Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-07-27

This performance adds to the already brilliant
record of this fine battleship and speaks
highly of the skill and care with which her
admirable efficiency has been maintained dur
ing service unprecedented in the history Of
vessels Of her class. The Brooklyn's westerly
blockading position gave her an advantage in
the chase which she maintained to the end,
and she employed her fine battery with telling
effect. The Texas and the New York were
gaining on the chase during the last hour and
had any accident befallen the Brooklyn or the
Oregon would have speedily overhauled the
Cristobal Colon. From the moment the Span
Ssh vessel exhausted her first burst of speed
the result was never in doubt.
She fell, in fact, far below what might rea-
sonably have been expected of her. Careful
measurements of time and distance give her
an average speed--from the time she cleared
the harbor mouth until the time she was run on
shore at Rio Tarquino--of 1871 knots. Neither
the Now York nor the Brooklyn stopped to
couple up their forward engines but ran out
the chase with one pair, getting steam, of
course, as rapidly as possible ON all boilers.
To stop to couple up the forward engines
would have meant adelay Of Is minutes--or
four miles in the chase.
fourteenth-Seyeral OF the ships were
struck, the Brooklyn more often than the 9th.
ers, but very slight material injury was done,
the greatest being aboard the Iowa. Our loss
She Brooklyn.
The admiral follows with more details
and then signs the report.
Commodore Schley's report said in
part, regarding the battle of July g.
1898:
second-At 8 .35 a. N. Admiral Cervera, with
sAe Infanta Maria Teresa. yizcaya, Oquendo.
cristobal Colon and two torpedoboat destroy
"a AZ.
Cuba in column ct distance and attempted to
escape to the westward. Signal waa made
from the Iowa that the enemy was coming out
but lis movement had been discovered from
this ship at the same moment. This vessel was
the farthest west EXCEPT the Vixen, in the block
aiding line; signal was mad = tha western
division as prescribed in yonr II, orders
and there was immediate and raPi arfment
inward ~ your squadron ana e al en-
gagemeut at ranges beginning 4 yards
and varying to 1908 until the Yizcays. was de-
ttroyea abont 10 50 4, N.
Two Vessels Took Fire.
Third-Aaa3ut 20 u p sainut after the en-
gagement began two vessels thought TO be
the Teresa and Oquendo md since verified as
such. o9it fire from tha effective shell fire of
the auadron and were forced to run on the
beace some six or seven miles west Of the har
Dor entrance. where they burned and blew up
later The torpedobUat destroyers were de
stroyed early IN the .ton but the smoke was
so dense in their dir ion chat cannot say to
which vessel or ye.su5 the credit belongs
This doubtless was better seen from your
flagship.
Fourth-The Yizcaya and Colon, perceiving
the disaster to their consorts, continued at full
speed 20 the westward TO escape, and were
followed and engaged ia running fight with
the Brooklyn, Texas, Iowa and Oregon until
1880, when the Vizcaya took FIRE from our
shells She put her helm to port, and with
heavy list to port, stood inshore and ran
aground at Asseradores, about = mi. es west
OF Santiago, ON fire fore and aft, and where
she blew UP during the night. Observing that
she had struck her colors and that several yes
seiA ssre nearing her 10 capture and save her
crew, snal was made to cease firing. The
Oregon having proved vastly faster than the
other battleships, she and the Brooklyn, to-
gethsc VITA the Texas and anothar vessel,
which proved to be your flagship, continued
westward IN pursuit of the Colon.
tifth-This pursuit contRned"with increas-
ing speed in the Brooklyn or gon and other
ship, and soah the Brooklyn and the Oregon
were within long range of the Colon. when the
Oregon opened fire with her l3-inch guns,
landing ashell close to the Cristobal Colon. A
moment afterward the Brooklyn opened FIRE
with her S-inch guns, landing a she'll just
ahead Of her. Several other shells We're fired
at the Colon, now in range OF the Brooklyn's
and Oregon's auns. Her commander, seeing
all chances of escape cut off and destruction
awaiting his ship fired lee gun and struck
her flag at :l5 p, and ran ashore at point
some 30 miles west Of Santiago harbor. Your
flagship was coming up rapidly at the time as
was also the Texas and Vixen. A little later,
after your arrival, the Cristobal Colon, which
had struck to the Brooklyn and the Oregon.
was turned over to You as one Of the trophies
Of this great victory of the squadron under
your command
Commodore Schley chen tells of his
being sent to meet another Spanish bat
tleship reported, which turned out to be
an Austrian vessel. He further said;
SEVENTH would mention for your consid-
Grafton that the Brooklyn occupied the most
westward bloekading position with the Vixen
and being more directly in the route taken by
the Spanish squadron was exposed for some
minutes, possibly ten, to the gun fire of the
three Spanish ships and the west battery at a
range of 1900 yards from the ships and about
5000 yards from the batteries, but the vessels
Of the entire squadron, closing in rapidly, soon
diverted this fire and did magnificent work at
close range. | have never before witnessed
such deadly and fatally accurate shooting as
was done by the ships of your command as
they closed in on the Spanish squadron
Praised the Work of Various Officers.
He praised the work of Captains
Phillip, Evans, Clark and Cook, Lieu
tenant Sharp, Lieutenant Sears, En-
sign Edward MeCauley, Jr., Lieutenant
B. w. Wells, Jr., Lieutenant Com
mander N. E. Mason, Lieutenanrs A.
G. Hodgson, T. d. Griffin, w. r. Rush,
Edward Simpson, j. G. Doyle, Ensign
Charles Webster and some Of the Junior
divisional officers.
Commodore Schley also spoke of
Boatswain William T.. Hill, Carpenter