The Portland daily press., 1899-11-29
cERvERA's OWN STORY.
The Admiral Knew that His Fleet was
Doomed.


tNeW 1ork Evening Foet
Admiral CsrvtrA ettained from tho
Qaesn Regent. iats In August. permis
sion TO publish the official correspondence
Relating TO the oper tons Of the Spanish
squadr on updsr his command. The TO
suit 10 volume Of more than 900 pages,
. copy Of which has Just reached us. II
contains many despat,hss which hsvs
been published bsfors, bat some which
are entirely new. ami In particular sev-
sral letters whish passed between Admiral
Cervsrs and the Minister Of Marine b.
fore the war broke out. which arc not
only new but Of dsspest interest Ths
whole b now offered ~ the Apologize Of
the gallant old sailor. with proud
humility. at once dignifed and pathetic.
he lays before his fellow-countrymen and
the world the proof that, whoever blum
dered, whoever was the victim Of wild
Illusions. he was not; but that. through.
out, his head was ~ clear. his foresight ~
keen. rs his heart was stout
From the very bsginnins-going back
as far ~ the letters Of 1s96-'g7-Cervera's
constant warning to the Minister Of
Marine was. "Do everything In reason or
honor to satisfy the United States, for II
war breaks out we shall b over
wbelmed. Minister Bermsjo was incred :
ulous. A good psr, OF the American navy
was in the Pacific. Yes, replied clcar-
sighted Csrvera, on March !, 1888, but
what does that mesn except the fmmedi-
ate crushing Of our feeble naval forces In
the Philippiness All, rsjoined the Minis
ter. but you do not take into the account
the superiority Of our homogeneous,
sdueatsd, aud disciplined crews In COM
bat with the meroenary ievies II the
Unite States" As to that. answered
Csrvera, sadly. you have only to reInsm-
Ter what hspr ened to our ancestors al
Trafalgar. Bnt surely, urged Bermsjo.
with your swift ships you can ravAze the
enemy to terms. Are you crazyP was
Cervers's despairing comment.
SO the correspondence went on through
all those weary weeks Of waiting for the
war. The men In charge OF the heet--
Cervera aud all his enthusiastically
warned the government that their csm-
paign must be defensive, or 10 would nsc-
esssrily he disastrous. but st the same
time Blanco was urgently telegrAphins
from Cuba. and Mnoias from Porto Rico,
that tire squadron must be sent, CT all
would be lust. thus pulled about, the
gcv,rnment was at ita wits end, and
finally called the famous Council OF War
Of che eighteen or twenty dmirals and
captains In Madrid, which decided that
CsrverA must sail from Cape Verde AMI
ding himself on tbs foe. That was about
what mis- orders amounted to, for he was
utterly unable then or later to get intslli-
ri ole instructions from the Minister Of
Marine. His orders were simply to sail
for the Antilles, calling st some neutral
port for Information, and then going to
Porto Rico or Cuba, as he might think
best, and doing there whatever his skill.
discretion, ana courage" might suggest.
Was ever hapless officer sent moro bung-
lingiy TO the fate which he knew % be
as certain ss the sunrises Yet Ceryera
set sail with his crippled ships as bravely
and cheerfuliy ~ II going TO assured vio-
tory. He said that II the admirals over
ruled him ons Of them really ought 10
rsiisve him. but he was not the man to
shrink from duty, and with q proud
moriturus salute 10 the Spanish govsrE-
mens and people, hs pat 60 seq.
Csrvsra fully intenued 10 70 TO Porto
kioo after calling at Bort de France. HIS
statement to that effect 10 tribute to the
shire dness OF our own naval strateaists,
who sent Sampson TO that island to
meet him. But at Martinique Cervera
heard that Sampson was awaiting him;
he himself had to 20 to Curacoa for
coal; and then, by a good deal Of luck
{ slog casually, as he himself oonfesses,
got into Santiago unobssrvei. To Csr-
vera at Martinique the following xtraor-
binary telegram was sent by the Minis'sr
Of Marine;
Madrid. May az, 1855.
"Since Jour sailing the situation las
changed. Your Instructions are amph-
fled so that II you judge that the squad
ron cannot operate to advantage where
you are, you may return to spain, oheos
a I'M
though this would preferably be Cad z.
Acknowledge receips and advise OF yonr
decision"
Cervera did not acknowledge receipt
because he never saw the dispatch till he
got hack to Spain. He sailed before 1t
was delivered. But as an indication OF
the mind of the Spanish government. and
of Its fitness TO carry on war, 1t needs no
comment. In this respect, however. IL
was surpassed, II such q thing were pos
sible, by the susgestlon made BY the
Minister of War on June 3. that tervera
should run the blockade at Santiago, and
go to Mnnifa to smash Dewey, Afterwards
to finish of Sampson
The later official correspondence has
nearly all seen the light before. Cervera
was never deosivsd abo ut the ruin OF bis
ships II he tried to take them out. hs
" ished to blow them up in the harbor
and Land bis men to assist in the defs bcs
orders, and that officer insisted, as we
know, upon the AdinirIps going out to
have 600 of his men Killed. In spirit OF
sheer vanity" as Cervera called It,
One incidental point Is cleared up In
these del patches. Admiral Sampson has
said that he never knew why his ships
were not fred On at night when standing
in close to the harbors' mouth wish their
The reason Is that the
Spanish had not the gums or ammunition
to do IL. Csrvesa askei Gen. LiuAres to
open on the American ships at night, but
that officer had to inform him that no had
no artillery mounted that could do It.
And tho ammunition on shore was as DE-
feotive as 1t was ON shipboard.
Where is boastingf This ie the quest on
we well may ask altar this full rsveistiCn
of the weakness OF the foe We cong Eefea
ct Santiago. The only boast the Spal-
fards have made h that tney showed tse
world they knew how to die. Never did
men go more cl Keyed 20 asath for their
country than Cervera ana his comradsf.
What lie has now published is In defence
OF his int .lligencs. He wantsd his fr'e ads
and his country 81 kaow thai be at lesss
H.