The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-07-08

but to the eastward of his shin lav,t.
burning wrecks of his two destron'
| ers.
The torpedo boat Ericsson was saa,
coming along with the New Vol.
The Oquendo was helpless. The n
diana and the Iowa were CLOSING =
and she'll after she'll burst above ,nd
aboard the Vizcaya.
Eulate hoisted white flag as hi.
ship went ashore, to save the remnan,,
OF his men, and simultaneously nm
went flag of white on the Oouenao
and down came the flag of Spain.
An hour and half had elapsed since
Cervera left the harbor, and OF the five
vessels which came out, only his aar.
ship was still in action. The Morro
battery still stormed impotently at thu
New York.
The American army, with |. 200 dead
and wounded, was not yet in Santiago
but Cervera's fleet was destroyed, and
Cervera himself was only struggling
on because he wished to make his de.
feat glorious in the eyes OF the attentive
world
He had proved, at least. that he wa.
not bottled up SO tightly as was sup
posed. He had lost four vessels. and
perhaps more than half his men. but
his pennant was still flying and some
OF his guns were still in action.
Cervera passed the bay in which the
Oquendo had sought refuge and held
| duo 81 av-d Il AZ
land, but evidently nourishing the des.
perate hope that he might break
through the line and reach free water.
| He had passed in succession the In
diana, the Iowa and the Texas, not to
speak of the little Gloucester, which
| spouted six-pound shells at him. Since
his flag appeared outside the harbor
his ship had been struck again and
again.
| By this time the Vizcaya and the
oquendo were practically beaten, but
In spite of the IL and 13-inch shells
that were rained upon him at range
which was very short for such guns, in
| spite of the fact that his boilers and
machinery were damaged, he held his
| course.
From point mile west of the Moro
/ the Cristobal Colon was invisible FIRE.
quently in low hanging smoke from
her own guns, and also that which
drifted in shore from the battleshps
Clearly now it might have been bet.
ter if they had moved in circles and
given battle under the Santiago bat
teries, whose aid would have lessened
the odds against them, but the Span.
iards, through splendid strategy, had
not been headed off until the batteries
could no longer train their guns on our
fleet
AT 1i:30 Cervera saw the Oregon cut
ting in shore ahead of him to round
him to. The moke was very thick.
The firing was incessant. Cerveras
available guns were no longer well
served. Shells had set fire to his ship
nera the stern, and the flames were con-
trolled with difficulty, but the Spanish
! admiral altered his course and headed
| off from the coast as if to attempt 10
pass between two ships and run for
| it.
| ~ "oo ilhPOSotolC. 4hC iON"
the Texas were already moving down
to close the gap, and the Spanish nag
ship, raked by the Oregon and the
Brooklyn at from 900 to 1910 yards
and by the Iowa and the Texas az
longer range, turned in shore again
and ran for the rocks, where the sur
was breaking.
He still .aI llu and l
wondered when the smoke hid his snip
If he would be ahoat when it lifted.
The Golden Rod. leaving the burning
i cruisers on the beach, bore at fuii
speed on the Iowa as she closed IN on
the doomed admiral. l could still ais
Germ the Spanish flag from time "
time as the smoke drifted away, anu
the flash of gun at intervals proved
that the Spaniard was consistently
following the idea which led HIM 10
quit the harbor-which was to make
| glorious end.
But his ship moved slowly now, as Il
disabled, and in few minutes more
his guns were silent. Black smoh0
replaced the swirling white. ihs
flagship was afiame. Her men hau
been unable either to work the uns
or smother the flames caused by oufse
ing shells, and she was headed Tor 'n'
rocks.
She struck bow on and rested there.
Red flames burst through the ola.a
smoke, and soon a pillar of cloud ,oss
straight up a thousand feet ana 'he.
bent against the green mountain.
Cervera's ship was hopelessly ioss
The American battleships ceased nrins
before she struck and ran in, apparent
| ly with the intention of saving NV