The National tribune., 1898-07-07

But Admiral Simpsons triumph is a
full running mate to it. 1t differs in
details, but is on a par with it for sea-
manship, daring, Skill and overwhelm-
ing completeness as to results.
Admiral Cervera gave our feet a
most unexpected opportunity, and they
improved it to the utmost. We had
long ceased TO expect any particularly
daring thing from the Spanish Admiral,
but this did not relax SIMPSONS vigi-
lance and preparedness. The Span
lard did what was characteristic of the
Latin race. After much preliminary
buster and rhodomontade, he shirked
battle when it was offered him on nearly
even terms. Then, when he was being
forced to the wall, he woke up to spas
modic desperation. While his feet was
numerically much smaller than ours, it
was made up Of the choicest ships in the
Spanish navy, and believed to combine
speed and fighting strength to degree
not TO be found in our navy By doing
an utterly unexpected thing, be might
catch our ships unawares, scattered
along long line, and unable to con-
centrate until he bad beaten off, sunk,
and escaped from those he would have
to encounter. ltwasa desperate chance,
but desperate chances usually succeed
in war. 1t was scarcely more desperate
than Dewey's dash into Manila Harbor,
over carefully-prepared mines, to attack
fleet of unknown strength, supported
by powerful land batteries.
Possibly Cervera had read of the
successful dash of the rebel ram Arkan-
sas through our fleet lying above Vicks-
burg.
At any rate, he took his chance and
came out of the harbor, with his whole
ieet-armored cruisers, torpedo-boat
destroyers, and torpedo-boats. 1t was
the same feet over which so many
people quaked a few weeks ago-over
which We have had so much Spanish boast
ing, SO many fearsome predictions by
the hostile French and German news
papers and diplomats. He came out
with all the hope or desperation he could
muster. If he succeeded in running
the gantlet loud would be tie worlds
acclaim, and many honors would be
showered upon him. 1t would redeem
the furnished honor of the Spanish navy,
and perhaps induce the world to look
again kindly upon his country struggling
against great odds.
He came out only to rush into the
red NAV Of terror and destruction. He
came out only to find every American
sailor alert and ready, every gun aimed
truly at him, every ship like blood
hound escaping from the leash to plunge
at his throat His lighter, swifter tor
pedo-boat destroyers-the ships about
which there has been so much dread
went down as soon as they had cleared
the harbor and received the tempest of
shot which beat upon them. His
stronger ones endured little longer, but
one after another they succumbed, until
the last and strongest and swiftest was
overtaken and destroyed 40 miles from
Santiago.
In all this fearful race with death
their powerful engines awaited them
nothing, their great 10-inch rifles avail
ed them nothing, their Heavy armor
availed them nothing. They were fol-
lowed relentlessly, beaten to pieces,
burned, blown up and sunk as merci-
lessly as their weaker sisters had been
by our weaker slips in Manila Bay.
A few hours saw as proud fleet as
the Spaniards had had since the In
vincible Armada, representing a greater
expenditure of money than that famous
feet, utterly annihilated, with every
man on it either killed, drowned or a
prisoner in our hands, while our loss was
but one man killed.
1t is an achievement that immensely
enhances the prestige of our navy.
After Dewey's and SIMPSONS victories
our navy can safely rest on its laurels.
The world hoe pavar hoJ onrI,, .