The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-08
SPANS MUST FAMOUS ARMADA.
How IL Was Completely Routed by
the British Fleet.
Chicago Times-Heraid.

she
Chicago Times-Heraid
The armada Such has been not map
propriately called the fleet of torpedo boats
mat spain - now sending 10 these shores
1haI other armada % Spain. preserved in
song. history and fiction. was a different
matter. We prefer TO cali such a power
Meet and armada Is only the Latin EQUIV
aIen' meaning an armed force, whether
OF sea or land. But armada lei il be-
This armada Of 1sS IS constituted OF if
teen vessels, That armada of 1855 was con-
stituted Of 10 vessels. BY the best authori-
lies Il is said 10 have had sixfy-five gaIleoos
and great ships. twenty-five 80 and -5H
ton boats. nineteen tenders. thirteen frig-
ates. four gaiieasses and four gaileys II
had tonnage Of ss6s tons. /, was armed
with LASS guns, i.s,eeo rounds OF sho, and
more than 5000 hundredweighs OF powder
th sailors there were 5. $50. and of soldiers
sa0o The church was represented by 30
fathers and monks. This tremendous sea
force was sent by Philip II. to destroy Eng
land and its queen, Elizabeth, and To re-
store the people OF the country 10 their
mother church. For years il had been In
preparation, and never before IL history
Was such a power concentrated With all
that. SPANS little armada OF today now
pushing It's prows westward. could have
blown IL out of the sea in one hour,
Right hrave!y did SPANS power set sail
from Lisbon on May -, loss. IL set out
with colors flying and with provisions for
SIX months. II returned 10 Spain FIVE
months later with tifiy-four ships, battered
and bruised. and a handful OF men. that
were SO emaciated as to be scarcely able TO
go ashore. Ensland's victory Is claimed BY
some to be due 10 God. by others 10 be due
10 the sea. by others 10 be due to British
pluck. However that may be. the armada
seemed 10 % doomed from the first Soon
AFTER sailing IL was dispersed by storm
tnat ripped its masis from their sockets
and tore its sails like rotten rags. II re-
turned, concentrated once more. and again
sailed forth in the following July. When
fhiip began to get his armada together
England had thirty ships. By the time the
armada sailed this number had been rnatc-
rally increased. chiefly by merchant ships
converted into cruisers. This fleet was
manned by l7,ooo good and Indifferent SAL
Tors. but the commanders were the brayest
boldest and most skilled mariners in the
world Lord Howard OF bingham was
the head OF the navy. and under him were
such noted sailors and fighters as Sir Fran
els Drake. Hawkins Frobisher and some
others who. as honorable and fearless buc-
cancers. had Allied the royal Golfers with
good Spanish gold. IL all the wild his
tory of the sea there Is no man 50 nictIr-
esque as Sir Francis Drake.
HOWARD waited until he was warned
'hat the armada was in sight and would
soon pass Plymouth. In July the Span-
lards were seen standing up the channel.
The ships were depioyed In the shape of a
crescent seven miles long, and their num-
Der was now $50. They were In command
OF the Duke of Medina Sidonh. That
night Howard sailed out OF Plymouth
sound. and when day came the SDan,ards
saw the enemy in fun fig. The duke or
deFed the ships 10 close in and besln a
general engagement This was ATTEMPTED
but IL failed. Howard had mapped cur his
plan in advance. The English ships were
Unanswered with such consummate skill
that never could the Spanish guns tell on
them. On the other hand the Br.tons fed
.he gaileons with shot. The Spanish gun
ners and marines were slow. THE British
guuners ana marines were active Not
once did Spanish shot strike while tho
Spanish ships quivered and smashed un-
der the English fire and their decks were
red with blood.
Heartsick al this failure. the armada
turned and sailed up the channel. with
Drake and Howard al their heels. For SIX
days. driven by English shot the armada
retreated- Not once did the action take
on the dignity Of battle. The Spaniards
did not strike a single blow. Two weeks
later the duke drew in at Calais Hut How
ard routed him into the open by sending
ships set on fire into his precincts. How
ara DFDefti if3ke 10 pursue. ana the lear-
less bucCaneer would have eaten I'D the
Spanish had his ammunition held OUT. as
u was. he had peppered 200 Of them dead.
The armada was beaten Medina S.donia
decided 10 return 70 Spain around Scot
land and Ireland. As they rounded anoih-
or storm struck them. They saw in this
the hand OF their God, and were overcome
with great fear But prayers awaited not.
Their ships became iacerate1 By the wind
and wave. Many Of them were driven on
TO The west coast 81 Ireland ard there
ground 10 pieces and swallowed up by I'm
sea Their soldiers and sailors and priests
who escaped the wet death O; the OCEAN
fell into the hands OF men |ho cat their
throsts promptly and pleasantly. without
benefit IL sArift. The others
Sank into thy yeast 81 waves which mar
Alike the armaaas pride CT spoil= - Ira
falgar.
THE armada returned "a Spain % be tx
ecra;ed by LIS own people
\ fun account Of this. ou@ af lie great
est q naval incidents. and certainly 1he
largest and most disastrous n the history
OF SPAN Is preserved in a book prepared
and published by King Philip }ust about
the tine the great fleet sailed. Lord Bur
leigh secured a copy o. this work IN Nav
l5ss ana zhas England vas given a. OF
tssrtanlty to prepare for the attack. This
hc0t. IS Row 81 the British uluseum. and ]
have seen K With nv own eyes aG3 han
6lFd il with my OWL hands.