Evening star., 1898-10-12
COMMANDER EiTON's REPORT.
Terribly Effective Fire of the In
dinEa July q.
G33 Pa. Ave.

Commander ] G. Eaton, commanding the
L. s S. Resolute. has made report to the
Navy Department in regard to the naval
battle of July :, IN which he says:
The Resolute. which l commanded. lay
just east of the Indiana, distant from her
one thousand feet. and about two and six
tenths miles from the Moro. when the
Maria Teresa was sighted
The Indiana had been near the Moro.
but about O'Clock circIed to the eastward
with a port helm. leaving the Resolute
within the arc Of the circle described by
the fleet. The Resoute was then turned
under a slow bell and stopped when the
Indiana due west of us and Just out
side the circle of fighting ships The
Gloucester was to the nOrthward and east
ward, nearly off Aguadores.
As the Maria Teresa appeared the Iowa
fred six-pounder and hoisted signal.
Within a few seconds of this shot CrOt
more than five or ten all the Spanish bat
teries opened. and at the same instant the
port broadside of the Maria Teresa was
discharged 1t seemed to me then that all
OF nearly all. of these shots and shells
were fired at the Indiana, and as the Reso-
lutte lay directly in line. the water around
the Indiana ard the Resolute was alive
with the fall of projeCties. Before the
Fizcaya appeared the Indiana opened fire
with her heavy guns. and, with screws
whitening the water aStern, was heading
for the MORO. As the Nizcaya came out
l distinctly saw one of the Indiana heavy
shells strike her abaft the tunnels. and the
explosion of this shell was followed by
burst of flame. which for the moment OBJ
scured the afterpart of the Nizcaya The
NZcaya fired her port battery apparently
at the Indiana. for many Of the shells
struck about and beyond the ResoIute,
which was then headed east.
The CTistobal Colon, as soon as she was
clear off Moro point, fired her first broad
side at the Indiana The Oquendo, in COM
ing ont. also fired her first Eroadside at
the Indiana. and I could see some of the
Indiana : shells strike the OquendO as she
steamed south. Following close aStern on
the Colon and Oquendo came the destroyer
FUrCr. and l distinctly saw her struck by
an eight-inCh or thirteen-lnCh shell from
the Indiana which was followed by an ex-
plosion and flames aboard the F'uror Dur
steaming ahead and l roughly estimated
that she was then about 5000 yards from
the oquendo and the Furor.
The Resolute was nearly in line with the
Indiana. and | could clearly follow the
course Of the Indiana's projeCtiles.
The ether ships engaged. except the
Oregon and occasionally the Brooklyn,
which showed at times to be southwark,
but were most of tie time hidden by other
vessels (the Resoute being by this time
well to the windward) were hidden in
smoke From the position Of the ships en-
gagged it appeared to me that the Indiana
the first to close with the escaping
enemy, and. though | could see the Teresa
and Eizcaya sweeping across her course,
il apparent that the Indianas shells
were the first to reach them. This was
due, first. to the proximity and second. to
the fact that the Indiana had fair beam
target on each ship as it came out.
The Oregon had this in a less degree,
and the other vessels engaged seemed to
have all fired their first shells when the
Spanish ships were four points on.
In addition to the heavier shells noted
as striking the enemy, we could count many
lighter projeCtiles from the secondary bat
terry exploding board. and. as the In
diana fire was incessart, l took these TO
be from her guns.
The Spanish officers who We're prison
ers from the Colon and the Vizcaya have
since tod me that the fire from the In
diana and the oregon, they Che Span
iardSD passed from the harbOr. was deadly
In its destructiveness and that although
the Colon escaped with small injury. due
to her greater speed. ard being in a meas
ure covered by other ships. the NiZcaya
was hopelessly crippled before she had
gone a mile from the Morro."