Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-07-22

Total 1888 Total weight, 81 ,C6j.
We were the first to see them come out
and we steamed right for them. The
Massachusetts, had gone TO Guantanamo,
30 miles east of Santiago. for coal the
Iowa was about miles TO the west of us
aud . from the hnrbor. The Brooklyn was
about the same distance from the Iowa,
and several gun dispatch and paper boats,
including the flag ship New York, We're
! along the Eastern coast, communicating
/ with the Transports having troops to land
/ at BaratiVa a point nine miles from the
I harbUr, or Fort Moro, so you see if fight
/ ing Bob or my of the others want to
claim the fighting, it shows they were not
| in it, for we did it all; sunk every Span
/ lard. Our range was 10 yards, close on
/ them, and Fl ing our l3-inch shells just
where we wanted to put them One
struck the Vizcayu astcrn, and then amid.
ships. and when we loft her she was one
great blaze, her crew could be seen jump
ing overheard, some looking for place TO
| hide it was terrible for them.
Small shot such as 6 and sunk the rest
] but we had a fine chase after the Colon. 1t
/ was a grand sight She threw her shot
and shell as fast rs she could but her aim
/ was poor at every time, some flying over us
some astern and some short of us, some
/ few shells bursting 20 feet from us with
/ LOUD reports ! have often held my ears
when standing near a toy cannon. but
these shook the deck and / cannot describe
the effect as / would like When our 10
inch.guns are fired should any one be on
the forecastle it would instantly kill him
the conclusion is something awful. / hap
pened to be underneath one of the turrets
near a doorway not know nt they were 90
ing to fire and when they did it raised me
Off my feet and as tried to get out it seem
ed rs if my cloths We're all torn off
We have Chinese and japanese cooks
aboard and they are frightened very easy.
We have a splendid crew. Every man a
fighter They all hail from Frisco and are
known as SlOpcrs among the loet. Too
much praise cannot be given them In time
of action.
The papers seldom say anything about
the fireman they are given little thought
when in fact they deserve great praise, for
they worked with forced draft and few
realize what that means if they have not
experienced It, All ventilation is shut
off the blower Is put on and the tempera-
/ tu-o in the room is 40. 1t takes game
man to stand that and work hard too. But
/ | am DEPRESSING The Colon was sDittinn
/ fire and she also had on forced 9ft try.
/ ing to get away but the Oregon was too
much for her build for 10 knots and max
/ ing l79
/ The Brooklyn was about mile astern
/ of us signalling that her compartments
were fun OF water and she could not keep
up but telling us to go on, saying, "Ore
gon yu have done 70 all; hnlsh your
1 work - and we did We drove the Colon
on sho G. She was hugging the beach
and the ms and outs of it was disadvan-
tage TO her and in our favor, for we kept q
straight course She saw the jig was ur
and hauled down her yellow flag, but still
kept on firing; that is the Greaser Of it
We waited an hour and half for the
! New York Texas, Vixen and Resolute, and
while waiting the band came out ON the
forward l3-inch turret and played "ThC
Gladiator, everybody cheering everybody
the captain officers and crew. and / want
TO say there is no Drawer man living than
our beloved Captain Clark the finest OF
men, a gentleman as well as "a thorough
Yankee, every inch of him After all had
cheered he sugge ted three cheers for tn,
Chicago Naval Reserves on board the Ore
gon, and the way they gave them mad,
me feel az though we had figured SOM
where in the great battle,
When the flagship came up she lowered
her gig and Sampson boarded the Colon
and read the riot act to the bunch o
greasers left ON her. for many were strewI
around the decks, dead and wounded. ant
( some crazy with fear. Sampson returned
to his ship and hailing us through a mog
aphone said: Oregon there Take err
Of your prize; the prisoners will be trans
ferred to the Resolute Take the Colon in
tow We sent a launch and q Jew boat
with s-lu nuWscr, Dut on eNumlnlDi
her found that she had been hit by a 81.
inch shell near the water line, where tn
water was rushing in, and within an hou
she had IA feet of water in her hold so w
gave up towing her and tried to get he
further on the beach. The New YOr
Went up To her and l guess tried to ran
hei because she put a larger hole I'm he
+ and she sank, but not out OF sight. Whe
we left we could see her smoke stacks mi
itaiy masts and starbDard side Our Car
tain remarked she was in good position
for the wreckers. The men who boa de-
her got all kinds Of souvenirs l hav
Cecyera's photograph, his great cloak an
an umbrella, and | enclose "a bean of
kind that was plentiful on board her, a
everything smelled of them. The GREY
never drank water, for they had nOthin
but wine on board There were 3 head O
cattle drowned, but we got a dog pig, 81
chickens. two cats and i've kittens. w
named the dog Cristobol Colon, and tn
pig, little fat fellow, we are going {
brand Oregon The cats and dog are wit
the officers.
As we could not got the Colon awny W