The age-herald., 1898-07-15
THE SANTIAGO
 NAVAL FIGHT


 An officer on the St. Louis. which brought Admiral Cervera and the other Spanish naval prisoners to this country has given the New York Sun this account as told him by the Spanish officers:
 'The leading vessel. the Maria Teresa, passed the Morro about half past oclock. followed by the rest of the fleet in column. The details of the battle on board the Ma ria Teresa were told me by Lieutenant Gomez Imas of the admirals staff as fol- lows:
 After clearing the harbor we headed to the westward along the shore. We fired the first shot of the battle, aiming at the Brooklyn, then about three miles away. The Texas, Iowa and Brooklyn returned our fire, but their first shots all fef1 short. As the distance between the ships de- creased the shells commenced to strike us and did great damage. First a shell ex- ploded in the admiral's cabin, setting fire to the woodwork there. A signal was sent to the engine room to start the pumps, but the fire mains had been ruptured by an exploding shell, so that. no water could be got to the fire. Another shell struck the main steam pipe, disabling the port engine, and the escaping steam killed every man in that compartment. One exploding shell killed or wounded eighty of our men. Our fire was directed principally against the Brooklyn. The fire in the afterpart of the ship had driven the crews away from the after guns, and the rapid-fire guns of the American ships were playing havoc with our men and riddling the upper works of the ship. Having one engine disabled and the whole after part of the ship on fire, the vessel was headed toward the shore in search of a suitable place for bleaching. The captain said to the ad- miral:
 My ship is in flames, my engines are disabled, my men have been driven from the guns and are being killed; ought not for humanity's sake to surrender?''
 'The admiral answered, lit will be use- less to fight longer."
 'The flag was hauled down and the shin run on the beach. T he captain was struck and severely wounded just as the flag was being lowered. Ike fire was now raging aft so that theie was great danger of the magazine being blown up at any minute The admiral and those of the officers and crew still alive took 70 the water, the risk of drowning being preferable to the cer- tainty of being burued or blown up. Many reached the shore, tut some were drowned.
 
 clothes and plunged into the water. Two of the sailors secured ropes to a grating, and taking the other end of the ropes in their mouths, swant to the shore, towing the erating, the admiral bearing part of his weight on it. The admiral's son, one of his staff, swan along behind his father and assisted him as best he could. Had it not been for this assistance Admiral Ger vera would undoubtedly have drowned, as he is a very poor swimmer. While the men Gt.,I~E r.I,N gan firing at them until the Iowa put Q stop 10 that atrocity by firing a shell among them and scattering them.'
 "Cartain Eulate oe the Vizcaya, speaking of the battle, said: When the order to leave port was given we all realized that we were going out to meet disaster, and that we were being sacrificed on the altar of Spanish honor. My officers and men all fought like true Spaniards to the end, but 1t was useless. I was fighting four ships any one of which was superior to my own. My poor Vizcaya, she was "a splerdd ship, but now she is only wreck. I have lost everything except honor. Con tinuing, he said When the Maria Teresa headed for shore I passed her, and l had the Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa and Oregon all firing at me. The firing from these ships was terrific; shells were bursting all around us. My ship was set on ire by O shell exploding in my cabin My engines and pumps were disabled, and l could not
  and wounded in large numbers. shell finally exploded in oEe of my forward mag aznes and I was forced to head TOT the shore When I went into action had ny ing 1t the masthead q large embroldered elk flag which had been made and pre- sentei to the ship by ladies of the prov ince of Vizcaya. When I saw that my shin would be lost I pad this flag hauied down and burned, and boisted another eh- sign in it's place. My flag was shot away
 ernT11nI just as the ship grounded. The boats or the Iowa picked up those Of my omcers and men still left alive, carrying them 10 that ship When I went on board the iowa I took off my sword ana tenaereo n 'o cantain Evans, but he refused 1t, sayihg that I had fought four ships and that | sbonld keep my sword. That was the nroudest moment of my life
 .SThe captain of the Oquendo committed suicide and the second and third oineers were killed during the engagemn.. l e1a oo tained the following description lfo" 'no paymaster of the Oquendo:
 exVhen we came out of the haTbor we were fired on by the Iowa, Texas ana ore gon. Our fire was mostly directed asalnss the Texas for we had seen the spiehuio shooting done by her in the attacks on the batteries From the first the firing was terrific and great damage was done. The after part of the ship. was set on hre py bursting shell and could not be put out. Finally, fearing that the magazines would explode and every one be lost, the snip was beached and the flag lowered. Ihe mortality on this ship was great, over half of the crew being killed and wounded
 "Captain Moreu of the Cristobal Colon, by far the ablest officer In the fleet, gave me the account of his ship. He, did not open fire at first, but passed inside Of the other vessels When the Vizcaya headed for the shore he passed her, and then opened fire on the Orgon, Brooklyn and Texas, which ships had taken up the chase. He ran to the westward close to the shore. The heavy guns intended for this ship had never been mounted, and when asked where they were the captain shrugged his shoul- ders and said: "Perhaps in the pocket of the minister of marine.' Finally, when about fifty miles. from Santiago he was headed off by the Oregon and the Brooklyn and Texas were both closing in on him. He saw that it was useless to continue, and so beached his ship and hauled down his flag at 1:2O p. m. There was no serious