Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-07-05
hillside, eager to rush down and at
tack the unarmed, defeated, but val


orous foe.
One after another the Spanish ships
became the victims of the awful rain
of shells which the American battle
ships, cruisers and gunboats poured
upon them, and two hours after the
first Of the feet started out Of Santi.
ago harbor three cruisers and two
torpedo boat destroyers we're lying on
the shore ten to fifteen miles west of
Moro castle, pounding to pieces, and
flames pouring from every part OF
them, and covering the entire coast
line with a mist which could be seen
for miles, Heavy explosions of am
munition occurred every few minutes,
sending curls of dense white smoke
hundreds of feet in the air, and caus-
ing showers Of broken iron and steel
to fall in the water on every side.
The bluffs on the coast line reechoed
with the roar of every explosion and
the Spanish vessels sank deeper and
deeper into the sand, or else the rocks
ground their hulls to pieces as they
rolled or pitched with every wave
that washed upon them from the sea.
Admiral Ceryera escaped to the shore
in boat sent by the Glouster to the
assistance of the Infanta Maria
Teresa, and as soon as he touched the
beach he surrendered himself and his
command to Lieutenant Morton, and
asked to be taken aboard the Glouster
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 Glouster, and was
received at her, gangway by her
commander, Lieutenant Commander
Richard Wainwright, who grasped
the hand of the gray-bearded admiral,
and said to him:
OIL congratulate you, sir, upon hav-
ing made as gallant a fight as was
ever witnessed on the sea-"
Lieutenant Commander VAIN
wright then placed his cabin at the
disposal of the Spanish officer. 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 escap-
ing fleet which could not be seen at
this point was the Cristobal Colon
But half dozen curls of smoke far
down the west horizon showed the
fate that was awaiting her. The
Cristobal Colon was the fastest of the
Spanish feet and she secured a leac
oyer the others after leaving the har
Dor, 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-
ceiying her fire themselves from her
after she left the other ships. She
had no possibility for her escape, an6
while her fate is not defnitrly an
nounced at this hour, 1T can readily
be imagined from the words Of Cap
tain Robley D. Evans, of the Iowa
who returned from the westward with
$50 prisoners, from the Vizcaya, just
as the Associated Press dispatch-boat
Wanda was leaving the flagship. Ii
answer to inquiry he shouted through
the megaphone:
II left the Cristobal Colon an houl
ago far to the westward, and the Or
egon was giving her hell. She hal
undoubtedly gone down with the
others, and we will have a Fourth
of July celebration In Satiago to
morrow"
Captain Evans, who had been II
the thick of the engagement up tt
the time he took the Vicaya's officer
and crew from the shore, said that
to the best of his knowledge, mo-
one American ship had been struck
The torpedo boat Ericcsen, which
also returned from the westward
about the same time, made simila
report. There is no means of telling
now what the loss was, but 1t is be
lieved to have been very heavy, a
the soldiers in custody report thei