The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-21
COlon's Commander Says He Could
Have Escaped.
WHY DID HE SURRENDER?
HINTS OF STARTLING REVEAL
TIoNS TO BE MADE.
Spanish Captain Says His Vessel
Was Not Damaged and Was
Leaving His Pursuers Behind
Would Have Sunk Schley's Flag
ship Had His Guns Been Heavier.

snip daC- his OunS oeSH IAeei'AoA
New York, Aug. 20.-The Press says:
Captain Emilio Diaz de Moreu of the
Spanish ship Cristobal Colon, in an in
tervieW. discussed the events OF the
last few weeks without bitterness
There was even a playful suggestive
ness IN his tones when he replied TO the
inquiry whether he would say good
bye to the American fleet as ne passed
down the bay on the Normandie.
Yes" he went on. why should
not have friends on board your ships
We did not fight as personal foes. Cap
tain Cook of the Brooklyn-you don I
know him? All a fine man. Half an
hour after the battle 1 had given him
my photograph ana he had given me
his On mine l wrote: We have just
fought two hours and a half. Each
did his duty. We were not personal
foes. Now that it is all over, we are
comrades and friends That is the
way l feel toward the Americans. !
believe they have different opinion
of the SpaniarGs from what they had
before the war.
Captain do you think Hobson will
raise the Colon?"
mo. he viii not. She is tipped on
smashed her. Any vessel saved there
will cost twice their value"
THE Colon was i beautiful vessel,
ventured the reporter.
Beautiful, and every inch a fighting
ship. l would have got away; none
of them could have stopped me;
but
The captain paused and said:
Got away, l said. You understand
q - n
son knows it, and so does Cook. 1 told
them it was not the Brooklyn, nor the
Oregon that kept me from escaping.
They say 1 went only GA miles. I tell
you it was Y. Divide that by the time
and you Will see my average was 17.2
knots al hour, and at times IS. The
Oregon could only so is, and [ was
steadily dropping the Brooklyn be-
hind. Oh, no; neither of the two kept
you now why I 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 l tell
why, it viii be on the floor of the corr
tes, as a member of the Spanish par
liament--.L -will- represent the Montrit
district in Granada province. 1 have
been permitted by the president to go
home now, that 1 may be present at
the opening of the corte3, which will
take place in q few days. Then 1 will
explain, and many things dark now
will seem clear. l know many Amer
leans don't seem quite clear, from
their own accounts, as to why / did
not escape when 1 was in the lead and
gaining. They will know soon.
AN UNWRITTEN CHAPTER.
II am not saying this to detract at
all from the achievements of the
American fleet The men did all they
could, but there is an unwritten chap
ter yet to be known before history is
written.
mo one will say the Colon was ma
teriahy damaged by American fire." he
went on. "She was nit only six times.
BY your own reports I made % holes
in the Brooklyn, and there were ~
traces of hits on her side. Does not
They say our gunners could not shoot.
Well, the Brooklyn's sides tell a diff
ferent story
Why cid you not sink her. then?"
Our guns were too small. The three
vessels With heavy guns-the Vizcaya,
Maria Teresa and Oquendo-were on
fire. l was left alone, with only rapid
fire guns of a comparatively small cali
bre. IF 1 had had 13-inch guns. or IL,
different story. Those holes in the
Brooklyn would have meant more.
Your naval men have learned
great deal from their fight with the
Colon. They will not give up their
heavy guns for the light rapid-fire.
Sampson told me as much. 1 told them
they could not, and they smiled wheE
I asked them where they would be if
l had had heavy guns.
eft the fortune Of he
heavy guns were on board the ships
with woodwork that would catch fire.
The shell that struck any of our ships
started a fire. There was no fire ON
my ship, because she had no wood
work. She was like the Brooklyn and
would not burn"
NEW YORKS ESCAPE.
What do you think of the New
York;"
"a bad ship. 1t was lucky for her
she did not get into the fight. She
would have burned like our three ships.
Rear Admiral Sampson was in perfect
accord with me on that subject, and
agreed that a shell might have set her
on fire, and with her woodwork she
would have gone the way of the Viz
caya."
WHO should get the credit for the
victory-Sampson or Schley?" he was
asked.
Both officers are men OF great intel
ligence and high character" he said.
But Sigsbee. All, what shall l say
of him?" said the captain, bitterly
After the Maine explosion he was in
Captain Eulate's cabin on the Vizcaya
There, with tears in his eyes. he said
his career in life was ended, because he
had lost his ship. We rescued the
American seaTne2 while their officers
were drinking champagne on shore, and
then Sigsbee goes. into court, forgets
all about his tears and lamentations
in Eulates cabin, and tries to shoulder
the blame on us. We never did have
a hand in blowing up the Maine, and
am convinced that after the straight
square way we have fought
this war, the American people do not
believe we blew I'D the Maine
do you expect to be brought before
q courtmartial on your return?'
We viii appear before a court of in
quiry. That is regular and formal. No
matter whether it is a, defeat or a VIC
tory, if anything happens to a Spanish
feet the proceedings go before a court
Of inquiry
Emil D. de Moreu, formerly captain
Of the Cristobol Colon, who was taken
prisoner after the destruction of the
Spanish fleet. was among the Dassen-
gers on La Normandie. which sailed
today for Havre.
NAVAL REORGANIZATION.