River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-07-14
TELLSOF THE BATTLE
"Fighting Bob" Evans Story 0.
Capture of Cervera.
Graphic Description of the Pursuit.
and Total Destruction of the span
ish FIeet-AvfuI Slaughter
of the Enemy.

teresting account OF the destruction OF
Admiral Cervera's fleet:
The battleship Iowa was the first ship
to see the Spanish fleet coming out of the
/ harbor. Somebody on the bridge shouted
[ What's that black thing coming out OF
the harbor?' a moment later the Iowa
was at general quarters, and the signal
was hoisted that the enemy's ships were
coming out. a gun was fired TO attract the
attention of the feet at 9.33 a. N.
Fighting Bob Evans, the comma nder
of the Iowa, was sitting in his cabin, talk
/ ing to his son. cadet on the Massachu-
sets, who, luckily, had been left behind
! In a picket launch when the Massachusetts
/ Capt. Evans account of the battle, as told
in the cabin of the Iowa, is intensely in
/ teresting. He said:
Fighting BOb's" story.
AT the time general quarters was
sounded. the engine bell rang full speed
ahead, and put the helm TO starboard and
the Iowa crossed the bows of the Infanta
Maria Teresa, the first ship out. As the
Spanish admiral swung 10 the westward
the l2-inch shells from the forward tur-
ret Of the Iowa seemed to strike him fair
in the bow, and the fight was a spectacle
As the squadron came out In column, the
! ships beautifully spaced as to distance and
4 gradually increasing heir speed TO 10 knots
I Il was superb. The Iowa from this mo-
ment kept up a steady fire from her heavy
/ guns, heading all the ships TO keep the
I Infanta Maria Teresa on her starboard
/ bow and hoping TO ram one Of the leading
1 ships In the meantime the oregon, Indf-
ana, Brooklyn and Texas were doing ex-
cellent work with their heavy guns. In a
( very short space of time the enemy's ships
were all clear Of the harbor mouth and
II became evidently impossible for the Iowa
10 ram either the first or the second ship,
on account of their speed, The range at
this time was 1000 yards.
Fired Broadside.
1.-The Iowa's helm was Immediately put
hard to the starboard, and the entire star
board broadside was poured into the In
fanta Maria Teresa. The helm was then
quickly shifted to port, and the ship went
across the stern of the Teresa In an effort
TO head off the OGuendo. All the time the
engines were driving at fun speed ahead.
| \ perfect torrent of shells from the enemy
passed over the smokestacks and super
structure of the ship, but none struck her
/ The Cristobal Colon. being much faster
J than the rest of the Spanish ships. passed
rapidly to the front in an effort to escape
shells Struck the iowa.
1 IN passing the Iowa the Colon placed
/ two six-inch shells fairly In our starboard
/ bow. one passed through the Cofferdam
! and dispensary,, wrecking the latter and
/ bursting on the berth deck, doing consider
able damage. The other passed through
the sides at the water line within the cot
/ ferlam where 1t still remains.
! LAS II was now obviously impossible &c
ram any of the Spanish ships on account
/ of their superior speed, the Iowa's helm
was put to the starhoard, and she ran on
q course parallel with the enemy Being
! then abreast of the Almirante Oquendo,
at a distance OF LOO yards the Iowa's en-
tire battery. including the rapid-fire guns,
were opened on the Oquendo. The punish
ment was terrific. Many Y and eight-inch
/ shells were seen to explode inside Of heI
( and smoke came out through her hatCheS
4 Twelve-inch shells from the Iowa pierced
I the Almrante Oquendo at the same mo
ment, one forward and the other aft. The
/ Oquendo seemed TO stop her engines for a
I moment, and lost Roadway, but she i'm
mediately resumed her, speed and grad
ually drew ahead of the Iowa and came
under the terrific fire of tie Oregon and
Texas
Fate of the Torpedo Bonts.
at the moment the alarm of torpedo
boats was sounded and two torpedo boat
/ destroyers were discovered in the star
board quarter at a distance of 1000 yards
Fire was at once opened on them with the
after battery, and a Pinch shell cut the
stern of one destroyer squarely off. AS
the shell struck, a small torpedo boat fired
back at the battleship, sending a shell
/ within a few feet of my head. Well M
/ among the advancing cruisers, splitting
/ shots at one and then at another, was the
! little Gloucester, shooting first a cruiser
and then a a torpedo boat and hitting a
/ head wherever she saw 1t. The marvel was
/ that she was not destroyed by the rain OF
/ shells. In the meantime the Nizcaya was
slowly drawing abeam OF the Iowa and
/ for the space of Is minutes it was give
I and take between the two ships. The
/ Vizcaya fired rapidly but wildly. not one
1 shells from the Iowa were tearing great
/ rents IN the sides of the Vlzcaya.
struck Their Cuiors.
/ "As the latter passed ahead of the Iowa
I she came under the murderOus fire Of the
1 Oregon At this time the Infanta Marta
/ Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo, lead
/ ing the enemy'S column, were seen 70 Pc
/ heading for the beach and in flames. The
! Texas, Oregon and Iowa pounded them un-
/ mercifully. They ceased to reply to the
1 fire and in a few moments the Spanish
cruisers were a mass of flames and on the
rocks with their Colors down, the Teresa
flying white flag at the fore The crews
/ of the enemy's ships stripped themselves
and began jumping overheard, and one
1 Of the smaller magazines began 70 eX-
Meantime the Brooklyn and the Cristo-
/ bal Colon were exchanging compliments
/ In lively fashion at apparently long range
/ and the Oregon. with her locomotive speed
/ was hanging well on the Colon, also paying
I attention to the NizCaya The Teresa and
/ the Oquendo were IN flames on the beach
/ Just 20 minutes after the first shot was
Vizcnyn in Flames.
Fifty minutes after the first shot was
/ fired the Vizcava put her helm to port with
/ a great burst of flames from the after part
! of the ship. and headed slowly for the rocks
/ at ACCeraderos where she found her last
/ resting place.
Help for the Enemy.
LAS it was apparent that the Iowa could
/ not possibly catch the CristObal Colon and
/ that the ore gon and Brooklyn undoubtedly
would, and as the fast New YORK was also
( on her trail | decided that the calls OF
/ humanity should be answered and atten-
/ ton given to the 1900 or Leo Spanish Of
nceIS an li,Jl ~ ,,q 81, ~ la ~
/ =, ~ g, ,,1,'so,, therefor Hooded for
.fiIili - - fhe Xrrzca,a nov bf1rninfr I'm
( Wy F"rS ava at When was in 50 far
alpt ny HMM ~ utSter wand admit I low.
as TJ w INV nv bnafs ana sent tham at once
- M assiStance Of the unfortunate men
who were being drowned by dozens OF
foasIta On NJ ~ f,il,ns from tha sbnr9
~ ~ 1.e,ter SfteT having surrendered h
tis inn1edfateIy MT a stOp to this but
Cni,Id NOT mn n ctdp TO the mutilation OF
I many bodies bv the sharks inside the reef
/ Th6:s creatures had become excited by the
/ blood from the wounded mixing in the
[ water
INV boats crews worked manfully anC
I succeeded In saving many of the wounded
from the burning ship one man who vii
/ he Recommended for promotion clambere 4
UT ,FVo siin ~ he Tiziaya md SAVED thre1
~ rIIe5 from btirninp to death The smaller
~ - 49, 90 ,be Viz.a'Ia U.ere exnTndinp
W. 'l,' ,it aioDgst1a IN a steadv sfrire
vi jiIi,r ,snds Won bnIping, t6a Iare1t-
n..t, - affi,t,s q ~ SO nc On r.
49, az i,,arter 5sclt Ali fbo Sns
- ~ 80 80 tsLsoIn+eiv vitbou+ clothes
s ~ "a 80 49, or,, ~ ~ g.. ,rr,s, ~ te
71'ItE Iidu ItL So ,,,,tiIattaJ i -,
OF shtIls- CtneL9 NJ 10 81 "a 80
cSS"tEiNd ~ 10 Sims wracIEed bad moi
/ been visited by any of our vessels, | raI
GOWN ri 10 '9 ard ,it 9mbar 81 his ~
/ iicers aboard, and also large number
oI ann nrfsoeTs had BEEN ke[
on shore by the fire Of the Cubans. Thu
Gotton to GO go IN and take Of the crew.
/ Of the Inffanta Maria Teresa ana the Al.
1 IIarvard had ga prisoners aboard, great