The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-07-08
The Fight At SANTIAGO
Sampson Has Destroyed
Ceryera'S Fleet.
GALLANT DASH FOR LIBERTY

Against Superior Men Spaniards Fought
to the Last-went Down With Fly
ing Colors-Nothing Remains Now
But Shattered and Burning Hulks.
Off Santiago de Cuba, July 6.-Ad-
miral Sampson has accomplished the
work he was directed to perform when
he left Key West for the coast of Cuba.
He was ordered to find and destroy
Cervera's g feet.
Several weeks ago, Commodore
Schley located the feet in the bay of
Santiago.
Sunday, after being bottled helpless
ly in the harbor for weeks, the fleet
was destroyed. Nothing now remains
of the Spanish squadron but shattered
and burning hulks.
Admiral Cervera's fleet, consisting
of the armored cruisers Cristobal Co
lon, Almirante Oquendo, Infanta Ma
ria Teresa and Vizcaya, and two tor
pedo- boat destroyers, the Furor and
the Pluton, are today at the bottom OF
the Caribbean sea, off the southern
coast of Cuba; the Spanish admiral is
a prisoner of war on the auxiliary gun
boat Gloucester and 1000 to $500
other Spanish soldiers, all who escaped
the frightful carnage caused by the
shells from the American warships, are
also held as prisoners of war by the
United States navy.
The American victory is complete,
and, according to the best information
obtainable at this time, the American
vessels were practically untouched,
though the ships were subjected to the
heavy fire Of the Spaniards all the time
the battle lasted.
Admiral Cervera made as gallant a
dash for liberty and the preservation
of his ships, as has ever occurred in
the hlstoryaQf naval warfare.
One afteE another of the Spanish
feet became the victims of the awful
rain of shells, which the American
battle-ships, cruisers and gunboats
poured upon them, and within two
hours after the first of the feet had
started out of Santiago harbor, three
cruisers and two torpedo-boat destroy
ers were lying on the shore 10 to 10
miles west of Moro castle, pounding
to pieces, smoke and flames pouring
from every part of them, and covering
the entire coast line with mist which
could be seen for miles.
Heavy explosions Of ammunition oo-
Cured every few mintues, sending
curls of dense white smoke 100 feet in
the air and causing shower of broken
iron and steel to fall in the water ON
every side.
The bluffs on the coast line re-echoed
with the roar of every explosion, and
the Spanish vessels sank deeper and
deeper into the sand, or the rocks
ground their hulls to pieces, as they
rolled or pitched with every wave that
washed upon them from the open sea.
Admiral Cervera escaped to the shore
in boat sent by the Gloucester to the
assistance OF the Infanta Maria Teresa,
and as soon as he touched the beach
he surrendered himself and his COM
mand to Lieutenant Morton, and asked
to be taken aboard the Gloucester,
which was the only American vessel
near him at the time, with several of
his officers, including the captain of the
flagship. The Spanish admiral, who
was wounded in the arm, was taken to
the Gloucester and was received at her
gangway by her commander, Lieuten-
Commander Richard Wainwright,
who grasped the hand of the gray
bearded admiral, and said to him:
II congratulate you, sir, upon hav-
ing mape as gallant fight as was ever
witnessed on the sea-"
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
then placed his cabin at the disposal of
the Spanish officers. At that time the
Spanish flagship and four other Spanish
vessels had been aground and burning
for two hours, and the only one Of the.
escaping feet which could not be seen
at this point was the Cristobal Colon.
But half a dozen curls of smoke far
down on the western horizon showed
the fate that was awaiting her.
The Cristobal Colon was the fastest
of the Spanish ships, and she secured a
lead over the others after leaving the
harbor, and escaped the effective shots
which destroyed the other vessels.
She steamed away at great speed, with
the Oregon. New York, Brooklyn and
several other ships in pursuit. all of
them firing at her constantly, and re-
ceiving fire themselves from her after
she left the other ships. She had no
possibility for her escape, and while
her fate is not definitely known at this
hour, it can be readily imagined, from
the words of Captain Robley D. Evans,
of the Iowa, who turned from the west
ward with so prisoners from the Viz
caya, just as the press dispatch-bo
Wanda was leaving the flagship. In
1t Was Hot Time.
Washington, July 6.-The following
has been received from General Shat