Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-07-07
CERvERA A PRISONER.
HIS FLEET CAPTURED OR DESTROYED

Admiral Cervera's fleet consisting of
the armored cruisers Cristobal Colon
Almirante, Oquendo, Infanta Maria
Teresa and Viscaya, and two torpedo
boat destroyers. the Furor and the
Pluton. which had been held in the
harbor of Santiago for six weeks past
by the combined squadrons OF Rear
Admiral Sampson and Commodore
Sehley, lies today at the bottom of the
Caribbean Sea off the southern coast
Cuba.
The Spanish admiral is prisoner OF
war on the auxiliary gunboat Glouces-
ter, and $500 other Spanish officers
and sailors, all who escaped the fright
full carnage caused by the shells from
the American warships. are also held
as prisoners of war by the United
States Navy.
The Spaniards, when they found
they would be permitted to live,
adapted themselves comfortab bly, to the
situation, rolled their cigarettes and
began playing cards among themselves
VICTORY COMPLETE.
The American victory is complete,
and the American vessels were practi-
cally untouched, aud only one man
was killed, though the ships were sub
jected to the heavy fire of the Span
iards all the time the battle lasted. {
Admiral Cervera made as gallant a
dash for liberty and for the preserva-
ton OF his ships as has ever occurred
in the history of naval warfare, In
the face of verwhelming Odds. with
nothing before him but inevitable de-
struction or surrender if he remained
any longer in the trap in which the
American fleet held him, he made a
bold dash from the harbor at the time
the Americans least expected him to
do SO, and fighting every inch of his
way even when his ship was ablaZe
and sinking, he tried to escape the
doom which was written on the muzzle
of every American gun trained. upon
his vessels. II
The Amer leans saw him the moment
he left the harbor. and commenced
their work of destruction Immediately
For an hour or two they followed the
flying Spaniards to the westward
along the shore line, sending shot after
shot into their blazing hulls, tearing
great holes in their steel sides and GOV
ering their decks with the blood of the
killed and wounded.
At no time did the Spaniards show
any Indication that they intended to
do otherwise than fight to the last
They showed no signals to surrender,
even when their ships commenced to
sink and the great clouds of smoke
pouring from their sides showed they
were en- fire. But they turned their
vessels towards the shore and ran them
on the beach and rocks, where their
destruction was soon completed. The
officers and men then escaped to the
shore as well as they could with the
assistance of boats sent from the
American fleet and threw themselves
upon the mercy of their captors, who
not only extended to them the gracious
hand of American chivalry, but sent
them guard to protect them from the
inurderous bands of Cuban soldiers
hiding in the bush on the hillside,
eager to rush down and attack the
unarmed, defeated, but valorous foe.
REsIsTLKsS ASSAULT.
One after another the Spanish ships
became The victims of the awful rain
of shells which the American battle
ships poured upon them, and two
hours after the first of the fleet had
started out of Santiago harbor their
cruisers and two torpedo-boat des-
troyers were lying on the shore, ten to
fifteen miles west of Moro Castle,
to pieces, smoke and flame