Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-17
Told When Capt. Taylor Met Capt.
Bob Evans.
THE FIRST TEN MINUTES DID The JOB
The Austrian Missed the Music,
but Admired Results.
PUNCH BOWL ALL RIGHT


| When Captain Taylor of the battle shin
| Indiana was in the city short while Ego
| he told his immediate friends a number of
| interesting and amusing incidents of the
| battle off Santiago that have never been
| published. Captain Taylor is n jovial fol-
lower of the sea and knows a good story
when it happens his way. He declares
that after the last of Cervera' s ships had
been destroyed there were many little
things that appealed to ones risibilities, in
spite of the scene of destruction and the
exultant sadness.
| Captain Taylor. as is well known in naval
ciicles, is a. brother-in-iaw of Fighting
| Bob" Evans of the Iowa. The ties of
friendship and relationship between the
| two are very strong. indeed, and both adj
United afterward that during the battle
| they Were half wishing that something
! would happen to the other that they might
rush to the rescue and be of service.
| After all the poor Spaniards had been
| safely tucked away in the various ships
| of Uncle Sam and all the excitement of
| the famous battle was over, 1t was but
| natural that Capt. Evans should call upon
| Capt. Taylor on the formers Old ship, the
| indiana Congratulations were exchanged
| in a manner betting the occasion, and
| then the two began talking of their ex-
| periences- 1t was in the cabin of the big
| battle ship and several Of the rescued Span
| lsh officers were sitting disconsolately in
| the group.
1T strikes me as remarkable" spoke UP
| the farfained Fighting Bob" that dur
ing the first ten minutes of The encounter
| when l was on the bridge giving orders
| to my men L heard small shot and shell
| whisthng all about my ears and occasion
| ally would a huge body of steel 60
| sailing overhead, discharge from one Of
! the heavier turret guns of Cerveras fine
| fleet. Then gradually the excitement Of
| the chase became intense, and the throb
! bling of the engines beneath and the
| boom of our own guns finally made me
oblivious to the fact that any shots were
| flying around the ship. 1t seemed as If
| We were at target practice and that there
was no enemy at all. The smoke enveloped
us for time. too, but in the midst of 1t all
| there was no feeling of danger to the ship
| or the men"
THAT is truly strange" declared Capt.
| Taylor, but do you know, Bob, l expert
| enced precisely the same sensation, After
the first eight or ten minutes of the battle
| l vas not cognzant of the fact that steel
| missiles of death were flying all about US.
| The whIstlng of the shots heard no more,
| just as you say. suppose that is the
way it should be in battle, and that a kind
| Providence had made it So
| Just then a Junior lieutenant of the
| Spanish linz, who was an English scholar
| and had taken in everything that said,
| broke the silence he and his fellows had
| maintained since their capture:
| 81 think l may easily explain that of
which you have been talking" he piped.
| Wa did not fire any shots after the first
eight or ten minutes. You drove our men
| from the guns
Capt. Bob looked at Capt. Taylor They
| looked at each other. They changed the
| subject.
After the Fight Was Over.
| Another story is told by Captain Taylor
of an incredulous Austrian naval officer who
/
tie after the fun was all over in that Aus
| trian warship that was at first believed to
| be another Spanish target for the American
guns. When the dark lines of the APP
| preaching warshlp were seen hull down on
| the horizon Captain Taylor was one of the
! first to make for her. The Indiana was
black and grimy with powder stains, while
| the decks We're running in dark water
! the wash from the swabbing of guns. The
ship was filled with powder smoke, pilot
house, coming tower, captains cabin and
| hold. There was every indication of bat
| tie. Captain Taylor himself stood in uni
form trousers and his naval cap. Some of
| his fellow officers declare that the remain
der of his makeup on this occasion was a
satisfied smile.
AT any rate, the captain was at his post
| of duty the bridge, while the engine
room force below was crowding on all
| steam. The gunners, just through with the
| Hover of Spain's fleet, were standing by
| their pieces, ready at moment to begin on
| this unknown enemy. Visions of the Cadiz
fleet were before the eyes of the blockaders,
who had just turned one victory, and all
| smelt battle, and of battle. too. The In
diana made for the stranger with a rush.
AS the Austrian colorS went UP to the
| main on the ship of war there was a grunt
of disappointment all around The two
! SHIPS presently came TO a standstill not far
| distant from each other. A boat was seen
to put out from the Austrian and was soon
alongside the Indiana's gang-plank with a
| lieutenant on board, sent to exchange greet
ings with the American commander and to
! ask news of the struggle with Spain The
| lieutenant conducted to the CAPTAINS
cabin, Arrangement written on every line of
his face. He looked first at the decks and
then at the begrimed crew and the officers
all wet with perspiration and delightfully."-
dirty The powder smoke in the cabin
stifed him. His ship was too far away
during the fight to hear anything but a
distant rumble-a rumble like the heavy
cannonading" SO often heard off the Mole
st. Nicholas. WIG -'oie
When Captain Taylor appeared the Ans
things Indicated VI
1T indicates answered the captain
that we have just engaged the enemy"
What! Cervera?"
THE same"
What Were your losses?"
None"
But where is the Spanish feet?" again
queried the now thoroughly excited for
eigner.
Come up on the poop with me and 1 will
show you" "
The Austrian took his binoculars from
their leathern case
'There-and there-and there-and auotb
er, the Cristobal, little out of view" re-
marked Captain Taylor as he pointed slow
ly to the burning ships along the Cuban
shore.
Great God!' The Austrian silently took
his leave. A truly grand respect for Amer
A TRAVEL