The silver lance., 1898-07-08

chusetts and Brooklyn, and then turn
ed with the Texas to pound the
Oquendo.
| Then every American ship WAS in
action and smoke shrouded the coast
and blew lazily, revealing geysers
| about the ships where the Spanish
shells from the cruisers and the Moro
tore the water ship moved from
| the harbor. 1t was the Vizcaya COM
| ing at full speed. smoke curling over
! her bow as she took her course to the
| westward and brought her guns into
play.
| Behind her came the Infanta Maria
| Teresa and Spain's two much dreaded
torpedo boat destroyers. perhaps 200
yards apart. The Maria Teresa was
received with a terrific storm of shells
| Smashed and on fire, she was beached
close TO the Moro.
| The Iowa steamed for a time for
ward with the Oquendo. and the In
diana did the same with the Vizcaya.
] but as the fight thus moved westward
| il became clear that the Americans
We're willing that the Spanish ships
| should run far enough from Moro to
lose the aid of the guns there and in
twenty minutes this was done.
This was hit of strategy which
| was developed under fire. and which
| WIS ny ull tit <Alnti
lean ships without orders; in fact, the
smoke often made it impossible to see
the signals which Commodore Schley
was making from the Brooklyn. so
tremendous was the firing all along the
line. Both the Oquendo and Nizcaya
were. sometimes within thousand
yards of the Indiana. The range var
led. but as rule 1t was short and
extremely deadly; nevertheless the
high speed and thick armor of their
class stood the Spanish in good stead
as they followed in the path of honor
marked out by Admiral Cervera.
Three-quarters of an hour after the
action began it was evident the Span
| ish had many guns disabled and
| would have to surrender. There were
| terrible casualties on the enemys
ships.
As the smoke cleared a little one
could see the Spanish flagship, her
port broadside spouting smoke, still
holding on to the westward. The Tex
as and Massachusetts joined the In
diana and the Iowa. The Oquendo and
the Vizcaya hugged the shore and
steamed after Cervera, pledged to go
| with him to defeat and death.
Shells burst on the deck of the Span
ish cruisers at short intervals. Often
they We're on fire. but again and again
they extinguished the flames and man
ned again and again the guns from
which they had been driven.
The green coast on their starboard
smoked with the shells which flew
over. and crashing sounds heard amid
the thunder of great rifles told of arm
or piercing shells driven into and
through their protected sides.
i Two destroyers coming on after the
| .l..1 1G .,,I f..ts-
ated by the guns of the Indiana and
Gloucester. They ran upon the shore
and blew up.
The New York was six miles away
when the destroyers saw her. The
Moro thundered at Sampson as he
came within range. but the admiral
never needed seeing only in the dis
tance the dim forms of the NiZcaya
! and Oquendo. hopelessly hemmed in
by a circle of fire. and in the fore
ground the Gloucester fighting two
destroyers at short range.
The Spanish admiral was lost In
smoke to the westward. when. Mt n
quarter before eleven O'Clock. the
ViZcaya hoisted white flag. This
was followed by the Oquendo's GO
ing ashore with flames bursting from
her decks.
The Iowa. Indiana. Texas and Mas
sachusetts ceased firing. the Massa-
chusetts going at once to join the Or
egon and the Brooklyn in pounding
up and smashing Cervera's ship.
Once headed off the Oquendo
turned into small bay four or five
miles west of Santiago, where she
lay close to land.
: With an overwhelming broadside
! the Vizcaya followed. first heading
!. out as if to break through the line of
battle. The Indiana and Iowa closed
in. and their formation made her es-
cape in that direction impossible.
Captain Eulate then attempted to
: reach the east side of the bay. occu-
pied by the Oquendo but in vain.
With a glass | could see that the
Vizcaya's bulwarks near the stern
had been torn away. Smoke poured
out where shells had exploded inside
and she was on fire. Her guns. with
the exception of those forward. Were
ont of action. Her bow guns We're
stiil firing Mt intervals. those who
We're not working the bow guns
crowding forward to escape the
smoke and fire aft.
The Oquendo was ashore, her guns
! silent and smoke rising in thick
black clouds. There was thunder
ing of guns to the westward now. and
flashes in the smother told that Ger
vera still fought. but to the eastward
of his ship lay the burning wrecks of
his two destroyers. The torpedo boat
Ericsson was seen coming along with
the New York.
The Oquendo was helpless. The
Indiana and the Iowa were closing in
and shell after shell burst above and
aboard the Vizcaya. Eulate boisted a
! white flag as his ship went ashore to
save the remainder of his men. and
simultaneously up went n flag of
white on the Oquendo and down
came the flag of Spain. An hour and
a half had elapsed since Cervera had
left the harbor. and of the FIVE YES