The Indianapolis journal., 1898-08-21
Captain of the CristobaI Colon Prom
ises to Spring n Sensation in the
Spanish Parliament.
MYSTERY TO BE EXPLAINED
AMERICANS WILL SOON KNOW WHY
HE DID NOT ESCAPE CAPTURE.
1t Was Not the Brooklyn and Oregon
Says-His Guns Were Too Small.

NEW YORK, Aug 2O-The Press says:
Captain Emilio Diaz Moreau, of the Spanish
ship CristobaI Colon. in an interview, dis
cussed the events of the last few weeks
without bitterness. There was even play
ful sUggestiveness in his tones when he re-
piled to the inquiry whether he would say
goodbye to the American fleet as he passed
down the bay on the Normandie.
Yes" he went on, why should I not
have friends on board your ships? We did
not fight as personal foes. Captain Cook
of the Brooklyn-you know him-ah, he is a
fine man. Half an hour after the battle
had given him my photograph and he had
given me his. On mine / wrote: We have
Just fought two hours and a half. Each did
his duty. We were not personal foes. Now
that it is all over we are comrades and
friends That is the way 1 feel toward the
Americans. I believe they have a different
opinion of the Spaniards from what they
had before the war;
Captain, do you think Hobson will raise
the Colon?'
NO. he will not. She is tipped on her side
and her 1000 tons have smashed her. ANY
vessel saved there will cost twice her
value
1.-The Colon was a beautiful vessel" ven
tured the reporter.
Beautiful and every inch a fighting ship.
I would have got away; not one of them
could have stopped me. but
The captain paused and SAID: Got away,
] said, you understand 1 mean it. Schley
knows it, Sampson knows it and so does
Cook. ] told them it was not the Brooklyn
nor the Oregon that kept me from escaping.
They say I went only sixty-four miles. 1
tell you it was seventy-two. Divide that by
the time and you will see my average was
172 knots an hour and sometimes eighteen.
The Oregon could only go sixteen and 1 was
steadily dropping the Brooklyn behind. oh.
no, neither Of the two kept me from escap-
ing, but can't tell you now why 1 was not
able to save my splendid ship" and the
captains voice trembled.
You won't have long to wait. though, you
won't have long to watt he repeated.
"When 1 tell why it will be on the floor of
the Cortes. / am a member of the Span
ish Parliament / represent the Montrill
district in Grenada province. l have been
permitted by the President to go home now,
that l may be present at the opening of the
Cortes which will take place in few days.
Then | will explain, and many things dark
now will seem clear. know many Ameri-
cans don't seem quite clear from their own
accounts as TO why did not escape when l
was in the lead and gaining. They will soon
know / am not saying this to detract at
all from the achievements of the American
fleet The men did all they could, but there
is an unwritten chapter yet to be known be-
fore history is written"
mo one will say that the Colon was ma
terially damaged by the American fire." he
went on. 'She was only hit six times. BY
your own reports l made twehty-six holes
in the Brooklyn and there were forty-two
traces of hits on her side. Does that not
speak well for Spanish gunnery? They
saying our gunners could not shoot Well,
the Brooklyn's sides tell a different story.
Why did not you sink her, then?''
Our guns were too small. The three YES
sells with heavy guns-the Vizcaya, the
Maria Teresa and the Oquendo-were on
fire. l was left alone with only rapid fire
guns of q comparatively small caliber. If
j had hal 1S-inch guns or IL or 12--well,
there might have been different story.
These holes in the Brooklyn would have
meant more.
Your naval men have learned a great
deal from their hight with the Colon. They
will not give up their heavy guns for the
light, rapid fire. Sampson told me as much.
! told them they could not, and they
smiled when | asked them where they would
1T was the fortune of war that put the
heavy guns on board the ships with wood
work that would catch fire. The first shell
that struck any of our ships started fires
The Colon was all iron and steel NV shin
was like the brooklyn ana would not burn.
What do you think of the New York;
"A bad ship. 1t was lucky for her she did
not get into the fight. She would have
burned like our three ships Rear Admiral
Sampson was in perfect accord with me on
that subject and agreed that shell might
have set her on fire, and with her wood
work she would have gone the way of the
Nizcaya."
Who should get the credit for the vic
tory-Sampson or Schley?" he was asked.
Both officers are men of great inteIli-
gence and high character. he said. But
Sigsbee. All what shall | say of him?" said
the captain bitterly After the Maine ex-
plosion he was in Captain Eulate's cabin
in the Eizcaya. There, with tears in his
eyes. he said his career in life was ended
because he had lost his ship. We rescued
the American seamen while their officers
were drinking champagne on shore. and
then Sigsbee goes into court, forgets all
about his tears and lamentations in Eulafe's
cabin and tries 10 shoulder the blame upon
US. Never did we have hand IN the
blowing up Of the Maine. and am con-
vinced that after the straightforward.