Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-13
THE CLAIMING CHAPLAIN
What the 0regon's Sky Pilot" Really Said
at Denver.
His Ship Did Four-FifthS of the
Fighting and Sank the Furor
Vnaided.

The address delivered before the Y NJ.
c. A of Denver. Col, by Rev. Mcintyre,
chaplain of the battle ship Oregon, has at
tracted wide attention because of the ex-
travagant claims he therein advanced in
behalf of that vessel as the deciding factor
in the naval battle of July 3, resulting in
the destruction OF the Spanish squadron
Since the news OF his statements was
wired east from Denver the naval officials
have taken cognizance of the matter in
view of Rev. McIntyre's charge that Ad-
miral Sampson falsified his official report
In order 10 secure share of the prize
money resulting from the taking of the
Colon by claiming to be within four miles
of the ship when her colors were struck
Steps have already been taken to ascer-
tain whether he actually advanced these
statements or not. He has intimated that
he was not accurately reported as to the
words he used in this connection. Thus
additional interest centers in extracts from
an account of the lecture printed in the
Denver Times of Tuesday, August 3. The
lecture had been widely advertised and
editorialfy doomed and the news account
was unusually long and circumstantial.
After telling of the voyage of the Ore
gon round Cape Horn and dwelling with
dramatic fidelity upon the nervous strain
on all members of her company the Times
account continues:
AT Bahia, after having taken up the
Buffalo, which was travelling northward
with the Marietta and herself. the Oregon
applied for permission to go on alone as
the top speed of the other vessels was
eight knots an hour. 1t was here that
Captain Clark sent his famous message to
Washington: Don't hamper me with or
oers- L am not afraid of the whole Span
ish navy. The request was granted and
the Oregon steamed away from her slower
sisters and went clear around the West
Indies, as Chaplain Mcintyre said. In or
6ar IN ILL a. "A
At no time on the whole voyage did any
man on the vessel doubt for an instant
that she could have crushed the whole
seven vessels of Cervera's fleet"
This note of confidence serves well to
forecast the extraordinary claims of the
chaplain in his account of the fight of
July 3. The Times quotes him as follows:
I'VE lay three miles from the mouth of
the bay through which the Spanish vessels
came. Fighting Bob and his Iowa were
inside of US a mile, two miles from the
mouth. Captain Clark gave the command
Immediately to close in, and the Oregon
steamed straight for the Spaniards. We
passed Fighting Bob going the other way.
l saw it all, for. my place being with the
doctors, two of them and myself occupied
places just to the rear of the thirteen-inch
gun turret armed with binocuiar glasses. We
closed to within a mile of the enemy, and,
at one time, were within three-quarters of
a mile of them. | never saw poorer gun
ners in my life than they had.
CLOSER and closer We crept, our shots
1oing deadly damage, and the enemy not
scratching either the vessel or her crew.
Four-flfths of all the fighting done that day
was done by the Oregon. and four-fifths of
the damage was inflicted by her.
Soon the vessels Of the enemy began TO
string out The two torpedo boats were
distanced and the four fleet cruisers began
to get away from us. Fighting Bob and the
Iowa We're at this time five miles away,
and still going. | saw a gunner aim S4l5
armor-piercing shell at the Furor and
{ a c Riyh
her waist it plowed, and of a sudden there
was tremendous explosion, but the tim
Der, steel and human bodies We're flung
high in the air, amid a lurid flame, and
then all was silence. We afterward sound
ed for her, but could learn no tidings. The
is over a mile deep there.
But let US take up the chase after those
four flyers. The Texas. Indiana. Glouces-
ter and several other boats were far in the
rear, toward the east, and the Spanish
fleet was making away as rapidly as it
could toward the west Fighting Bob and
the Iowa were about five miles away out at
sea, and the Brooklyn and Oregon were the
only two vessels in the chase. Think of i.
Picture it, Two vessels chasing four, and
all six of the latest, most improved, mod
ern type, Soon one of the pursued vessels
headed toward the shore and the slower
vessels of our fleet put out lifeboats to save
the men. The chase continued. The Brook
Ign was behind the Oregon and a shell from
one of the Spanish vessels passed over US
and struck her in the nose. In a twinkling
the Tour FORWARD compartments nlleu WITH
water and she was reduced from 22-knot
boat to a slower one than the Oregon.
That left the Oregon alone, chasing three
vessels. They were 20-knot boats and bet
ter and she a 15-knot boat, and yet she
gained. for her workmanship was perfect
and their bottoms fouled.
Admiral Schley and the Brooklyn put
out to sea and stayed within signaling dis
lance. He was manipulating the halyards.
signaling Clark what to do, and Clark was
doing it. Soon two vessels were run on the
beach, filled with holes and their sides
bursting flame. That left but one, the
Cristobal Colon Finally she circled into a
little bay. The Oregon steamed straight
across, knowing that she had her foul. The
Spaniard gave up the fight and tore down
her flag. The fight was won.
AT this time looked back. In the dim
distance could be seen a faint smudge of
smoke 1t marked where Sampson, the
Texas. the Indiana and Fighting Bob were
lying, ten miles away. They were all to-
gether and in order to declare himself in
on the prize money Admiral Sampson had
to also declare all the other vessels in, and
that diminished the pro rata, and Sampson
wrote a report of the battle and reported
himself within four miles of the Cristobal
Colon when she hauled down her flag. He
did that to get his share of the prize money,
for ship must be within four miles to
share in the prize money. So Sampson will
get $4,000 Of prize money and Captain
Clark, who fought the Oregon as never
man fought ship before, will get only $500,
and you, every one of you in this building
tonight, who had just as much to do with
the battle as Sampson did, WI not get