The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-26

]
fleet was next reported at St. Thomas.
/ West Indies. On the 18th, the flying
/ squadron sailed from Key West to
/ Cienfuegos with instructions to estab-
lish blockade at that place as soon DIS
/ possible On May "a, Commodore Schley
/ left Cienfuegos for Santiago, where it
/ was reported that Cervera's squadron
had gone. On the 18th, Schley cabled
/ that the enemy's fleet was in the har-
| Dor. The secretary then quotes his dis
| patch to Schley, directing him to pro-
/ coed to Santiago and not to leave with
! out decisive action. Schley's message to
! the department is given i'm which ne
| said he was forced to proceed to Key
/ West by way Of Yucatan passage " the
| reason given being the lack Of coal
Continuing, the secretary says: ION
/ June 1, Admiral Sampson arrived off
santiago and found Commodore
/ Schley's squadron in column to the
westward Of the mouth of the harbor.
Immediately upon the concentration Of
| these two forces at Santiago close and
/ efficient blockade was established Ad-
miral Sampson in command The har-
/ Dor was closely guarded day and night
/ by our ships in semicircle Powerful
saarchlights We're thrown upon its en-
| trance during the dark plan of at
/ tack, by which our vessels We're to close
/ IN at once upon any of the enemv's
/ coming out was provided for in stand
| ing orders. On June an attempt was
| made to close the harbor by sinking
| across its entrance the collier Merit
mac Thls attempt, though unsuccess-
ful IN Is object, was daringly executed
! II Is now one of the well known historic
marvels of naval adventure and enter
PRISE IN which Naval Constructor Hob
son ana his men won undying fame"
Inc expedition to Santiago and the
part the navy had in Transporting
| troops from Key West, is considered by
Mr. Long.
The secretary's reference to the de-
| Structlon of the Spanish SQUADRON is
given in the following language:
On the morning Of July 3, an inter
view having been prearranged between
| General Shafter and Admiral SAMPSON
the latter, in the flagship New York
left the fleet for Siboney When the
flagship was about four miles east Of
her blockading station, and about seven
miles from the Moro the Spanish
squadron was seen steaming out of the
| harbor entrance. This was $50 a. m
The vessels of the blockading squadron
were, as usual, in their designated 20
sltlons, making a semi-circie about the
harbor entrance, counting from the
eastward in the following order: In
! ! place
beng between these tWO-IOWa. Texas
and Brooklyn. The Massachusetts had
gone that morning to Guantanamo for
4 coal. The Gloucester and Vixen lay to
4 the eastward and westward of the har-
4 Dor entrance, close to the land The
! torpedo boat Ericsson was in company
with the flagship
Admiral CerVera's squadron came
out of the haIbor in the following or
/ der: Infanta Maria Teresa, Vizcaya
/ Cristobal Colon, Almirante Oquendo,
! and the torpedo boat destroyers Pluton
! and Furor The New York turned
and steamed for the escaping fleet,
/ flying the signal to close in toward the
/ harbor entrance and attack vessels.
/ but our ships had already, in accord
/ ance with standing orders, at once en-
gagged the Spanish ships with the ut
| most spirit and Vigor, and in the course
of arunning fight, which continued I'M
/ til 1.20 m, the latter were completely
/ destroyed and sunk, and the famous
| victory, with its splendid credit to
! officers and men. was won. The casu-
alties on our side We're one man killed
and ten wounded most Of them in the
drum of the ear by the ConcussiOn
caused by the guns. Our ships suffered
/ no injury of any account Admiral
! Cervera, about 70 officers and 1900 men
We're made prisoners. while about $50
/ Spaniards We're killed or drowned and
| 100 wounded. These estimates are prob
ably considerably below the actual
numbers Many of the enemy We're
rescued from their sinking ships by
our men.
THE prisoners, except the officers
who We're SEM to Annapolis, We're
brought to Portsmouth, n. H., and kept
in Camp Long. on Seavey's Island, in
the harbor of that city, until they We're
released. During this time they We're
fed and clothed and comfortably cared
for. There was little sickness. and the
wounded and ailing soon recovered I'M
der good treatment"
Then follows the surrender of the
Spanish army in which the secretary
quotes the dispatches of Sampson, Gen
eral Miles and General Shafter.
The operations of the blockade, "
says Mr. Long, were of an extremely
arduous character, generally unrelieVed
by the exhilaration of combat. Many
devoted officers and crews, from the
beginning Of the war to the end, rend-
i service without opportunity for winning
distinction in battle"
The minor battles during the block
age occupy but brief portion Of the
report.
tt t-'f Ilrsll .ftIk lltflt ~ the ma
, rine corps during the war with Spain is
set forth in the report of the colonel
coiAmaudant," says the secretary. AN
allotment of S106 500 was made to this
corps from the money appropriated for
national defense. and energetic meas
ures were Immediately taken to put it
in complete readiness for war. The
first marine battalion, composed of six
companies, one of which was an artil-
lery company. was organized at New
York. under Lieutenant-C Colonel Hunt
} ington and equipped for service in
Cuba. On June Z the Panther left Key
!, West for Guantanamo bay, Cuba
) where she arrived three days later, and
the battalion landed and went into
camp On the following day the camp
was attacked by a force Of Spaniards
and from that time until the l4th was
i constantly under fire. Assistant Serg-
cant John Blair Gibbs and five enlisted
men were killed.
i The naval militia comes in for a good
share Of praise. During the war about
1000 officers and men were added to the
enlisted force and We're assigned to