The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-13
BY OFFICER OF THE IOWA
Before Signals Were Up Vessels
Pushed to Positions.
FLEET DESTROYED IN AN HOUR.


squadron, under command Of Commo-.
dore Schley, and Admiral Carvora's
fleet, says:
On Sunday morning. July Q. our
watching ships lay rolling in tho easy
surges OF the entrance to the hnrbor of
Santiago. Their distances from the
guarded haven varied from 1000 to
5000 yards, and there, with an unspar-
ing alertness, they waited for that prom
ised dash which all hoped for, but feared
might never come. A little after three
bells In the forenoon watch slie inspec-
ton Of the ship had been concluded, and
as Lieutenant Van Duzcr, the officer Of
the watch, was relieving the navigating
officer, Lieutenant Scheutze, then officer
of the deck, he heard quick cry to call
the captain, followed by shout, "Tsere
como the Spaniaris out Of the harborp'
The trained eye of the alert officer had
marked the thin trail Of drifting smoke,
and before the signal CLEAR ship for
action, had been given tho bows of tho
Spanish vessels, rushing in line
ahead" werc seen darting around So
capa point for the open sea-
In a moment all was bustle and eager
energy. Men rushed to their quarters,
guns were trained. and in less than 20
seconds the whistling shrek of q rapid
fire gun warned the startled fleet Of the
hot work awaiting. III two minutes CIV.
cry gun on shipboard was cast loose,
manned, loaded and ready for the long
expected signal to FIRE. At the yardarni
Of our battleship string Of signal flags
warned the feet the enemy was trying
to escape, but even before the answer
ing pennants of the other ships an
Eounced their understanding of tho
message every vessel was dnshing to the
stations long before allotted for the
emergency which had come at last.
1t was splendid spectacle. The Span
iards with -bottled steam cleared the
harbcr's mouth seemingly in moment.
Under their eager prows column Of
foam whitened the long pillows, and
their bubbling wakes left furrow as
straight and sharp as n racing yacht
making winning run for the finish
line. Their course was shaped for the
westward, but as fast as they sped in
their desperate break for freedom faster
flew tho shells Of the pursuing Amer
leans. The first heavy sbell from the
Iowa ssbattery fell short, and then, by an
unlncky mischance, so did the second,
but aftcrward the rain of shot fell sure
ly and ungparingly upon the fleeing foe.
Not whit behind in this eager fusil-
ladc roareti the batteries of the Spanish
ships. Their port broadsides famed and
grumbled, but it was more splendid
display of fireworks than n successful
effort to damage the unharrned targets
of the Yankee ships. In 10 minutes aft
er they were discovered the four Span
ish armored cruisers had cleared the
wide entrance, and five minutes later the
torpedo boat destroyers hugging the
beach and seeking the sheltcring broad
sides of their sister ships, flew into the
turmoil OF the action. At this time ev-
cry gun of the American squadron that
could be brought to bear was pumping
projectiles into the enemy. In an in
slant it almost seemed one ship of the
Vizcaya class burst into flames, caused
undoubtedly by long, suro shot from
the Oregon or the Texas. A minute
later a ~ inch proiectile sent from the
Iowa's forward turrct struck the flag
ship Maria Teresa near her after smoke
pipe. A tremendous explosion followed.
Then she was shrouded in smoke and
was lighted with lurid flames, and then
wher the powder cloud blew down the
wind she was seen, helm hard aport,
rushing for the beach.
Twenty-Five minutes after the first
ship had been sighted half the Spanish
fleet had surrendered or was ON fire. As
our vessels rushed toward them every
ship WAS hulled time and again, and it
almost seemed in the surencss and di-
rectness of our batteries as il il were
the target practice of summer morn
ing and not the apnihilation of a squad
ron. Even this interval would havo
been shortened measurably, for aiding
them and hindering us was tho cloud of
smoke which often concealed and at the
best only half revealed the wrecked enc
my IL wns grand, sad sight, pa
thetic one TO seamcn. who know how
much patient thought and patriotic
effort had gone into tho construction Of
tutSo SpitEtlu NtcnCiA EOW LYNX,
bruised and burning on shc shores they
had hoped TO defend. There was no
time, however, to indulge In emotions
Of sympathy or Of pity, for still rushing
eagerly westward, closely followed by
the New York and at. farther dis
tancc by the Indiana. came tho torpedo
boat destroyers. In the hot cngcrhcss of
destruction We turned loose our smaller
guns on these loudly horaldcd end IN
effective craft, and finally by lucky
hit dropped ie inch shell into tho
bow Of the leading destroyer At yle
same instant the lt,lo hist Was rapidly
closing upou them, ponrins s:ckcniIg
fire into their fragile hulls.
The Glourcstcr jOiied i'm this splen-
did assault. and so sarr and ~ effective
was their rain of rapid trc i,rujectilcs
that both torpedo LUats swung their
helms hard aport, TAN for tAe shore and