Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-07-29

cepting the Brooklyn, which was about
1900 yards off our port beam.
"When the Maria Teresa had beached
herself and hauled down her colors, we
shaped our sourse for the Vizcaya, which
was about 500 yards ahead of us, and
steaming her best. We opened fire on
her with our two forward 13-inch, four
8-inch and two 6-inch guns. The gun
ners kept firing as fast as they could.
! All the time the fight was going on we
were steaming under forced drought,
which was very hard on our freroom
force. The heat in the fireroom was 165
degrees. You will wonder how men can
stand such heat, but they did it, and we
gave them the credit which they are
justly entitled to. The officers sent down
dozens and dozens of bottles of iced beer
to revive them, and we stationed men
along the passages leading down to the
frerooms to herald the news to them,
and every time we sent ship to the
beach or shot away her colors, they were
told, and the cheers came up to our ears
through the ventilators, which run up
on deck. They would say, sink them;
sink them, Remember the Maine, boys
and 'We will catch them or blow the
boilers out trying
! "We were rapidly closing in on the
Vizcaya, as our craftsmanship was first
class, as our large shells could be seen
to strike her. One of our shells struck
her in the stern port side, and tore itself
through her berth deck and came out
through her starboard bow. After this
shot she began to sink, and she followed
the other two by going on the beach.
Then came the chase where we broke all
our steaming records which we held pre-
viously to this time. We made trihe
over 17.9 knots. The Brooklyn kept to
the southwark of us, and did no damage.
We ceased firing for dinner, and when
they came on deck the port watch went
below and made dinner of soft tacks'
(bread and coffee and salt horse'), which
tasted as if we were eating chicken. All
hands were covered with powder and
were hard to recognize.
After 45 minutes chase we were
little less than five miles from the Crist
obal Colon, which was one of the finest
ships in Europe. Our big guns were
trained on her, and the first shot was
about 100 yards to the right, and the
range fine. The second was beauty,
and struck her pilot-house and exploded
killing an officer and two men, and blind
ing the man at the wheel. The captain
ordered the starboard eight-inch turret
to fire on the enemy, and gave the range
as 1000 yards. The first shot struck her
in the port quarter, and went clear
through her. After this shot she struck
her colors and made for the beach.
/ Captain Clark is the bravest of the
brave, and we are waiting to hear of his
being promoted to the position of COM
modore. He deserves any Honor that
can be conferred on him. He stood on
the forward 13-inch turret all the time.
and watched the battle, now and then
turning and speaking into the coming
tower to the navigator, directing the
movements of the ship. Every move he
made was success. His crew do not
think that there is braver or kinder
man or better fighter than he. We call
him Paul Jones H.
! "When we came to this port we passed
by the Iowa, which is commanded by
| Fighting Bob Evans, and he said that
we looked like the proper kind of stuff.
We showed the whole feet that we were
| fighters. if we did come from the Pacifis
slope"