Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-07-20
FIGHTING BOB'S" STORY
Captain of the Iowa Gives Graphic
: Description of Destruction Of
Cervera's Fleet.
THE ACTION WAS SUPERB
iowa Was the First to Sight the Enemy,
! Sound the Alarm and Give Chase
A Thrilling Chapter in the
History Of the Cuban War.

on Santiago de Cuba, July Per
the Associated Press Dispatch Boat
Dauntless, via Port Antonio, July 8,
by way of Kingston, Jamaica, July s,
$3.50 p. m.-The battleship Iowa was the
first ship to see the fleet coming out
of the harbor. Somebody on the bridge
shouted:
What's that black thing coming out
Of the harbor?"
A moment later the Iowa was at gen.
eral quarters and the signal was hoist
ed that the enemy's ships were coming
out. A gun was fired to attract the
attention Of the fleet at 1888 a. m.
Fighting Bob Evans, the COM
mander of the Iowa, was sitting in his
cabin talking to his son, a cadet on
the Massachusetts, who, luckily, had
been left behind in picket launch
when the Massachusetts went to Gu
antanamo to coal at dawn.
Captain Evans account of the battle,
as told in the cabin of the Iowa to a
correspondent of the Associated Press,
Is intensely interesting. He said:
AT the time general quarters was
sounded the engine bell rang full speed
ahead, and put the helm to starboard
and the Iowa crossed the bows of the
Infanta Maria Teresa, the first ship
the westward the 12-inch shells from
the forward turret of the Iowa seemed
to strike him fair in the bow, and the
fight was a spectacle.
"As the squadron came out in col
umn, the ships beautifully spaced as to
distance and gradually increasing their
speed to thirteen knots, it was superb.
THE Iowa from this moment kept up
q steay fire from her heavy guns, head
time Keen "a n q
Maria Teresa on her starboard bow
and hoping to ram one of the leading
ships.
'In the meantime the Oregon, In
diana, Brooklyn, and Texas were doing
excellent work with their heavy guns.
in very short space Of time the
enemys ships were all clear of the
harbor mouth, and it became evidently
impossible for the Iowa to ram either
the first or the second ship on account
of their speed.
1.-The range at this time was 1000
yards from the leading ship. The
Iowas helm was then put hard to the
starboard and the entire starboard
broadside was poured into the Infanta
Maria Teresa. The helm was then
quickly shifted to port, and the ship
went across the stern of the Teresa in
an effort to head off the Oquendo.
"All the time the engines were driv-
ing at full speed ahead. A perfect tor
rent of shells from the enemy passed
over the smokestacks and superstruc-
ture of the ship, but none struck her.
1.-THE Cristobal Colon, being much
faster than the rest of the Spanish
ships, passed rapidly to the front in an
effort to escape. In passing the Iowa,
the Colon placed two-siX -inch shells
fairly in our starboard bow. One
passed through the cofferdam and dis
pensary, wrecking the latter and
bursting on the berth deck, doing con-
siderable damage. The other passed
through the side at the water line
within the cofferdam, where it still re-
mains.
"As it was now obviously impossible
to ram any of the Spanish ships on ac-
count of their superior speed, the Iowa'S
helm was put to the starboard and she
ran on course parallel with the enc
my. Being then abreast of the Almi-
rante Oquendo, at q distance of LOO
yards, the Iowa's entire battery, in
Guiding the rapid fire guns, was opened
on the Oquendo. The punishment was
terrific. Many one, two and eight-inch
shell were seen to explode inside of her,
and smoke came out through the hatch
es. Two twelve-inch shells from the
Iowa pierced the Almirante Oquendo at
the same moment, one forward and the
stop her engines for moment an lost
Roadway. but she Immediately resumed
her speed and gradually drew ahead of
the Iowa and came under thS terrific
fire of the Oregon and Texas.
AT this moment the alarm of tor
pedo boats was sounded and two tor
pedo boat destroyers We're discovered in
the starboard quarter at a distance Of
1000 yards. Fire was at once opened
on them with the after battery, and
12-inch shell cut the stern of one de-
stroyer squarely off. AS the shell
struck a small torpedo boat fired back
at the battleship. sending shell with
in a few feet of my head. l said to
Executive officer Rogers:
That little chap has got lot of
cheek
Rogers shouted back: She shoots
very well, all the same
well up among the advancing cruis-
ers, shooting first at one and then an
other, was the little Gloucester, shoot
ing first at a cruiser and then at a tor
pedo boat, and hitting head wherever
she saw it. The marvel was that she
was not destroyed by the rain of shell.
In the meantime the Vizcaya was
slowly drawing abeam of the Iowa, and
for the space of fifteen minutes it was
give and take between the two ships.
The Vizcaya fired rapidly, but wildly,
not one shot taking effect on the Iowa,
while the shells from the Iowa were
tearing great rents in the sides of the
ViZcaya.
"As the latter passed ahead of the
Iowa she came under the murderous
fire of the Oregon. At this time the
1nfanta Maria Teresa and the Almi-
rante Oquendo, leading the enemys
column, were seen to be heading for the
beach and in flames. The Texas, Ore
gon and Iowa pounded them unmerci-
fully. They ceased to reply to the fire,
and in a few moments the Spanish
cruisers were mass of flames and on
the rocks with their colors down, the
Teresa flying white flag at the former.
''The crews Of the enemys ships