever be possible.
Surely" remarked Lieutenant Com
mander Wainwright of the Gloucester.
formerly of the Maine, this avenges
the Maine
Speaking of the military victories of
July 1st and I'd, and of the naval vic
tory on July Sd, Commodore Schley
said seriously:
These victories may serve not only
to deprive Spain of her colonial pos
sessions, but to bring about a change
of frontiers in Europe Spain cannot
get the terms now which she might
have had two months ago. What can
she hope for in six months more of
such warfare? Whom the gods would
destroy they first make mad"