The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-07-07

tnem escapeu 10 Gne sDOre as well as
they could, with the assistance of boats
sent from the American men. of-war,
and threw themselves upon the mercy
of their captors, who not only extended
to them the gracious hand OF American
chivalry, but sent them a guard to pro.
tect them from the murderous bands of
Cuban soldiers hiding in the bush on
the hillside eager to rush down md at
tack the unarmed, defeated, but valor-
GUS foe.
One or another of the Spanish ships
became the victims of the awful rain of
shells which the American battleships,
cruisers and gunboats poured upon
them, and two hours after the first of
the fleet had started out of Santiago
harbor, three cruisers and two torpedo
boat destroyers were lying on the shore
ten to 10 miles west of MORO castle,
pounding to pieces, smoke and flame
pouring from every part of them and
covering the entire coast line with
mist which could be seen for miles.
Heavy explosions of ammunition oc-
CURED every few minutes, sending
curls of dense white smoke 100 feet in
the air and causing a shower of broken
iron and steel to fall i'll the water on
every side.
The bluffs ON the coast line echoed
with the roar of every explosion, and
the Spanish vessels sank deepar and
deeper into the sand or else the rocks
ground their hulls to pieces as they
rolled or pitched, forward or sideways,
with every wave that washed upon
them from the open sea.
Admiral Cervera escaped to the shore
in boat sent by the Gloucester to the
assistance of the Infanta Maria Teresa,
and as soon as he touched the beach he
surrendered himself and his command
to Lieutenant Morton and asked to be
taken on board the Gloucester, which
was the only American vessel near him
at the time, with several of his officers,
including the captain of the flagship.
The Spanish admiral, who was wound
ed III the arm, was taken to the GlouCes-
ter and was received at her gangway by
her commander, Lieutenant Comman.
| der Richard Wainwright, who grasped
| the hand of the gray bearded admiral
and said to him:
II congratulate you, sir, upon having
made as gallant a fight as was ever wit.
messed on the sea-"
Lieutenant Commander Wainwright
then placed his cabin at the disposal OF
| the spanish OtflcerS.
At that time the Spanish flagship and
| four other Spanish vessels had been
aground and burning for two hours
and the only one of the escaping fleet
which could not be seen at this point
was the Cristobal Colon. But half q
dozen curls OF smoke far down on the
western horizon showed the fate that
was awaiting her.
The Cristobal Colon was the fastest
of the Spanish ships, and she soon OBJ
tanned a lead over the others after leav
ing the harbor and escaped the effect
of the shots which destroyed the Other
vessels. She steamed away at a great
speed with the Oregon, New York
Brooklyn and several other ships il
pursuit, all of them firiug at her con
stantly and receiving fire themselve!
from her after guns. She finally raj
ashore and lowered her colors.
There can be no doubt that Admira
Cervern's plan to escape from Santiago
harbor was entirely unexpected by Ad
mirl Sampson, and the best evidence o
this is the fact that when the Spanisl
vessels were seen coming out of tht
harbor the flagship New York wa
seven miles away, stgaming to the
eastward toward Juragua, the military
base, nine miles east of Moro.
The New York was out of the fgh
most altogether, but she immediat9l1
put about and followed the others.