Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-12-05


ly examining maps Of the coast and
charts Of Santiago harbor. "They say
the Spaniards are not here, he said,
land so we will go to Santiago at once,
but | still believe Cervera is inside or
else somewhere about trying to get in
side
At 6 o'clock that evening the squad
ron was under way for Santiago, at
nine knots speed, with lights masked.
The Castine was left behind to watch
Cienfuegos. Schley had been off Glen
fuegos just G6 hours, from midnight on
Saturday until q p, IN. on Tuesday. He
had started for Santiago 81 hours after
receiving SIMPSONS orders, the inter-
vening time being properly spent, his
friends assert, in waiting for McCalla's
report from the insurgents.
Thursday, May 26.-This is the day
the flying squadron first appeared off
Santiago, The course had been kept
we'll outside, and we were then 20
miles offshore. The Brooklyn led in a
circle inshore about opposite the harbor
entrance At $50 O'Clock smoke was
seen from three vessels coming rapidly
toward us, one from the east and two
from the west. In a short time the YES
sells were made out to be the Minneapo-
lis, st, Paul and Yale, The three had
been doing scout duty in the neighbor-
hood of Santiago watching for Cervera,
Everybody i'll the squadron waited with
great eagerness for the news. In spite
Of all statements to the contrary, each
of the three scoutships reported that
they had seen nothing of the Spanish
ships. Captain Sigsbee did not go in
and discover the Colon. He did not re-
port to Schley that the Spanish cruiser
was there. He reported that he had seen
nothing of Cervera's ship, as did the
commanders of the Yale and Minneapo-
lis. No one on the American ships knew
then positively of the whereabouts of
Cervera, and, if the truth must be told,
no one went heal enough to find out
The American ships held a powwow
about 20 miles out, the commanders of
the scouts going aboard the Brooklyn
In the course of this Thursday after
moons conference Of warships the Yale
drew alongside the Texas. "IIave you
any news, Wiser" called Captain Philip
from the bridge of the Texas.
"None whatever" replied Captain
Wise, Except that l firmly believe Ger.
vera is in Santiago harbor. Moreover, |
don't believe you can get in there.
Captain Wise was right in both cases.
Shortly after sunset occurred the most
remarkable thing of the naval cam.
paign Almost without exception every
man in the squadron expected that the
next move would be a dash toward the
harbor entrance to draw the fire of the
forts, perhaps the ships-who knew? In
any event to get near enough to see
what we could see. But while every
body waited, under the greatest nervous
tension that can be imagined, the Ar.
dois signal lights on the Brooklyn be-
gan to twinkle. Three thousand men
watched that signal with almost bated
breath. Slowly the red and white lights
unfolded the message, while everybody
spelled it out letter by letter And this
was it.:
DISSEMINATION Key West
as soon as c-o-l-l-i.e.r is ready
via south side Cuba and
Y~-u-c-a-t-a-n channel s-p-e-e.d
Mime knots"
The amazement which fell upon the
feet cannot be described. Incredulity,
not unmixed with anger, was the pre-
vailing emotion. When the signal got
down to destination Key West as soon
as collier is ready, via s." everybody
thought it was coming "via Santiago"
and was a bit of pleasantly IN the part
of the commander in chief. But no, it
was Key West, sure enough, and no.
body, unless it were Schley himself,
knew whether or not Cervera was in
Santiago. The Iowa was lying within
hailing distance of the Texas. Captain
Evans called through the megaphone,
"Say, Jack, what the devil does it
mean"'
"Beats me" replied Philip. "What
do you Think"
ODD if l know" Evans called
back, "but know one thing-I'm the
most disguised man a1oat,"
But whatever it meant the squadron
started back toward Key West at 9:l5
o'clock that evening, The st. Paul got
out lines and with the Merrimac in tow
the squadron in its return west
ward, but the Merrimao was destined to
render a greater service to the nation
perhaps than sinking herself in Santi-
ago harbor, She simply wouldn't tow
-Four times the hawsers parted with'a
that sounded like the crack Of a
Spanish gun ashore. The squadron was
making no progress. Finally Schley was
compelled to lie to while Assistant En-.
gineer R. K. Crank, then acting chief
of the Merrimac, made the repairs nee
essary for the collier to proceed under
her w steam.
1t was while waiting for this to be
done that the Harvard overhauled the
squadron with peremptory orders from
Port Antonio for Schley to maintain the
Santiago blockade. That is the service
the Merrimac rendered the country long
before she made Hobson famous. Had
the Merrimac not broken down Schley
with his squadron would have been far
away to the westward; the Harvard
might not have caught him or might
have missed him; Cervera might have
come out Of Santiago undiscovered and
unmolested. A b%ewildering plenty of
might have happened.
AS it was, the Harvard gave Schley
new orders on Friday, May ~, the
day after the squadron had started back
for Key West, if that was where Schley
really intended to go. All day Friday
the squadron lay idly about 20 miles
west Of Santiago. The Texas coaled