The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-07-07
THE GREAT VICTORY.
HOW THE SPANISH WARSHIPS WE'RE
DESTROYED.


scenes Following the Fight Cervera's
Fleeing Squadron. Captains of the
Piuton and Terror Among Lieut.. Com
1nandcr wainwright's Prisoners.
Port Antonio. Jamaica, July 6.-For
hours after Admiral Cervera went on
board the Gloucester the Infanta Maria
Teresa, Almirante Oquendo and Viz
caya continued to burn, and every now
and then a deep roar, accompanied by
burst of flame and smoke from the
sides of the ships, would announce the
explosion of more ammunition or an
other magazine.
AS Lieutenant Commander VAIN
wright watched the confiagration from
the bridge, he said to an officer beside
him:
1.-THE Maine Is avenged"
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
was executive officer of the Maine
when she was destroyed.
Just then the Pluton and the Terror
sank. The Gloucester's boat picked up
as many of the survivors as she could
find on the shore. The prisoners of
war included the captains of both
boats. None offered any resistance and
they were glad to go to the Gloucester,
as they feared an attack from the Gu
bans.
A number of the survivors, including
officers of the Furor, who, it was re-
ported, had their legs shot off, were
oil t1,a ocf fp
tance and could not be found. Three
officers and six men Of the Pluton es-
capped in one of their own boats and
pulled to the Associated Press dispatch
boat Wanda, where they remained un-
til their captain, who was held pris-
oner on the Gloucester, ordered them
to Join him on the latter vessel.
The most remarkable feature of the
combat was the fact that, notwith-
standing the utter destruction of the
Spanish fleet and the hard fight those
ships made even after they were on
fire, the American vessels should es-
cape without injury. The only thing
this can be attributed to is the poor
craftsmanship Of the Spanish gun
ners, which has been so well demon
strated in every other conflict of the
war.
The Newark, Commodore Watson's
flag ship, did not participate in the
great capture, as she was coaling at
Guantanamo.
In the great sea fight which took
place Monday Spain lost six ships, 300
men killed, $50 wounded and 1880 pris-
oners. Our loss was one man killed
and two wounded. None of opi ships
was seriously hurt. Admiral Cervera,
Vice Admiral Villamil Captain Eulate,
and the other officers and men are
held as prisoners. They were all trans
ferred to the st. Louis yesterday and
sent to New York.
Admiral Cervera said in answer to
the question why he made the dash
out of the harbor with his fleet, that
he was forced to come out in obedience
to an order from Captain General Blan-
CO, who was acting under Instructions
from the government at Madrid. He
made dash for the west, he said, be-
cause only the Brooklyn and three
American battleships were on that side
of the harbor. He thought he would
be able to outrun the battleships, and
If the Brooklyn followed he could whip
her.
The wrecks of six vessels of Cervera's
fleet are strewn along the Cuban beach
from a point two miles distant from
the entrance to Santiago harbor to
Jarquina Point, fifty miles away.
The Brooklyn and the Oregon chased
the Cristobal Colon to the latter point.
where they captured her. and prize
crew was put on board.
Before she was boarded, however, the
Spaniards had opened all of the sea
valves and thrown all the caps of the
valves overheard.
The ship was fast filing with water
and sank rapidly, and she finally ca
reened over on her beam ends, with her
big guns pointing toward the sky. She
cannot be saved.
WILL HAVANA BE NEXT?