The Topeka state journal., 1898-07-16
TOPEKAN THERE.
Electrician VIM. Smith ON the
GunbOat ResOlute.
Writes of the Battle in Santiago
HarbOr.
SHELLS CAME NEAR.
Spaniards Captured We're Clean
and Well Dressed
And Seemed Better Cared For
Than Americans.
SHELLS CAME NEAR.

The following letter was received by
Frank W. Smith, of Topeka, from his
brother, William Smith. who is cleo
trician on board the United States
gunbOat ResOlute. Mr.. Smith at
tended school in Topeka, and is
brother of Mrs. w. L. Chamberlain.
The letter is dated Guantanamo bay,
Cuba, July 6. Mr.. Smith says:
In order to tell you of the naval
battle of July as I saw it and to let
you know that all danger is practically
over I write again.
"On the second we went to Santiago
and returned. In the evening the
United States ship Newark with Com
mOdore Schley came into the harbor
and gave the captain orders to sail.
We did not know where. We had
some men to transfer before we left,
so a crew of us rOwed around the har-
Dor and distributed them to their sew
eral ships. We returned on board
about IL o'clock, and Immediately set
sail. In the morning I found we were
back at Santiago, drifting around near
the entrance to the harbOr with the
fleet. That was nothing new, but at
about 10 a. m. something new did
happen My mate and were leaning
over the rail discussing the fortunes
and misfOrtunes of war, when sud
denly a great black battleShip appeared
crawling out of the harbOr, followed by
another and another until there was
the whole Spanish fleet that was sup
posed to be securely bottled up. But
they did not wait till they were all out
before they commenced firing. Just as
soon as the first one appeared a column
OF smoke SQulrted from the shore bat
terry on the heights. We heard a
scream and a shell dropped into the
water within 100 feet of US. Then the
fun began. L looked around and saw
that the fire was instantly returned by
the Oregon, Indiana, Iowa, Texas, and
Brooklyn. The New York, the yacht
Hist, the torpedo boat Ericsson and a
New York Herald 6iGT1afPb
steamed passed US about a half hour
fore and sailed in the direction of Ag-
uadOres toward the east. AS we were
very dangerously loaded, we had other
business just then, and got out of
range like a streak Of creased light
ming to recall the New York and the
other ships that had left. We set up a
howl with our whistle and soon re-
called them. The New York came
along just as the captain told Admiral
Sampson through the megaphone what
had happened. Then the Hist and the
Ericsson came scudding back to Join
in the fun. The air was full of shells
which fell all over the water, some of
them striking the water a mile from
any ship. The Spanish fleet kept along
the shore to the westward and our
ships kept closing in on them. In all
they had four armOred cruisers and two
torpedo boats.
LAS we passed the New York she or
dered US to hasten to Guantanamo and
call the Marblehead, Newark and tor
Dupont, and Rodgers were at Guam
tanamO. We sped on spreading the
alarm among the large fleet of trans
ports which we passed till a large Span
1sh man-Of-War was reported ahead of
US heading our way. She was within
a very few miles of US and we began
to feel that we were between two fires.
We were loaded with mines, shells, tor
pedOes and powder and if ever a three
FOUNDER should strike our thin shell it
wouldn't do a thing to US. We fired
some warning shots and turned back
toward the battle. We saw a torpedo
boat explode, part and sink. AS we
passed the harbor a puff of smoke is
sued from the SopacO battery. A shell
screamed over our heads and shaved
the water just beyond It was good
shot. Then another puff of smoke and
an eight inch shell WhiStled through
our rigging and fell into the water on
the other side of US. We cheered the
Spanish craftsmanship and our respect
for them was heightened as we must
have been over four miles from shore.
eve went screeching along at a great
rate and came up to the scene of the
battle. One of the Spaniards blew up
as we arrived, another was already
sunk and another was on fire and the
fourth got away with the New York
Brooklyn and Texas chasing her, leaV-
ing the rest to pick up the prisoners.
The Ericsson, which we thought we
saw blow up, steamed out of the smoke
with her deck loaded with prisoners.
The IoWa's boats were picking them up
by the hundreds. The Iowa, Indiana
and newspaper boat turned back toward
Santiago. AS we passed them we told
them of the strange battleShip and
they hastened to meet it. We kept on
and soon came up to the runaway. Her
great black hull was run aground and
she had surrendered. She was the
CristobaI Colon. She had two smoke
stacks, fore and aft, with the fighting
top between. The boats brought US
over 500 scared looking greasers, who
IL, rI,A n ont hni
throats and hang them as soon as we
got ashore but they soon found they
were in the hands of civilized people
who had no intentions of harming them.
We treated them like white folks and
save them their suppers right away.
There were over so meek looking officers
with swell uniforms, much more gay
and snowy than ours They took sup
per in the ward room with our officers
I was surprised when the greasers
were brought alongside Instead OF a
lot of dirty looking, starved lookAhg VII
lians, they were all dressed in clean
white better than our own men and
each had a bag and outfit IN many re-
Spects more complete than our own
They all wore clean, white pancake hats
and looked pretty decent. Some had
their pockets stuffed with eatables,
canned fruit, cookies, etc, which tend
ed to disapprOVe the statements
that they were being starved and led
US to believe that they had Jared bet
ter than we had But the fact is they
had looted their ship when they saw
they would have to give her up. No
doubt their officers had Jared well
enough.
ION the deck of the Cristobal Colon
were cows and chickens and the officers
had evidently been having fresh milk.
We had tough time of it till midnight
getting on their bags and baggage and
then I went on watch in the crows
nest until four
ssThe next day the prisoners were
turned on the upper deck to wash and
air and I was on guard at the guns