Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-04-10
SAMPSON ON CEVERA.

critises the Spanish Commanders
| strategy.
When we come to consider the STRAIT
egg of Admiral Cevera in leaving the
harbor, it must be said first of all that
| it would have been much better, if he
could have done so to leave at night.
That he could not do SO, is the testi-
mony of officers of his fleet. We know
from what they said subsequently,
while they were prisoners that this
plan had been considered by the ad-
miral and his officers. Two advocated
going out by night; the others were
all in favor of the sortie by day. The
great difficulty in a night attempt
was our dazzling search light. A
search light shining direct in ones
eyes prevents him absolutely from
seeing anything else; it is as though
he were looking at the sun; and it
was that effect upon them taken in
connection with the necessity of see
ing their way out of the channel, that
made them hesitate. This feeling was
in itself compliment to the efficien-
cy of the blockade, but we did not at
tach so much Importance to the daz-
zling of the enemy as to the illumina-
ton of the channel so that we could
see everything that was going on. It
was continual wonder to us why
they did not fire at our search light,
which was always within range. To be
sure, it would have required pretty
good craftsmanship to knock it out,
but it would have made the man who
was manipulating it quite uneasy to
know that he was the center of the
enc my's fire.
The enemy had no search lights at
their defenses. All the necessary ma
chinery was in place for the establish
ment of one at Socapa, but they new
er got so far as to complete the plant
and actually use it.
What appeared to US the most fav-
orable chance for Cevera was to have
prepared to come out with full head
of steam, and then to have chosen
very cloudy, dark night, or one when
dense rain or squall was passing
over the harbor,-when it would be
very difficult to see in any circum-
stances, and, guided by screened lights
placed along the channel for the pur
pose, to have made for the open sea.
His ships might have run out of such
a storm i'll about an hour; SO long as
the squall continued they probably
could could have counted upon being
invisible to g great extent. 1t would
have been difficult to identify the
particular ships, and in the confusion
and darkness they would probably so
far have escaped observation that
they might have been out of sight by
the time the weather cleared up or
the squall had passed. There were
several such nights, and very anxious
ones they we're for us.
Dismi ssing the question of a sortie
by night, there were several things he
might have done by day: (1) to take
the course he did along shore to the
westward; % to take similar course
to the eastward; (3) to divide his fleet
between the two courses; and "a to
scatter through our feet. When they
all came out and started along the
beach, our fire was easily concentrate
ed on them. It would have been worse
to go eastward, as he would have had
to engage not only all the vessels he
did, but the New York and the vessels
at Guantanamo-the Massachusetts,
Newark and Marblehead, which could
have been notified by telegraph. He
might have made a feint to go in a
certain direction. Two ships sent in
one direction would probably have
called out most of the strength of our
vessels, and have given his others a
better chance than they had. What
would have happened if they had
boldly attempted to dash through the
fleet can only be a matter of.specula-
ton. There could hardly have been
so much concentration of fire upon
them and in the smoke and confusion
some of them might have got through.
They had simply to encounter the
same kind Of fire; at the beginning it
might have been heavier. I suppose
the result would not have been differ
emit. If any one of them had succeed
ed in breaking through, her speed
would have given her a chance of es-
cape. We had only three ships that
were faster than theirs. AS it was,
they left the Indiana and Iowa behind
in short time, and if they had been
running straight to sea, those ships
could have followed them no longer
than they did.-the Indiana eight or