Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-07-14
The Sea Fight off Santa
go.

The following account of the naval bat
tie off Santiago harbor was written on
board the Texas. on the night of Sun
day the Sd inst
They are coming out?" This was
the cry that startled our ships at $50
o'clock this Sunday morning 1t was
Lieut. Bristol who uttered the exclama-
ton. We were lying directly in front
of Santiago harbor and he had seen
moving smoke floating over point on
the right of the harbor entrance. Hard
" had he shouted, when out from be-
hind the Estrellas battery poked the
nose of a cruiser. coming with a big
bone in her teeth.
"Clangl" sounded the electric gongs:
The. ships company beat to general
quarters, the orders were shouted for
full steam ahead, and in dashed the
Texas to meet the foe.
Its the Viscaya," was the general
comment.
Certainly the ship belonged to the Viz
caya class, but before we had done won
dering what she was trying to do, we
saw the Cristobal Colon, easily distin-
guishable by the military mast between
the two tunnels. She was treadrng on
the heels of the foremost ship, tearing
through the water at tremendous speed
the smoke rolling from her tunnels, and
hiding what was astern Of her. In a
few minntes, however. We made out
two more cruisers of the Viscaya type,
and were then sure that Cervera was at
last coming to give US battle in desper-
ate attempt to cut his way to freedom.
On we went, getting more speed at
every kick of the screw. From the first
the signal flags had been huttering the
message: "The enemy is trying to es-
cape"
We could see that the cruiser Brook
lyn and the big battle-ships Iowa and
Oregon responded at once. and shaped
their courses for the enemy, their dis
tance from the shore being about two
and half miles at the time they tlrst
got our signal. But we had little time
to look around Hardly was the lead
ing Spanish ship clear of the shadows OF
old MORO before boom" went one of
her big guns-and the battle had begun.
That first shell went wild.
Then our old ship shook from her keel
up. The big Texas guns began to talk,
and soon our other ships were mixing in
the fray. The Spaniards turned to the
westward, and we kept bearing in on
them. They were firing necessarily,
and kept their engines going under fore
ed draft, evidently intendi ng to outrun
and escape us.
The Brooklyn, just as cunning at the
game as they were, turned her course
nearly parallel with theirs, though
drawing into a little closer quarters all
the time.
She was soon in good range, and her
running fight must have been a great
one; but we had SO much on our hands
that there was no time to stop and ad-
mire Commodore Schleys work with
his guns
We were well in the lead of our ships,
nearer the enemy than the others, and
getting large share of the enemys
attention. We hammered away at the
Spaniards, and they hammered back, as
they gradually drew to the westward,
keeping in the shadow of the shore
But we nailed the third ship in there
line. This was either the Viscaya OF
the Maria Theresa.
We had her in fighting range before
she could get by, and you should have
seen the first battle-ship commNsoned
in the United States Navy when she got
down,to business in her first sea fight
fnry Used 10 caA the Texas the Old
Hoodoo, but l guess the "Old Hero
viii be good enough for us after this
day. We were in close enough now, SO
we turned west with our adversary.
Our speed was not equal TO hers. but
what we lacked in speed we made up IL
shells. We could see that our shots
were getting home, but the enemy re-
piled with much spirit and some accu-
racy
Capt Philip was on the bridge up to
this time, but it soon became the part OF
discretion 70 retire, so he ordered the
bridge contingent to the coming tower
passage, taking control of the ship from
the tower itself. Hardly had the Capt
left the bridge when shell from fly
ing Spaniard ripped through the pilot
house. 1t certainly would have killed
the man at the wheel and every officer
on the bridge, had not the commander
given his coming tower order just as
he did.
So the Captain, with Executive Off
Ger HARDER, Navigating Officer Miner
and Cadet Reynolds who was operating
the range finder, stood on the coming
tower platform, issuing his orders
through messengers, and keeping as
cool as charity through all the heat of
the fighting.
For half an hour the enemy's shells
whistled all about the Texas One
more got home. This bone bored hole
through the ash hoist amidships and ex
ploded inside the smokestack, doing
some merely incidental damage and in
juring nobody.
Our own guns, however, were enough
to kill delicate men. Their din was 80
dreadful that orders had to be shouted
right in to the ears of our messengers.
Then the smoke would come up in such
density that we could not see each
other
On two occasions the 12-inch turret
guns were swung athwartship and turn
ed loose. The concussion then shook
the immense vessel as if she had been
toy boat. The sensation was much as
if we had been struck by big project
lie Everything movable was splinter
ed
All the men near the guns were thrown
on their faces Seaman Schram was
knocked through hatchvay into the
forward handling-room, breaking his
leg. But the enemy must have suffer
ed more than we did from the shots, for
we held deadly range, and the guns
L. nI