Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-09


officers and sailors onto the 1owa's quarter
deck. All the Spaniards we're absolutely
without clothes. Some had their legs torn
off by fragments of shells. Others were
mutilated in every conceivable way. The
bottom of the boats held two or three
inches of blood. In many cases dead men
were lying in the blood Five poor chaps
died on the way to the ship. They were
afterward. buried with military honors
from the Iowa.
Devotion to Duty.
Some examples of heroism, or, more
properly, devotion to discipline and duty,
could never be surpassed. One man on
the lost vizcaya had his left arm almost
shot off Just below the shoulder. The frag-
ments were hanging by small piece OF
skin. But he climbed unassisted over the
side and saluted as if on a visit of cere-
mony. Immediately after him came
hearty. strong sailor, whose left leg mad
been shot off above the knee. He was
hoisted on board the Iowa with tackle
but never a whimper came from him.
Gradually the mangled bodies and naked
well men accumulated until it would have
been almost difficult TO recognize the Iowa
as United States battle ship. Blood was
all over her usually white quarter deck,
and 212 naked men were being supplied
with water and food by those who a few
minutes before had been using o rapid-tire
battery on them.
Eulate commander of the Vizcaya, for
whom chair was lowered over the side,
as he was evidently wounded. The cap
tains guard of marines was drawn up on
the quarter deck to salute him and l stood
waiting to welcome him. As the chair was
placed on the deck the marines presented
arms. Captain Eulate slowly raised him.
self in the chair, saluted me with grave
dignity uubuckled his sword belt, and,
holding the belt of the sword before him,
kissed it reverently, with tears In his eyes,
and then surrendered it to me.
"Of course, l declined to receive his
sword; and, as the crew of the Iowa saw
tnIs, they cheered like wild men. AS
started to take Captain Eulate into the
cabin to let the doctors examine his
wounds, the magazines on board the VIZ
caya exploded with tremendous burst of
flame. Captain Eulate, extending his
hands. said: .Adios, Vizcaya. There goes
my beautiful ship, captain, and SO we
passed on to the cabin, where the doctors
dressed his three wounds. In the mean
time, thirty officers of the Vizcaya had
been picked up, besides 212 of her crew.
Our ward room and steerage officers gave
up their state rooms and furnished food
clothing and tobacco to those naked OFF,
GERS from the Fizcaya. The paymaster is
sued uniforms to the naked sailors, and
each was given all the corned beef coffee
and hard tack he could eat. The war had
assumed another aspect
He Met Cervera.
LAS 1 knew the crews of the first two
ships wrecked had not been visited by any
of our vessels, / ran down to them.
found the Gloucester with Admiral Cervera
and a number of his officers aboard and
also a large number of wounded, some in
a frightfully mangled condition. Many
prisoners had been killed on shore by the
fire OF the Cubans. The Harvard came Oft
and l requested Captain Cotton to go in
and take off the crews of the Infanta Ma
ria Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo, and
by midnight the Harvard had DIG prisoners
aboard a great number of the wounded.
For courage and dash there is no par
allel in history to this action of the Span
ish admiral. He came, as he knew, to alb
solute destruction. There was one single
hope-that was that the Chistobal Colon
would steam faster than the Brooklyn.
The spectacle OF two torpedo boat destroy
ers, paper shells a best. deliberately steam
ing out in broad daylight in the face of the
fire of battle ship can only be described
in one way: 1t was Spanish and it was Or
dered by Blanco. The same must be said
Of the entire movement.
I'm contrast to this Spanish fashion was
the cool, deliberate Yankee work. The
American squadron was without sentiment
apparently. The ships went ar their Span
ism opponents and literally tore them to
pieces. But the moment the Spanish flag
came down it must have been evident that
the sentiment was among the Americans
not among the Spaniards.
Il took Admiral Cervera aboard the Iowa
from the Gloucester, which had rescued
him from the dead, and received him with a
full admrals guard. The crew Of the Iowa
crowded aft over the turrets half naked
and black with powder, as Cervera stepped
over the side bareheaded. Over his under
shirt he wore thin suit of flannel, Dor
rowed from Lieutenant Commander VAIN
wright of the Gloucester. The crew cheered
Voclferously. Cervera is every inch an ad-
miral, even If he had not any hat He SUBJ
mitted to the fortunes of war with a grace
that proclaimed him a Thoroughbred
Captain Evans is intensely proud of his
ship and her men. The Iowa fred 81 10
inch. As S-inch, 2TO 4-inch, 600 6-pound
and 100 1-pound shots.
The officers of the ViZcaya said they SIM
ply could not hold their crews at the guns
on account of the rapid FIRE poured upon
them. The decks were flooded with water
from the fire hose, and blood from the
wounded made this a dark red. Fragments
OF bodies hoated In this along the gun deck
Every instant the crack of exploding shells
told of new havoc. One of the 12-inch shells
from the Iowa exploded torpedo in the
Vizcaya's bow, blowing twenty-one men
against the deck above and dropping them
dead and mangled into the fire which at
once started below.
A Terrible Sight.
The torpedo boat Ericsson was sent by
the flagship TO the help of the Iowa in the
rescue of the Vizcayas crew. Her men saw
The flames leaping out from the huge
shot holes In the Vizcaya's sides licked UP
the decks, sizzling the flesh of the wounded
who were lying there shrieking for help.
Between the frequent explosions there
came awful cries and sroans from the men
pinned in below. This carnage was chiefly
due 10 the rapidly of the Americans fire
Corporal Smith of the Iowa fired 1876 aimed
shots in fifty minutes from 4-ineh gun
Two shells struck within ten feet of Smith
and tarted small fire, but the corporal
went on pumping shots into the enemy,
only stopping to say, They've got it in for
this gun, sir
From two six-pounders 440 shots were
fired in fifty minutes. Up In the tops the
marines banged away with oue-pounders
too excited TO step back TO duck as the
shells whistled over them. One gunner of
secondary battery under a Pinch gun
was blinded by smoke and saitpeter from
the turret. and his crew were driven off
but sticking a wet handkerchief over his
70 with hs.IA e.. 1T