The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-19
EVANS ON THE WAR
Fighting Bob" Explains How Ger
vera Was Bottled"
NO CREDIT TO sCHLEY
NOTHING TO PREVENT ESCAPE
OF SPANIARDS.
Spanish Admiral Entered Santiago
Harbor On the Day That Sch1ey
Left Key West-Took Schley Two
Weeks to Find the Enemy and
Then Sampson Arrived.

New York, March 1S.-Captain Rob-
ley d. Evans contributes a chapter to
w. A. M. Goodies book, with Sampson
through the War;" just issued. Cap
a Evans describes how the Iowa
joined Admiral Schley off Cienfuegos,
May %.
After saluting the commodore, the.
Iowa became n of the flying squadron
and proceeded to drift leisurely with
it, off and on, Micawber like, waiting
for something-we hoped the Spanish
squadron-to turn up"
Summing up the much-discussed
question OF how Cervera was bottled,
Captain Evans, at; lr telling. of the
discovery of the Cristobal Colon on
May 20, in the mouth of Santiago har-
Dor, writes as follows: y
I'VE signalled to the flagship Brook
lyn), Spanish cruiser CriStObal Colon
in the harbor' and the answer came
promptly I understand A moment
later a second Spanish cruiser, sup
posed to be the Maria Teresa, was
discovered to the left of Cayo Smith,
and still later the spars of a third were
seen over the land. The Iowa was at
once cleared for action and everything
was made ready for battle, as we felt
sure the S~paniards meant to fight. If
they had wanted to escape they GER
tainly had had every opportunity to
Go so. Later on it was found that Adj
miral Cervera had entered the har-
Dor Of Santiago, May Is, the day and
almost the hour the flying squadron
left Key West for Cienfuegos.
1T is therefore evident that the
maneuvering Of the flying squadron
had nothing to do with either forcing
Cervera into Santiago or preventing his
escape therefrom up to 7:45 a. m. May
80.
'On June 1, Admiral Sampson arrived
on the New York and the Iowa ceased
to be a vessel of the flying squadron.
The admirals plan of blockade was
substituted for that of Commodore
Schley INT the beginning of the end
was in sight.
In another chapter entitled, "a bat
tleship in and out of action the cap
tain gives the lesson that in a general
way he deduced from the a
First, the absolute necessity for
fast armored cruisers, capable of long
sea endurance"
Second, ample supply of torpedo
boat d~eStroYers.
Third, the absolute necessity for
proper GOLFERS and supply vessels.
Fourth, the absolute necessity of
SmokeleSs powder.
Fifth, the need of some instrument
by which the range can be accurately
and rapidly obtained.
sixth, the necessity for q more per-
feet system of communication, both as
regards the ship herself and between
different ships of the same squadron.
Seventh, necessity for smokeless
fuel.
Eighth, necessity for two coming
towers, one fore and aft
Regarding the best place from which
to fight a battleship, Captain Evans
writes:
Il know of no more devilish place
than the coming tower of a battleship
in action"
Yet the former commander of the
Iowa is forced to admit that, taking
into consideration the tactical value
of the captains life, the coming tower
is, after all, the best, but by nc mean
the most pleasant place in action.
Captain Evans stated hat he believes
the effect of the rapid-fire has been
over-estimated by the hasty conclu-
sions drawn from the battle of July 3rd.
Regarding water supply for ships,
Captain Evans writes:
The effect of using salt water in
the boilers Of u battleships during
the late wal was so injurious that it
seems to me it would be- criminal to
allow it to occur again. We must
either nave a. distilling ship for, say
each two battleships in Dur fleet, or
else, knowing the Mount necessary to
make up our waste, put in the battle
ships a distilling plant capable of dis
filling the amount required"