Barbour County index., 1898-07-13


efforts bore abundant fruit. for to heI
belongs the credit for the destruction
of both of the destroyers. She fired
was not l.GGe before both !destroyers
were on IRE anu plainly uIsaDieo.
Notwithstanding this. they both re-
turned the Gloucester's fire and
rain of small shells fell around the
yacht. The Furor evidently deter
mined that she would not stand the
fire any longer and she put about and
headed back for Santiago. Then the
Gloucester simply snothered her with
shots from her rapid fire guns and,
running like the wind, forced her 10
turn around and again head west
ward.
Smoke commenced to rise from the
Furor's sides. and she put in towards
the shore. Before she had gone far,
what was left of her crew abandoned
her and took TO the boats, reaching
the shore later. By that time she was
q mass of flame and was drifting
about helplessly.
The Pluton was in the same dis
tressed condition, and was also head
ed for the shore. running up along
side of low bluff. where she soon
pounded TO pieces, and finally broke
i'm two completely. 1t was a most
dangerous landing place for her crew.
and but about half of them reached
the shore alive.
The Gloucester did not go any
farther west, but lay off shore and
sent in Il boat to the assistance of the
crews Of the destroyers. IT. did not
take the flames long to reach the
Furor's magazines, and there were
terrific explosions, probably of the
guncotton, on board of her. which
blew holes in her bottom. Her stern
sunk immediately, and as it settled in
the water her bow rose straight into
the air and she went to the bottom
in perpetual oblivion, giving out a
kissing, scalding sound as she disap-
peared below the surface.
Meantime, the larger American
ships were gaining on the Spanish
cruisers, and a storm of shots was
passing between the pursuers and the
pursued. The American fire was SO
rapid that the ships were enveloped in
thick clouds of smoke, and it was i'm
vessels were doing the greater execu-
tion. The Brooklyn and the five bat
tleships were keeping up an incessant
fire upon the lnfanta Maria Teresa.
the Vizcaya and the Almirante
Oquendo. and the latter were return
ing it bravely, though with no sue
cess. The Spanish gunners seemed
unable to get the proper range. and
| many of their shots were very wild
| though number of them fell dan
gerously near the mark.
The guns of the battery Just east
| of Moro also took part in the game
and their shells fell around the Amer
ican ships. Many of them struck the
upper works of the fleeing SPania rds.
and must have resulted in killing and
wounding many of their men.
The Spanish ships had now reached
a point about seven miles west of
Moro and mile or two beyond the
| place where the Furor was burning
and the Pluton broke in two against
the cliff.
The flagship and the Oqucnda were
the first to show signals of distress.
Two 13-inch shells from one of the
battleships had struck the Maria Te-
resa at the waterlne, tearing great
holes in her side and causing her TO
| fill rapidly. The Oquenda suffered
about the same fate. and both ships
headed for small cove and went
aground 200 yards from the shore,
| flames shooting from them in every
direction.
The officers and crew must have
/ been aware of the fate which seemed
| to be before them, but it was not
until the ships were on nre and en-.
| veloped in flames and smoke that the
men ceased firing.
! The Gloucester. after sending a
| boat ashore 10 the Pluton, steamed
along the coast 10 where the armored
cruisers were stranded and went to
| their assistance. There was danger
| from the magazines and many of
those on board jumped into the water
| and swan to the shore, though a
number were unable to reach the
small strip Of sandy beach in the
cove and were thrown against the
rocks and killed or drowned.
Many of the wounded were lowered
| into the ships own boat and taken
| aSAOAN, ouS tAiS paSh was - AiAOSs 0AA-
| fcult one.
Admiral Cervera escaped to the
| shore in boat sent by the Glouces-
| ter to the assistance of the Infanta
! Maria teresa, and as soon as he
! touched the beach he surrendered
| himself and his command to Lieu
| tenant Morton. and asked to be taken
| on board the Gloucester, which was
| the only American vessel near him at
| the time, with several of his officers.
| including the captain of the flagship.
| The Spanish admiral, who was
| wounded in the arm, was taken to
the Gloucester and was received at
her gangway by her commander,
Lieutenant Commander Richard
Wainwright, who grasped the hand
of the gray-bearded admiral and said
| to him:
81 congratulate you, sir, upon hav-
| ing made as gallant a fight as was
ever witnessed on the sea-" Lieuten-
ant Commander Wainwright then
placed his cabin at the disposal of the
| Spanish officers.
The Gloucester's crew gave the
wounded men every attention possi-
| BILE. The shore was soon lined with
those who had escaped from the In