The herald., 1898-07-27
The Oregon Proves Herself to Be the Best Of
the Heavy Battleships
Schy Given Brief Mention But Is Ranked Along With the
Subordnates- Sampson Says the New York Would
Have Caught the Colon IN Time

to save her. If possible, and directed the
prisoners to be transferred to the Resolute,
which had followed the chase Commodore
Schley whose chief of staff had gone on
board to receive the surrender, had directed
that all their personal effects should be re-
tanned by the officers. This order did not
modify. The Colon was not injured by our
firing. and probably is not much injured
by Bleaching, though she ran ashore at high
speed.
The Usual Spanish Treachery
The beach was so steep that she came off
by the working Of the sea. But her sea
valves were opened and broken, treacher-
ously, I am sure, after her surrender. and
despite all efforts she sank. When 1t be-
came evident that she could not be kent
afoat she was pushed by the New York
bodily upon the beach, the New Yorks stem
being placed against her for this purpose
the ship being handled by Captain Chad
wick with admirable judgment, and the
Colon sank in shoal water and may be
saved. Had this not been DONE she would
have gone down In deep water and would
have been, to a certainty, total loss.
Eleventh. regard this complete and i'm
the successful finish Of several weeks of
arduous and close blockade, so stringent
and effective during the night that the en-
envy was deferred from making the attempt
to escape at night and deliberately elected
to make an attempt In daylight. That such
was the case I was informed by the COM
handing officer of the Cristobal Colon.
Twelfth-1t seems proper to briefly de-
scribe here the manner in which this was
accomplished. The harbor of Santiago is
naturally easy to blockade-there being but
one entrance-and that a narrow one. and
the deep water extending close up to the
shore line, presenting no difficulties of nav
igation outside of the entrance. At the
time of my arrival before the port--July l.
the moon was at Its full and there was suffi-
Client light during the night to enable any
movement outside of the entrance to be
detected. But with the waning Of the moon
and the coming of dark nights there was
opportunity for the enemy to escape or for
his torpedo boats to make an attack upon
the blockading vessels. 1t was ascertained,
with fair concusiveness, that the Merrimac,
so CALAMITY taken into the channel on June
30th, did not obstruct it. 1 therefore main
tanned the blockade as follows:
Mo,,+o;.; ~. n,
'oN"0e
'"e i'.',e SHIPS WAS assigned the duty
III .ui. VI "sn.'is the chaElei moving
ny ~ .''e poi d. Instance VI from one TO
."' 'i'''es rum 'i'o Morro-oepenoehtu upon
.ho oo'ioi'io'i tne a'mosphere-tney
'.io" d seaieiiisn. oeaHl uirectiy up the
unan'e' anu ieio IL steauiiy tnere' rms
nsh.eo up .ne entire oreaotn OF the chan-
heA ior MAJ. d iiiiie insioe Oh the entrance
no oiiiiiaii.i! 'iia' 'he movement OF small
poa's couio We oe'ecteo' why the batteries
never opeheo IRE upon .he searchnght snip
was Always n'a..er Oh surprise TO me- put
trance of the port were three ntcket
launches and at little distance farther
out three small picket vessels-usually
converted yachts-and when they were
available one or two of our torpedo boats.
With this Arrangement there was at least
a certainty that nothing could get out of
the harbor undetected. After the arrival
of the army when the situation forced Upon
the Spanish admiral a decision, our vigil
ance increased. The night blockading dis
lance was reduced to two miles for all ves-
sells and battleship was placed alongside
tho searchlight ship with her broadsides
trained upon the channel in readiness to
fire the instant a Spanish ship should ap-
pear. The commanding officers merit the
greatest praise for the perfect manner in
which they entered into this plan and put
II into execution. The Massachusetts.
which. according to routine, was sent that
morning to coal at Guantanamo, like the
otehrs. had spent weary nights upon this
work and deserved better fate than to be
absent that morning.
enclose for information OF the DEPART
ment COPIES of orders and memorandums
issued from time to time relating to the
manner of maintaining the bloskade
All "ortny VI 1Faise
Thirteenth-When all the work was done
SO well 1t is difficult to discriminate in