The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-26

with the collier Nero from San Francisco
on June 25. , :,
Admiral Dewey continued to exercise in
| the Philippines a wise discretion, which
| constantly strengthened the power or the
| United States in those islands, ana on
| August 10. after the arrival OF genera
| Merritt, the city of Manila, surrendered
! to the army and navy. =
! On April % Admiral Cervera's fleet, COM
! posed of the armored cruisers CrlStoDaI
| Colon. Vizcaya, Almirante, Oquendo and
| Infanta Maria Teresa, and the torpedo
gunboats Furor, Terror and Pluton, sailed
! from the Cape de Verde Islands. AS Its
! destination was uncertain. Admiral Samp-
/ son sailed east with portion OF the meet
under his command for the purpose or
| observation. Meantime the St LOUIS
| which had joined the squadron. was or
| dered to proceed to Santiago ana Guanta-
namo for the purpose of cutting cables; TO
Ponce, Porto Rico, for the same purpose
and thence to St. Thomas to wait orders.
/ This work was bravely done under great
on June 1 Admiral Sampson arrived off
| Santiago and found Commodore Schley
squadron in column to the westward of
the mouth of the harbOr Immediately
upon the concentration of these two forces
at Santiago a close and efficient blockade
was established, Admiral Sampson in
command. The harbOr was closely guard
ed day and night by our ships in n semi
circle. Powerful Search-lights were thrown
upon its entrance during the dark. A plan
of attack, by which our vessels were to
close in al once upon any of the enemy S
coming out was pTONlQeO Tor IN standing
orders. On June an attempt was made
to close the harbOr by sinking across it's
entrance the collier Merrimac. This at
tempt, though unsuccessful in its object
was daringly executed. 1t is now one Of
the well-knoWn historic marVels of naval
adventure and enterprise. in which Naval
Constructor Hobson and his men won I'M
dying fame.
On the morning of July 8, an interview
having been prearranged between Gener-
al Shafter and Admiral Sampson, the lat
N 10 in orb 1afr he
fleet for Siboney. When the flagship was
about four miles east of her block
aiding station and about seven miles from
the MORO, the Spanish squadron was seen
steaming out of the harbor entrance
This was at $3.50 a. m. The vessels of the
blockading squadron were, as usual, in
their designated positions, making a semi
circle about the harbor entrance, counting
from the eastward in the following or
der: Indiana, Oregon Ghe New Yorks
place being between these two) Iowa
Texas and Brooklyn. The Massachusetts
had gone that morning to Guantanamo
for coal. The Gloucester and Vixen lay
to the eastward and westward of the har-
Dor entrance, close to the land. The tor
pedo boat; Ericsson was in company with
the flagship.
Admiral Cervera's squadron came out
of the harbor in the following order: In
fanta Maria Teresa, ViZcaya, Cristobal
Colon, Almirante Oquendo and the torpe-
do boat deStroyers Pluton and Furor The
New York turned and steamed for the
escaping fleet, flying the signal to close
in toward the harbor entrance and attack
vessels, but our ships had already in ac-
cordance with standing orders, at once
engaged the Spanish ships with the ut
most spirit and ytgor. and in. the course
of a running fight, which continued until
1:20 p. M, the latter We're completely de-
stroyed and sunk and the famous victory,
with it's splendid credit to officers and men,
was won. The casualties on our side were
man killed and 10 wounded, most of
them in the drum of the ear by the con-
cussion, caused by the guns. Our ships
miral Cervera, about 20 officers and 1900
men were made prisoners, while about
$50 Spaniards were killed or drowned and
100 wounded. These estimates are prob
ably considerably below the actual num-
berS
On July 4, at night. the Spanish cruiser
Reina Mercedes, which had not left San
tiago with Cervera's squadron, was seen
steaming out of the harbOr. She was sunk
just before reaching the narrow part of
the entrance channel, presumably by the
fire of the Massachusetts and Texas. The
object of this maneuVer is still in some
doubt, but it had the effect of further
obstructing the channel
On July the department telegraphed
to Admiral Sampson that the President
had issued the following order:
General Shafter and Admiral Sampson should
confer at once for cooperation in taking San
tiagO.
General Shafter Immediately requested
Admiral Sampson to come to him for con-
ference. On the next gay Admiral Samp-
had a conference with General Shalter,
in which 1t was arranged that in case the
Spanish commander refused the second
demand for surrender a continued bonn
bardment of Santiago should be begun by
the fleet on the 9tn: that, If this was not
sufficient, there should be an assault on
the Socapa battery by the marines and
Cuban forces, and an effort made by
some of the smaller ships of the squadron
to enter the harbor.
Secretary Long then details the cir
,ocsfc Of hn bnr INcr,1 1eJ1t nd
surrender of Santiago. The report has
this to say of General Shafter:
Admiral Simpsons chief of staff went
to the front, but General Shafter declined
to, permit representative OF the navy,
whose joint operations with the army had
compelled the surrender, to be party to
the agreement of capitulation.
The report says that the expenditures
of the bureau of yards and docks at
the navy-yards and stations during the
fiscal year 1898 amounted to 81, 772, 155 10.
At Mare Island, the principal navy
provements have been made, compris-
ing the dredging of a channel of ample
depth in front of the yard, and thence
through Mare Island Strait to the bay.
Many improvements of miscellaneous
character, enhancing the value of the
station, were carried on during the
year.
The casualties in the navy during
the war show that seventeen men We're
killed and sixty seven wounded.
On the subject of the naval reserve
the Secretary says:
The experience of the war has demon
strated the necessity of establishing a
national naval reserve, TO be recruited
from those who served in the navy during
the recent war and from the various sea-
faring classes, to be maintained by Fed
eral appropriations, and to be subject to
the call of the National Government in
time of war. The department has drawn
q bill which provides for the organiza-
ton of such a reserve and will submit it
to Congress.
The navy should be increased; the de-
velopment of it's various branches should
be homogeneous. and the increase in ships
should be accompanied by a gradual in
crease in officers and men, and in naval
stations, coaling stations, repair plants,
etc.
Due credit is given the Naval War
Board for its excellent work.
Naval appropriations for 1899 are es-
timated at $113, SOC 95, and for 1900
at SAT, 09S, PSI 08.
r,,,c FOR Car1iSfc Seizad