The Mena star., 1898-07-27

Oregon seemed to rise up out of the sea on the Teresa's port quarter, every foot of her sides darting daggers of flame and solid shot
 'Of course, never expected to get away" said the lieutenant. but really, as we came out of the harbor the prospect was much more encour aging than we had expected. The ad miral ordered all of our guns concen- trated on the Brooklyn. Our sole thought was if we could cripple her we could escape from the blg battle ships Where the Oregon came from out of the sea that morning I can't figure even to thls hour, and how she travelled so fast is an enigma. 1 could not have believed that any battle ship afloat could chase our Crista bal Colon l ia 21-knot armored cruiser) sixty miles and then corner her. The Texas we knew all about, but we had been told that she was-what you call it, hoo dooed'-that her machinery always broke down at critical moments, and we really did not regard her as SC rious factor.
 Being at the head of the line we expected that the American fire would be concentrated on us, and the admiral tried to maneuver so that we could ram the Brooklyn I really believe that our noble Cervera would himself have gone down with sublime happi- ness if he could have destroyed Com modore Schley's flagship. But when ever we headed toward her she swung around and threatened to cross our path. We never got nearer than 1aoo yards. Once, when we turned toward her, shell from her forward turret struck us in the bow, ploughing down amidShips, just escaping the forward turret and striking amidships, where 1t exploded. It tore down the bulk heads, destroyed stanchions, penetrat- ed tine deck, crippled two rapid fire guns, kit,ed fifteen or twenty men and carried panic everywhere. We fired a few shots at the Iowa, but three fourths of all guns were aimed at the Brooklyn, which, 1 am told, we struck over forty times. I cannot understand how it kept afioat. Cervera ordered one of our gun crews to concentrate on her steering gear, trying to make her unmanageable, if we could not sink her. In vain!
 "One of the Iowa's shells struck the ] 11-inch gun III the toward turret of the Vizcaya, cutting furrow as clean as knife out of the side of the gun. The 1 shell exploded half way in the turret, making the whole vessel stagger and shake in every plate. When the fumes and smoke had cleared away so that it was possible to enter the tufret, other gunners were sent there. The survi vors umbled the bodies which filled the wrecked turret through thr ammu- milton hoist to the lower deck Even the machinery was clogged. From that moment 1 do not think the gun crew knew what they were doing But they i kept IainIning new projectiies into the gun and firing. The other gun crews fared just as badly. All our rapid fire guns aloft soon became silent, because every gunner had been either killed or crippled at his post and lay on the dead where he fell. A dead body hung over the military top
 There were so many wounded that the surgeons ceased trying to dress the
 wounds. Shells had, exploded inside
 of the ship, setting fire to the wood
 work and even the hospital was turn ed into furnace.
 "The first wounded who were sent there had to be abandoned by the sur geons who fled for their lives from the
 fiery furnace caused by the exploding shells
 "I do not believe that man on our ship did cowardly act, but many of us were perfectly crazy. The flashes of exploding shells, the shrek and roar of missiles passing over us and the rattle of the lighter shot on the steel decks made din and binding glare of light. 1t was impossible to think of CT hear anything else After about fifteen minutes I did not hear a