Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-08-03
THE MIGHTY "OREGON".
The Work of the Magnificent Battle
ship at SANTIAGO.

ne w OTk OI tne MdSnI1lcent Sdttlc-
ship at Santiago.
Naval officers with the fleet now off
Santiago writing of the great fight be-
| tween the Spanish vessels and those OF
the American fleet, give credit to the
Oregon" for having done more to pre-
vent single ship escaping than any YES
sci in the chase. The work of this ship
is described as magnificent and had it
not been for the fine condition of her
engines, one officer says, the "Cristobal
Colon", and perhaps another Spanish
cruiser would have got away.
The "Oregon" is supposed to be capa-
BILE OF speed Of about 10 knots under
forced draught, but when she pointed for
the nearest Spaniard and went ploughing
through the water across the bows of the
big "Iowa," the scene is described by her
executive officers az being he finest show
of power and speed ever displayed by
battleshp.
With every gun, except one 49, inch in
the after turret, blazing forth, the Gore
gon" is represented as rushing forward
out OF the bunch of ships and, in ten
minutes after the start, taking the next
place to the "Brookiyn" in the big race
From that time on she was under forced
draught all the time and making higher
/ speed than she had ever recorded while
i'll the service. At some periods of the
race the big vessel is believed to have
been going, according to her engineers,
over Is knots, which tallies with Capt.
Eulate's statements that no battleship
making only 10 knots could possibly have
kept up with the fast "Colon" with her
high powered engines. An officer writ
ing from the ''Oregon' speaks thus of the
vessel:
''The Oregon was the only battleship
keeping up with the pace set by the
Brooklyn, and kept neck and neck
with her during the early part of the
race, and by her fast running got on the
inside of the 'Brooklyn' and next to the
Colon. From $50 in the morning,
when the Colon first poked her nose
out and the race was on, until lis in the
afternoon, when the last ship surren
dered, the Oregon was pushed for all
she was wort under forced draught, and
the fact that she had high pressure of
steam at the beginning gave her good
start, which she kept up.
when the Colon surrendered no
other vessel except the Brooklyn was
in sight, and the capture was made by the
Brooklyn because the commodore was
on board and we gave way to her. The
| 'Colon's' officers said after the fight that
the Oregon caused them to haul down
the flag, as they could not stand the ter
rifle fire from her guns, and if they could
have out-distanced her they were conf
dent Of disabling the 'Brooklyn' and
getting away.
''The Oregon was the furt hest east OF
all at the start, except the Indiana.
Capt. Philip, of the Texas, wondered
how we could make such speed, and was
amazed at the way the Oregon pushed
ahead and kept along with the Brook
lynn. In fifteen minutes she passed all
the fleet to the westward, and, bearing
down close inshore, engaged with all her
guns at once everything in sig ht.
Raymond Rodgers, the executive of the
"Indiana', says that when the Oregon"
+ came racing across his bow it was the
grandest sight he ever witnessed. She
charged right down, he says, on the Span
isl fleet letting 90 first at one vessel and
then the other, and all the time carrying
a great whlte bone in her teeth that told
of her engine power and great burst of
speed. All the time she WAS running men
were work. ing On one of the after 13inch
guns, while tn" other Was being fired
right alongside IN he turret.