The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-09
END OF THE VIZCAYA.


Colon were exchanging compliments in
lively fashion at apparently long range, and
the Oregon, with her locomotive speed. was
hanging we'll on the Colon also paying at
tention to the Vizcaya. The Teresa and the
Oquendo were in flames on the beach just
twenty minutes after the first shot was
fired. Fifty minutes after the first shot was
fired the Vizcaya put her helm to port with
a great burst of flame from the after part
of the ship. and headed slowly for the
rocks at Acerraderos where she found her
last resting place.
las it was apparent that the Iowa could
not possibly catch the Cristobal Colon and
that the oregon and Brooklyn undoubtedly
would and as the fast New York was also
Oh her trail. l decided that the calls of hu-
manity should be answered and attention
given to the twelve or fifteen hundred Span
ish officers and men who had struck their
colors to the American squadron command
ed by Admiral Sampson. therefore headed
for the wreck of the Vizcaya, now burning
furously fore and aft. When 1 was in as
far as the depth of water would permit,
I lowered all my boats and sent them at
once to the assistance of the unfortunate
men, who were being drowned by dozens
or roasted on the decks.
bans from the shore were shooting on men
who were struggling in the water after
having surrendered to us. 1 Immediately
put a stop to this, but j could not put a
stop to the mutilation of many bodies by
the sharks inside the reef. These creatures
had become excited by the blood from the
wounded mixing in the water. My boats
crews worked manfully and succeeded in
saving many of the wounded from the burn
ing ship. One man who will be recommend
ed for promotion clambered up the side of
the Vizcaya and saved three men from
burning to death. The smaller magazines
of the Vizcaya were exploding with mag
nificent cloud effects. The boats were COM
ing alongside in a steady string, and willing
hands were helping the lacerated Spanish
officers and sailors on to the Iowa's quarter
deck. All the Spaniards were absolutely
without clothes Some had their legs torn
off by fragments of shells. Others were
mutilated in every conceivable way.
GREWSOME SCENES.
"The bottoms of the boats held two or
three inches of blood. In many cases dead
men We're lying in the blood. Five poor
chaps died on the way to the ship They
were afterwards buried with military hon
crs from the Iowa. Some examples of hero
ism, or more properly devotion to discipline
and duty, could never be surpassed One
man on the lost Vizcaya had his left arm
almost shot off just below the shoulder. The
fragments were hanging by a small piece of
skin. But he climbed unassisted over the
side and saluted as if on visit of cere-
mony. Immediately after him came
strong, hearty sailor. whose left leg had
been shot off above the knee. He was
I'd ha
but never whimper came from him.
Gradually the mangled bodies and naked
we'll men accumulated until it would have
been almost difficult to recognize the Iowa
as United States battle ship. Blood was
all over her usually white quarter deck,
and 272 naked men were being supplied with
water and food by those who a few min
utes before had been using a rapid-tire bat
terry on them. Finally came the boats with
Captain Eulate, commander of the Vizcaya,
for whom chair was lowered over the side,
as he was evidently wounded. The cap
tains guard of marines was drawn up
or the quarter deck to salute him and
stood waiting to welcome him. AS the chair
was placed on the deck the marines pre-
sented arms. Captain Eulate slowly raised
himself in the chair, saluted me with grave
dignity, unbuckled his sword belt and, hold
ing the hilt of the sword before him, kissed
1t reverently, with tears in his eyes, and
then surrendered it to me.
"Of course, 1 declined to receive his
sword; and, as the crew of the Iowa saw
this, they cheered like wild men. AS I
started to take Captain Eulate into the
cabin to let the doctors examine his wounds
the magazines on board the Vizcaya explod-
ed with tremendous burst of flame. Capt
Eulate, extending his hands, said: 'Aduos
Vizcaya. There goes my beautiful ship
captain and so we passed on to the cabin,
where the doctors dressed his three wounds
In the meantime thirty officers of the Viz
caya had been picked up, besides 272 of her
crew. Our wardroom and steerage officers
gave up their staterooms and furnished
food, clothing and tobacco to those naked
officers from the Vizcaya. The paymaster
issued uniforms to the naked sailors; and
each was given all the corned beef, coffee
assumed another aspect.
MANY KILLED BY CUBANS.
"As l knew the crews of the first two
ships wrecked had not been visited by any
of our vessels, l ran down to them. 1 found
the Gloucester with Admiral Cervera and a.
number of his officers aboard and also a
large number of wounded, some in fright
fully mangled condition. Many prisoners haa
been killed on shore by the fire of the Gu
bans. The Harvard came off and 1 requested
Captain Cotton to go in and take off the
crews of the Infanta Maria Teresa and the
Almirante Oquendo, and by midnight the
Harvard had 976 prisoners aboard, great
number of them wounded.
For courage and dash there is no paral-
lei in history to this action of the Spanish
admiral, He came, as he knew, to absolute
destruction. There was one single hope that
the Cristobal Colon would steam faster than
the Brooklyn. The spectacle of two tor
pedo boat destroyers, paper shells at best
deliberately steaminS out in broad day.
light in the face of the fire of a battle
ship, can be described in one way: 1t was
Spanish and it was ordered by Banco. The
same must be said of the entire movement.
I'm contrast to this Spanish fashion was
the cool, deliberate Yankee work The
American squadron was without sentiment.
apparently. The ships went at their Span-
ish opponents and literally tore them to
pieces. But the moment the Spanish flag
came down it must have been evident thac
the sentiment was among the Americans,
not among the Spaniards.
II took Admiral Cervera aboard the Iowa
from the Gloucester, which had rescued him
from the dead, and received him with a full
admirars guard. The crew of the Iowa
crowded aft over the turrets, half naked and
II IL ~ ~