The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-09-03

| raKen'1nto specific consideration the enor
nous damage done to material and FER
| sonnet by the rapid-fire guns, nor has II
| included the effect Of shells bursting c-el
or close aboard the vessels. All the cap.
tured Spanish officers bear testimony ia
| the part played in the battle by the
lighter pieces. Guns crews were killed O,
driven from their weapons; the decks be-
came shambles. The morale Of the enlist.
ed men was shattered. No protection
above the armored belt sufficed to resist
the searching qualities of these smalle,
pieces. Long before the vessels yielded
the crews abandoned the batteries and
sought refuge wherever the thickness OF
metal promised shelter. Then came the
fire. 'r
The damage done by the ignition of the
woodwork Of the ship was extraordinary.
At first it was fought, but the bursting
proJectiles OF the larger calibres sprinkled
the decks with particles which were like
igniting fuses. The flames spread rapidly,
first about the wooden decks and the
wood sheathed and bulkheaded quarters
below, and then attacking the bridges,
boats and superstructures. The free am
munition about the batteries began to ex-
plode; the abandoned guns commenced to
discharge their unprotected cartridges. At
last, when the ships struck the coral and
the supports Of tunnels and masts were
carried away or stranded, these vertical
masses began to sway and topple, and as
the vessels turned on their bilges gave
way entirely and came down with shock
that rent everything in their neighbor-
hood. Finally the .conflagration reached
the magazines, and the fame clouds how
ering over the twisted and distorted
frames and beams. were slitted by great
masses of fire and by bursting projectiles
shooting skyward from the hidden re-
cesses Of the ship. This fury of flame
was never appeased until everything that
could be consumed was sacrificed to it..
In this roaring furnace the steel and iron
became malleable, and as the ships rolled
and pounded on the beach the forge on
which they were bent and mangled was
provided for them. .
1t is no woSder, then. that the board
reported the improbabiHty of saving all
but the Maria Teresa and possibly the
Colon, for the Oquendo and Vizcaya, torn
by the projectiles and given over to the
names Of their bursting charges, were
Quilted Or shattered in such shape that
their days of usefulness were over
Briefly summarized, the conclusions
reached by the board of examination were
as follows:
The use of wood in the construction and
equipment of warships should be reduced
to the utmost degree possible. Loaded
torpedoes above the water line are a
serious menace to the vessels carrying
them and they should not be 80 carried
by vessels other than torpedo boats. The
value Of rap!d-f1re batteries cannot be too
highly estimated. ALL water and steam
pipes should be LAID beneath the protect
I've deck and below the water line and
fitted with r!scrs at such points as may
be constdered necessary. The 1nfanta
Maria Teresa, Almirante Oquendo and
Vizcaya were destroyed by confiagration
caused by the explosion Of shells in the
interior, which got fire to the woodwork
The upper deck and all other woodwork
on these ships was entirely consumed, ex-
cept at the extrennities, thus showing the
Importance Of freprooflng all woodwork
on board ships. Many OF the guns on
board the burned ships were found loaded
at the time Of the boards visit indicat-
ing the haste withewhich the people were
driven from their guns. The IRE Of the
gun crews Of the Vizcaya was very ma
terially lessened and almost silenced be-
cause the gunners were not able to serve
their guns under the severe fire poured
upon them by the American ships.
Here are the lessons Of the fight. They
are commended to the consideration Of
those who, when the next inevitable sea
war comes, feel that our bluejackets
ought to be given such ships and such
possible security as will enable them to
get into action with a. fair and an equal
fighting chance.