The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1898-08-26
The Cruisers Commander Prom
ises Revelations in the Cortes.
CAPTAIN MOREU TALKS OF HER..
1t Is Hinted That tho Ship Was SacrI-
feed When Escape Was C~ertain-Can-
not Forget Captain Sigsbee and the
Battleship Maine.

las 1C" "CCho lLilOu pltICl 10
Captain Moreu is one Of the officers on
his way home. There was even a play
full suggestiveness in his tone when he
replied to the inquiry whether he
would say goodbye to the American
fleet as he passed down the bay on the
Normandie.
Yes" he went on, "why should not
l have friends on board your ships?
We did not fight as personal foes.
Captain Cook of the Brooklyn-you
don't know him? All, a fine man.
Half an hour after the battle l had
given him my photograph and he had
given me his. On mine | wrote: We
have just fought two hours and a half.
Each did his duty. We were not per-
sonal foes. Now that it is all over,
we are comrades and friends
That is the way L feel toward the
Americans. | believe they have Il diff
ferent opinion of the Spaniards from
what they had before the war"
Captain, do You think Hobson will
raise the Colon?"
NO, he will not. She is tipped on
her side and her 1000 tons have
smashed her. Any vessel saved there
will cost twice it's value"
The Colon was a beautiful vessel
ventured the reporter.
beautiful and every inch a fighting
ship. would have got away; none of
them could have stopped me, but
The captain paused and said: Got
away, l said, you understand, l mean
it. Schley knows it. Sampson knows
it and SO does Cook. 1 told them it
was not the Brooklyn nor the Oregon
that kept me from escaping. They
say l only went sixty-four miles. l
tell you it was se~venty-two. Divide
thai by the time and you will see my
average was 17.2 knots an hour and at
times 1S. The Oregon could only go
IL, and l was steadily dropping the
Brooklyn behind. Oh, no, neither of
the two kept me from escaping, but l
cannot tell you now why l was not
able to save my splendid ship" and
the captains voice trembled.
You won't have long to wait,
though, you won't have long to wait"
he repeated.
when 1 tell why, it will be on the
floor Of the cortes. l am a member of
the Spanish parliament. l represent
the Montril district in Granada prov
ince. l have been permitted by the
President to go home now, that L may
be present at the opening of the cortes,
which will take place in a few days.
Then l will explain and many things
dark now will seem clear. L know
many Americans don't seem quite
clear from their own accounts as to
why l did lot escape when L was in
the lead and gaining. They will know
l am not saying this to detract
at all from the achievements of the
American feet. The men did as they
could, but there is an unwritten chap
ter yet to be known before history is
written.
No one will say the Colon was ma
terially damaged by the American
fire" he went on. ''She was hit only
six times. BY your own reports 1
made twenty-six holes in the Brook
Ign and there We're forty-two traces of
hits on her side. Does that not speak
well for Spanish %gunnery? They say
our runners could not shoot. Well,
the Brooklyn's sides tell a different
"NNhy did not you sink her then?"
''Our guns were too small. The
three vessels with heavy guns-the
Vizcaya, the Maria Teresa and the
Oquendo-were on fire. L was left
alone with only rapid-fre guns of a
comparatively small caliber. If l had
had 13-inch guns or II or 12-well,
there might have been a different story.
Those holes in the Brooklyn would
have meant more
Your naval men have learned a
great deal from their fight with the
Colon. They will not give up their
heavy guns for the light rapid-ire.
Sampson told me as much. l told
them they could not and they smiled
when l asked them where they would
be if l had had heavy guns.
s'It was the fortune of war that
heavy guns were only IN board the
ships with wood work that would catch
fire. The first shell that struck any
of our ships started a fire. There was
fire on my ship, becaush she had no
work. She was like the Brook
lyn and would not burn"
What do you think of the New
"a bad ship. 1t was lucky for her
she did not get into the fight. She
have burned like our three ships.
Rear Admiral Sampson vas in perfect
accord with me on that subject, and
agreed that a shell might have set her
Oh fire, and with her wood work she
would have gone the way of the Viz
''Who should get the credit for the
or Schley?' he was
'.Bct tn officers are men OF great in
telligence and high character" he
said. But Sigsbee. All, what shall
[ say of him?" said the captain, bit
terly. After the Maine explosion he
in Captain Eulate's cabin in the
Vizcaya. There, with tears in his
eyes, he said his career in life was
because he had lost his ship.