El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-14
A SANTIAGO
NAVAL HERO
Tells About His Ship, the
Noble Texas.
STORY OF A GREAT FIGHT
How the Splendid Battleship Rede m
ed Her Good Name.---Captain Philip
And His Men.-The Spaniards We're
Drunk Was A Captains Fight.

| Last afternoon as the passengers
we're getting off the G. 81. west bound
and going around the station to change
cars q typical sunbrOwned jack tar ac-
costed a reporter of the HERALD and
asked him where he might get cup
| OF coffee He was shown the place and
in he went, followed by the reporter
who had noticed the name of q. s. S.
Texas on the sailors hat.
AS soon as he was served at tn e
lunch counter with coffee and q bun
sand witch, the reporter asked him
about himself and the man began to
talk freely.
"My name is A. V. Cristopherson
and my rank Is that of bOatswain's
mate. l am right from the battleship
Texas, that is, left her when she first
got back to New York, and L am on
my way to visit my home in San Fran
cisco.
"She's fine boat that. 1 have been
on her now for two years and there is
not better one in the navy. We didn't
used to think she was worth q damn
but she has showed them all by ths
way she did her work in the fight at
Santiago with the Spanish fleet. The
Texas was every bit as good as the
Oregon; of course she was some handi-
capped, but she did moro than her
share of that fight, you can put that In
your pipe.
81 went on the boat about two years
ago. We didn't do any thing much
but coast duty and a little running
around. Then we seemed to have
trouble: we had q rotten navigator who
came near finishing her, and then there
was something the matter with her in
the navy yard at Brooklyn which made
her sink, and the machinist who caused
it got a few days lay off to pay for his
carelessness. After she was raised
that time we went to Galveston where
we were treated finer than any men
were ever treated before. When the
men would 90 ashore there WAS moth
| banqueted and the town people would
come out to see US and we had so many
visitors that there were two cutters OF
| the Texas in commission all the time
running back and forth from the ship
to the dock.
| ST was in charge of one of the cutters
the best part of the time and the ladies
were nice and polite and we enjoyed
our visit there very much, so much
Choir we hated to do it. The governor
and party when they came were a nice
lot, and the beautiful silver service
which they gave to the boat from the
whole state of Texas was the pride of
the crew. We were all invited into
the captains cabin to look at it, and it
was with pleasure we would think that
the people had made the ship such q
| handsome gift, for up to that time she
wasn't considered very much.
| "We left Galveston and coasted
around to New York and it was there
that she was sunk by carelessness. AS
| sOOd as she was repaired we we're sent
to Norfolk, then we went back to New
| York and stayed there a while, when
orders came to join the flying squadron
at Norfolk at once; that was after war
had been declared. The boat at the
| time the orders were received was
waiting to be fixed up good before GO
ing down the coast but when we got
these orders there was nothing that
could hold the captain back;he said
I'VE will go without the repairs and
he went.
"When we got to Norfolk we found
the other boats there waiting for US
and Commodore Schley was in COM
mand on the Brooklyn. The morning
after we gotethere the pipe.to quarters
was sounded and when all hands we're
before Captain Philip, he made US a
speech. He told US that we were
about to leave for the coast of Cuba
and that our mission would be very
likely to try and catch Cervera's fleet.
"Now," he says. ''if we find them we
will attack them very likely and if we
do those colors there pointing to the
they will never be hauled down. II
any of you men have anything dear to
you that you would not like to lose 1
would suggest that you either leave it
here with the commandant of the yard
or ship it homeW
"Well, that made US feel like we
were right in for good fight, and rine
men out of every ten were dead anxious
for the fight and for it soon. For about
q week after this we had to lay there
in the Roads and all of US felt that the
other squadron under Sampson was 60
ing to find Cervera. and we wouldn't
get q chance at him. There was good
deal of Joy expressed when the order
came for US to lay outside of the har-
Dor the next morning. We were so
anxious that hardly any of us'slept any
that night, and the hours wore en-
heavily.
FINALLY we got away and we went
to Key West; there we were ordered to
Havana and from there we were sent
around the western end of the island
to coast the southern part of 1t, with
the supposed destination of the Wind
ward Passage. When we got to San
tiago we found that Cervera was there,
or at least we found that the Colon was
there for we saw her when we passed
the mouth of the entrance, as then she
wac lying in the entrance of the bay.
The reason we knew it was her was be-
cause she has u mast between her
stacks. When we found out that the
Colon was there, then we cruised
around there until the day of the
fight.
THAT was as pretty Sunday morn
ing as you would want to see. We
were just getting ready to attend
church when the watch in the forward
mast sang out Fleet moving towards
the entrance, Our flag officer. who