Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-07-08
n Graphic Account
OF Cevera's Attempted Escape and the
Destruction of His ships.

Destruction of Ills ships.
Kingston, July 5.-Scattered along the
shore for a distance of 10 miles to the
west of MORO castle lie the remains of
the armored cruisers and torpedo boat
destroyers that comprised Admiral
Ccrveras fleet. In a running fight of
two hours these vessels, the cream of
the Spanish navy, were almost ami
hilated by the powerful ships Of Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet, under the immediate
command Of Commodore Schley Ad-
miral Cervera, after making as plucky
a fight against overwhelming odds as is
recorded in naval history, was compelled
to surrender. He was taken as a pris-
oner of war, together with every man
in his fleet not drowned or killed in the
action. The Spanish admiral was
wounded in one of his arms.
The entire American fleet was much
further off shore than usual when the
spaniards made their appearance sun
day morning With the exception Of
the bombardment Saturday morning,
which resulted in knocking down the
flag on Moro castle and the supposed
silencing of the batteries, which opened
navy had done little recently TO attract
interest. The officers and crews them
selves were watching the developments
of the operations conducted by the army
which had succeeded in reaching the
Very gates of Santiago after enormous
loss in killed and wounded in the fight
ing of the past two days. 1t was not be-
lieved that Cervera would attempt to
I, L.
late day, but it was supposed that he
would keep his ships in the harbor to
shell the advancing American army and
that if Santiago fell he would blow up or
sink his ships before permitting them to
be captured by the fleet lying outside.
The Spanish admirars real plans, how
ever, We're plainly not anticipated. He
accepted the one chance open to him,
that of running the gauntlet of the pow
hrful men-of-war lying in front of the
harbor and saving his ships for future
service by dashng out Of the trap in
which he found himself and going to
another field of operations. There
seemed to be but one chance in hun
dred that he would be able to make the
move successfully, but he took that
chance; and while great piles of naval
architecture, now ground to pieces on
the rocks a few miles from where he
started, tell the mournful story of his
failure, there is none who applauds his
conduct more than the American officers
and seamen who sent his ships to de-
struction.
1t was about 0 o'clock Sunday morn
ing when the flagship Infanta Maria
Teresa passed under the wan of MORO
castle and steamed out to sea. She was
followed by the Cristobal Colon, Viz
caya and Oquendo, and last by the tor
pedo boat destroyers Pluton and Furor.
The lookout on the American vessels
sighted them Immediately. There was
great excitement at once, with very
rapid action all along the American
lines. The signal for fun speed ahead
was running from bridge to engine
room of every ship, and the entire fleet
commenced to move inshOre toward the
Spanish, and the great y and 13-incl
guns of the battleships and the smaller
batteries on the other vessels fired sho
after shot at long range.
AS the ships ran in towards the shore
It soon became evident that the Span
iards had not come out to make an ag
gressiVe fight for they turned to thu
eastward as soon as they ndu CledIe'
the harbor and started on their race 70
safety, at the same time sending an
swering shots at the American ships a
fast as the men could load and fire tn
guns. The Brooklyn, Massachusetts
Texas, Oregon and Iowa We're neare
the Spaniards than any others OF IN
American vessels, but still most of theI
were too far away to get an eftecuN
range, They crowded on all steam
however, in preparation for the chas
never stopping their fire for one momen
One and another of the Spanish shiI
became the victims of the awful rain
shells which the American battleship
cruisers and gunboats poured upo
them, and two hours after the first (
,the fleet had started out of Santiae
harbor three cruisers and two torpeo
boat destroyers were lying on the sho
10 to 10 miles west of MORO castl
sounding to pieces, smoke and nan