The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-07-07

into believing effectually blockaded
the exit. There was great excite
ment at once and every activity long
the American lines. The signal for
full speed ahead was rung from
bridge to engine room of every ship
move in shore toward the Spanish
and the great u and 13-inch guns of
the battleships and the smaller
batteries on the other vessels fired
shot after shot at long range. AS
the ships ran in towards the shore
it became evident that the Spaniards
had not come out to make an ag-
gressive fight, for they turned to the
westward as soon as they had cleared
the harbor and started on their race
for safety, at the same time sending
answering shots at the American
ships as fast as the men could load
and fire the guns.
AWFUL RAIN OF SHOT AND SHELL.
The Brooklyn, Massachusetts,
Texas, Oregon and Iowa were nearer
the Spaniards than any others of the
American vessels, but still most Of
them were too far away to get an
effective range. They crowded on
all steam, however, in preparation
for the chase, never stopping their
fire for one moment.
One after another the Spanish
ships became the victims of the
awful rain of shells which the Ameri-
can battleships, cruisers and gun
boats poured upon them, and two
hours after the first of the fleet had
started out of Santiago harbor, their
cruisers and two torpedo boat de-
stroyers were lying on the shore, ten
to fifteen miles west of MORO castle,
pounding to pieces, smoke and flame
pouring from every part OF them
and covering the entire coast line
with a mist which could be seen for
miles.
CERvERA's CAPTURE.
Admiral Cervera escaped to the
shore in a 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 command of Lieutenant Morton
and asked to be taken on board the
Gloucester, which was the only
American vessel near him at the
time, with several of his officers in
Guiding the captain of the flagship.
The Spanish admiral, who was
wounded in the arm, was taken to
| the Gloucester and was received at
the gangway by her commander,
Richard Wainwright, who grasped
the hand of the gray bearded admiral
and said to him: Il congratulate
you, sir, upon having made as gal
liant a fight as ever was witnessed on
the sea- Lieutenant Commander
Wainwright then placed his cabin at
the disposal of the Spanish officers.
SPANISH LOSS VERY HEAVY.
There is no means of telling now
what the Spanish loss was, but it is
believed to have been very heavy, as
the prisoners in custody report their
decks strewn with dead and wounded
in great numbers, and besides there
is statement that many bodies
could be been seen fastened to pieces
of wreckage floating in the sea after
fight was over. A large number of
the Spanish wounded were removed
to the American ships.
There can be no doubt that Adj
miral Cervera's plan to escape from
Santiago harbor was entirely unex-
pected by Admir- Sampson and the
best evidence of this is the fact that
when the Spanish vessels were seen
coming out of the harbor the flag
ship New York was seven miles away
steaming to the eastward toward
Juragua, the military base, nine
miles east of Moro. The New York
was out of the fight altogether at
every stage, but she immed Lately
put about and followed the others.
sCHLEY GOT A CHANCE AT EN-.
Commodore Schley's flagship, the
Brooklyn. had her usual position at
the extreme western end of the line,
ten miles from the New York and
the Texas. 1t is a peculiar fact that
he should have been in proper posi-
ton to direct the movement of his
N1ng squadron against the Spanish
fleet, which he had bottled up in
Santiago harbor six weeks before
AS matter of fact, the entire
American fleet was much further off
shore than usual when the Spaniards
made their appearance this morning.
1t was not believed that Admiral
Cervera would attempt to escape
from his perilouS position at this
late day, but it was supposed that
he would keep his shi ps in the
harbor to shell the advancing Ameri-
can army and that if Santiago fell he
would blow up or sink them before
permitting them to be captured bv
the fleet lying outside.
CERvERA's PLANS
The Spanish admiral's real plans.
however. were plainly not antici-
pated. He accepted the one chance
| open to him-that of running the
gauntlet of the powerful men-of-war
I lying in front of the harbor and