The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-21
SINKING SPAIN'S Ships.
Just How the Trick Was Done at
Santiago.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF YANKEE
MEN-OF-WAR REPORT.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF YANKEE
MEN-OF-WAR REPORT.
Had Been Selected to Find Position OF
Ships Engaged in Action at Santiago
Ray-They Do SO With Close Attention
to Detail.
Washington, October 20.-The report of
the Vain wright board, convened for the
purpose of determining the position of the
ships engaged in the action at Santiago,
July Sd, was made public today. The
report is as follows:
U. S. f. S. New York, first rate, Navy
Yard,
New York, October s, 1898.
lin obedience to your order of Septem-
ber 2, 1898. appointing US board to plot
the positions of the ships of Admiral
Ceryera's squadron and those of the Unit
cd States fleet in the battle of July 8,
1898, off Santiago de Cuba, we have the
honor to submit the following report a
companied by chart showing the posit-
ions of the ships at seven different times.
2EThose times as taken by the United
States ships engaged with the incidents
n oted are as follows:
No. Ia 35 a. m.-Maria Teresa came
out of the harbor.
No. 2-9. SO a. M, Pluton came out.
! No 80. 10 a. NJ, Marie Teresa turned
| to run ashore.
No. 4-10.20 a. M, .Oquendo turned to
run ashore.
No. 80 80 a. M, Furore blew up and
Pluton turned to run ashore.
No. 8-11.05 a. M, Vizcaya turned to
run ashore
No. 7-1.l5 p. M, Colon surrendered.
3-The chart selected by the board for
plotting is H. o. chart. No. 7l6, 1885,
West Indies, eastern part of Bahama ISL
ands, with part of Cuba and north coast
of San Domingo. This selection was
made after careful comparison with all
other charts at hand as the positions OF
the principal headlands and inlets and
distances between them on 1t agree more
nearly with the observation OF memb bers
of the board than those given by any
| other.
4-The positions of the U. S. ships we're
established by known bearings and dis
tances from the MORO as No. /, with the
exception of the New York, whose po-
sition is plotted by the revolutions of her
| from her position S. E. 1.2s of the MORO,
| 5000 yards Position at is plotted by all
ships according TO their relative bearings
| from each other, the operations OF their
ell gines from 9.35 to 9. so. the evidence of
the officers on board them and the ranges
used in firing at the Spanish ships. Po-
sition No 3 is plotted from observations
of the officers of the o. S. ships with re-
gard to their nearness to each othar and
relative bearings of themselves from the
| Teresa with ranges in use at the time,
| the performance of the engines and gen.
| eral heading Of the ships. Position 4,
same and No. 8, substituting Oquendo
for Teresa Positions 5, 6 and 2 are
plotted on the same general plan.
5-Before plotting these positions, the
board took each ship separately and dis
cussed her data for the position under
consideration these data being obtained
from the report of the commanding off
GERS notes taken in the action and the
evidence of the members of the board. In
reconoiling differences of opinion in re-
gard to the distances. bearings, ranges,
etc., full liberty was given to the repre-.
sentative of the ship under discussion to
bring in any argument or data he consid-
cred necessary and the board submits this
report with feeling that under the cir
oumstanoes it is as nearly correct as Is
possible so long after the engagement.
Very respectfully,
Richard Wainwright, Lieut. Command.
er, U. S. n, Senior Member.
S. P. Comfy, Lieutenant, U. S. N.
L. c. Heilner, Lieutenant, U. S. N.
W. Fl. Schuetzs, Lieutenant,ssU. S. N.
A. O. Hodgson Lieutenant, U. s. N.
W. II. Allen, Lieutenant, q. S. N.
Edward E. Capehart. Lieutenant, q. S.N.
The commander-in-ohief. the above re-
make clear what were the positions OF
the ships during the famous battle of San
tiago on July g. Measurements upon the
chart showing the positions OF the YES
sells at the specified times named in the
report are given as fair an idea of the
work of the board as can be made with.
out the chart itself.
Position No. 1855 a. M, when the
Maria Teresa came out of the harbor, the
New York was nine miles east of MORO
accompanied by the Hist and Ericsson:
The Brooklyn was three miles south OF
Moro, being 2 2-10 miles from the shore
west of the mouth of the harbor. The
Texas was $40 of mile east of the
Brooklyn, the Iowa l $40 miles east and
south of the Brooklyn, and the Oregon
half mile east of the Iowa, the Iowa be-
ing three miles directly south of MORO.
The Indiana was 3 2-l0 miles southwest
OF Morro and the Gloucester one mile
almost directly north of the Indiana, a
mile and four .tenths from Morro.
Position No. $3.50 a. IN. When the
Pluton came out, all the Spanish vessels
had come out of the harbor and their po-
sitions were: Maria Teresa, two and one
half miles southwest of Moro; the Viz
caya, Colon and Oquendo in the order
named behind the Teresa and four-tenths
to a half mile apart. The positions Of
the American vessels were: The New
York had moved two and one.tenth miles
westward. The Brooklyn had started
north, ::swerved to the northeast and
towards the mouth OF the harbor and was
turning east on the swing she made to