The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-12
SATURDAYS BATTLE.
Tie Story Of the Sea Fight Told
Again.

| description of the battle between the
| American and Spanish warships in these
waters was written by the only nom
combatant who witnessed the entire fight.
That non .combatant was the correspond.
emit of the Associated Press.who saw the
| engagement from position almost at the
elbow of Commodore Schley on the
| United States armored cruiser Brooklyn,
| Sunday June 8. the fifth Sunday for the
| American squadron before Santiago
and the ninth weekly anniversary of the
day of Dewey's victory at Cavite and the
fifth of the discovery by Commodore
| Schley of the whereabouts of Admiral
Cervera's squadron, brought no part
| icuIarly different situation from what had
marked the proceeding Sunday. The mon
otonony, the lack of picturesqueness at
daybreak, the heat of the tropical sun
| were all there. Over the tops of the sup
posedly destroyd earth works appeared the
muzzles Of the same old guns, quite
ready despite the Saturday bombardment
| to speak their piece if called upon. On
| the slightly rolling sea the great gray
| battleships of the American feet swung
| lazily at distance of from four to i've
| miles from the harbor entrance. The line
| which at all times was supposed to be a
| half circle, inclosing the harbor entrance
as central point, was more than ordi-
narliy broken up this hot morning. The
big battle ships had drifted to the east
considerably and the Massachusetts, New
York. the New Orleans and the Newark
were not in sight, the New York having
| taken Admiral Sampson down to Altares
| al crht 1rflaE from the hInckaHa tn
make a visit to the camp of the American
| army, while the other missing vessels
were at Guantanamo 40 miles to the east.
| The vessels on the blockade were the
! Iowa, Indiana and Oregon battleships,
the flagship of Commodore Schley, the
Brooklyn and the small yachts Gloucester
and Vixen. The Iowa was swinging a
| mile out from the rest of the squadron
| trying to fix her forward 10 inch turret
| which was out Of repair, while the In
diana was doing the same to the IL inch
turrer. The absolutely available ships,
therefore, were only the Oregon. Texas
and Brooklyn, although later both Capt.
| Evans and Capt. Taylor fought their ves-
sells.
| 1t Is custom on ships that there shall
| be a general muster at least once each
three months and that the articles of war
shall be read. First call had been sounded
at g. 5 O. M, and the men were assem- :
| UllQR ON GQS O6chS 1uo lUOhOuU III Ull0
masthead of the Brooklyn had sometime
before reported smoke in the harbor but
as the same thing had been noticed sever
al times no special attention was paid to
| 1T. The Brooklyn and the Vixen were
the only ships to the west of the EFT ance,
the other ships having drifted we'll to the
east On the bridge Navigator Hodgson
| out, "Isn't that smoke moving?" and the
| lookout after moments inspection with
the long glass dropped it excitedly and
fairly yelled:
"There's big ship coming out oflthe
harbor sir.
Hodgson looked once himself and then
grasping the megaphone shouted, After
bridge there, tell the Commodore The
enemy's fleet is coming OUT
| Commodore Schley was sitting under
the awning on the quarter deck. Going
| to the bridge he said "Raise the signal to
the fleet, and turning to Captain Cook
who stood near he said. "Clear the ship
| for action Then he went forward and
took his place on the little platform of
wood running on the out side Of the
coming tower which had been built there
for him. He WAS dressed in blue trousers
black alpacka jacket and the regulation
cap, without the broad band of gold
braid. The men with yell went to their
guns and the rapidly preliminary orders
| were given. ocn!ey, glass III nanu,
watched the first ship turn out and saw
her start for the west. Still he gave nc
order to fire OF move. The Oregon opened
with her IS inch shells and the Indiana
and Texas followed. But the range was
long one. Still the Brooklyn waited.
But down below the coal was being forced
into the furnace, every boiler was being
Sohley wanted to know which way they
were going or whether they would scatter.
In the mainline the Oregon began to turn
to the west and the Texas had moved in
closer and was damaging the leading ship
the Infanta Maria Teresa.
"They are all going west, SIR" shouted
Lieut.. Sears. Just then the western bat
open fire." shouted the commodore.
Fire deliberate and don't waste shot,
he added, and the orderlies carried the
word to the turrets. In an instant the
Brooklyn's terrific eight and five inch bat
teries on her port side opened and the
cruiser headed for point In front of the
first escaping ship firing at and receiv ing
the fire from two Of them.
Then Commodore Schley saw that the
first ship was coming out from the shore
headed directly for the Brooklyn with
the evident intention of ramming her.
A clever manoeuvre was here accom-
plshed. lizard aport with your helm,'
l ouOuuou 5Culoy huu Uu6 CFulocT UoSbu W
| go around, the smoke coming from her
tunnels in huge volumes.
Quickly she turned and quickly her big
steel ram was pointed at the first ship.
The Infanta Maria Teresa had to work in
shore to avoid being rammed.
| The shells of the Texas and Oregon
with the terrible storms of shell from the
Brooklyn had done their work and the
smoke began to pour from her decks.
In the meantime the converted yacht
Gloucester could he seen with the help
Of the Iowa destroying the two torpedo
boats desuroyers that had followed the last
ship out. At 10 O'Clock the entire Cape
Verde squadron was outside the harbor
and going rapidly westward. The Iowa
and Indiana could not keep up the pace,
but the Oregon was coming up to the
assistance of the Brooklyn, which at TO- OF
was engaging the first three ships, the
Infanta Maria Teresa, the Cristobal
Colon and the Vizcaya.
| AT 10.11 the Spanish ships had all con-
centrated their shots in the Brooklyn and
she was in a perfect rain of shells most Of
| which went over.
sEStanding in this hail of shells Commo-
dore Schley asked young man named
| Ellis who was standing near him with a