The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-08-04
WEAR SCHLEY Boards.
Bitterness Between Men of Brooklyn
and New York.


A letter recently received here from
an officer on the Brooklyn, besides
giving some interesting details of the
destruction of Cervera's fleet, empha-
sizes the bitterness of feeling between
the officers and crews of the Brooklyn
and New York over the famous naval
engagement. In fact, this young of
Ger, who is we'll known here, declares
that this feeling amounts to hate on
the part of the men of Schley's vessel.
The letter reads:
''You get so many contradictory re-
ports about the battle that doubtless
you wonder sometimes if there ever
was feet. So I'm going to tell you,
in the most general way how it hap
pened. The ships were ranged in a
semi-circle about the mouth of the har-
Dor, distant three miles. The Brook
lyn the extreme west, Texas next, then
Iowa, Oregon and Indiana. Cervera
chose that day because he saw that the
New Orleans, New York, Newark and
Massachusetts, were away He knew
he could run away from all the battle
ships except the Brooklyn, and thought
he could beat her. So his plan was for
all four of his cruisers to concentrate
their fire on the Broonlyn, as there
would then be no ship that could pur-
sue him. 1t was splendid plan, a
wisely chosen opportunity, excellent
strategy, and the only thing he lacked
was the men behind the guns. With
American gunners he would have sunk
US in ten minutes.
sCHLEY FACED THE MUSIC.
"Schley saw through the game in q
minute and remarked to Capt. Cook
that he thought the Brooklyn would
have to be sacrificed, but he never
heritated. We steamed right in to-
ward them, firing with our port battery
until we got so close that we were in
imminent danger of ram and torpedo.
Then we turned to the right, and as
they tried to run between us and the
shore we circled around and chased
them down the coast to the westward
A newspaper man from Jamaica told
me afterward that the Vazcaya people
had chosen us as their special antag-
cnist, even as we had done with them
ever since the two ships lay side by
side at the Queens jubilee. They
certainly put up game fight, but we
bored them through and through, and
they kept up ahot running fight for an
hour and half. 1t was a good thing
for us that the Oregon was there. She
speedily fell in behind us and raced
along at above fifteen knots.
eve had the Vazcaya on our quar-
ter and the Ohristobal Colon on our
bow until the former was forced to run
ashore, perforated with five-inch and
eight-inch shells. There was not 9
thirteen-inch shell in her, which makes
it look as if the BIookly and not the
Oregon did the work. The moral eff.
feet of the Oregon was good, however
and / think it was the way she kept ur
that scared the Christobal Colon into
surrender while it was still an ever
chance whether she would get away Oh
not. After the battle was over hel
captain begged to be allowed to come
aboard to satisfy himself with his owl
eyes that we were not battle-ship
He swore that every one of his shot
hit us. The Spaniards fairly turn oul
heads with tales of the terrible fire WI
kept up and how we outmaneuveret
their forlorn hopes of sinking us. Ac
cording to their tales we fought tn,
whole battle, but I am inclined to be
lieve that the Texas, Iowa, and Indi
ana had something TO do with sinkins
the Oquendo, Maria Teresa and twC
torpedo-boats. Each one Of then
claims to have done it alone.
WARM REPLY TO EVANS.