The times., 1899-12-11
CBRVERA ON His DEFEAT
Dispatches and Letters Of the Span
ish Admiral Translated.
The Document Issued by the United
states Intelligence Bureau - The
Destruction of His FIect-A Trib-
ute 10 the American officers.

Commander Richardson Clover, Chief Of
the Ofhce of Naval Intelligence, has just
issued a voluminous document containing
The dispatches and letters interchanged be-
tween Pascual CerYera. admiral OF the
Spanish feet destroyed at Santiago, and
the Spanish Minister of Marine, General
Blanco. commander of the Spanish forces
in Cuba and other officers of the Spanish
navy and army. The documents were
published by Cervera to vindicate the
course he pursued, and he secured permis-
sion Of the Queen Regent of Spain to make
them public. They were translated into
English by employees of the Naval Intel
ligence Office.
The reports date back as far as Novem-
Der 2S 1897, and show conclusively that
Cervera recognized the hopelessness of
struggle between his country and the
United States. He continually warned the
Spanish Minister of Marine that the navy
was in a deplorable condition and could
not successfully contend with the feet of
this country. He even went so far as to
write TO a friend asking him TO preserve
the letters in order that he might be yindi-
Gated after the destruction of the Spanish
/ fleet which he predicted would take place
q
1 before il occurred.
After leaving Cartagena with a fleet that
was poorly armed and half the vessels all
! but unseaworthy. Cervera was hampered
/ by lack Of definite instructions concerning
/ the course he was to pursue.
Not Equipped for Battle
! His men were not half paid. ammuni-
! tion, coal and other supplies were want
ing. and in the face Of it all the admiral
sailed to meet the American feet with GER
/ tain destruction in store for him.
/ His entering Santiago Harbor is shown
/ to have been for the purpose OF getting
coal, ammunition, and supplies, which he
was led to believe he would find there.
/ After the blockade of the port Ceryera pre-
/ ferred if Santiago fell into the hands of
/ the Americans to destroy his feet in the
| harbOT rather than sacrifice his crew by
attempting to escape. Even when the
orders Of General Blanco, under whose
( command the feet came, were given 10
! leave the harbor, Cervera protested,
but sailed forth and made the best
/ fight possible with his ships He was
/ censured by Blanco for not leaving at
4 night, but he argued that he had more
! chance to escape in the day. Admiral
! Cervera pays high tribute to the courtesies
extended him by the officers of the Ameri-
] can Navy diLeF his capture.
! IN November, 1897, Cervera wrote to Ber-
mejO the Minister OF Marine, pleading for
cartridge cases and more guns for his feet
( a number Of which had been found use
] less. Also asking for pay for his men. In
letter OF January %, 1898, he says:
You are vel aware that there is not in thc
I squadron a man in the crews who has any sav.
I ugs therefore there two things lacking:
I First they should be ordered 20 make assignment.
sfarr rsrfF
I families 70 starvation, which might even affect
the discipline; second, money should be con
signed T. Us at Havana for our own living, be
cause II they count upon our having collected the
pay FOR January and propose TO pay Us 10 date
we shall perish miserabiy-
Letter to His Cousin.
The day following the above letter he
wrote 10 his cousin as follows:
Cartageua, January 30, 1893.
Dear Cousin Juan SpottOrno: About two year
ago 1 wrote you a letter concerning our condition
10 90 10 war with the United States. 1 requeste,
you 10 keep thsl letter in case some day j
should he necessary TO bring it 10 light in de
1 fence ef my memory myself, when we had eN
I peueuCed the sad disappointment prepared for u
Z ley the stupidity Of some. the cupidity Of others
. ara the incapability Of all, even OF those viii
! the best of intentions. To-day find Ourseye
again IN one Of those critical periods whici
seem 10 be the beginning of the end, and / writ
TO YOU again 90 express my point OF view an'
you TO put this letter with the other oEe, 81
that the two may be my military testament. Tn
relative military positions Of spain and th
I Juited States have grown worse tor US, Decaus
T we are reduced absolutely peuuiiess. and they ar
I very rich, and also because we have increased on
naval power only with the Colon and the torpe
do boat desroyers, and they have increased tht ir
much moro. What ] have said Of our industr
I IS sadly confirmed in everything we look AZ
4 There IS the Catalina, begun more than cigh
years ago and her hull Is not yet completed
aH.H rFHH q f.F al
/ which does not wake patriotism in anybody
! while iiug0ism finds numerous victims pghap
myself tomorrow And the condition OF our ir
dustry Is the same IN all the aTsenais Let u
consider. now. 0uT private industries The Ma
quiuista TerrestTe Martina supplies the eu
gines of the Alfonso Mi; CadlZ, the FIlIplna;
u the Carlos Is not a dead failure, She Is no
what she should be. everything has been sacrifice
! 70 speed, and she lacks power. And remembC
that the construction is purely Spanish. Tia
company of la GTaua has not completed II
ships, as ! am told, and only these Nizcays
Oqucudo, and Maria Teresa are good ships
tteir class. but. though constructed at Bilbao,
! was bE Engiishmeu Thus, manifesLy, even yIC
tory would be q sad thing tor As for th
administration and its iHtric8cles. let us No
I speak Of that. It's slow procedure is killing u
The Nizegya carries 5j-inCh hrench plug whlC
was declared useless TWO months ago. and ] di
NOT knew t until last night, aud that because "a
1 official enquiry made. How many cases
might mention But any purpose is not TO az
cusc. bat 30 explain why we may and must e'
pect disaster. But a. u Is necessary TO go
/ the bitter end. aua as II would be Il crime 10 50
4 that publicly todly. / hold my tongue, and 2
I forth resigucdiy 10 face the TRIALS which God ma
be pleased "a send me ] am sure that we vi
do our duty, for the spirit Of the navy IS exec
4 lent. lmt ] pray God that the troubles may
, ! arranged without coming 10 a conflict, which,
! suv WAY, ] believe would he disastrous 20 US
] entrust 10 You J! most interesting correspondent
E which I had with General Aze2TTag1' and who
1 desire and request YOU 10 preserve, togetn'
r I with this letter and the former one In IT So
viii see the opinion OF Azaaffaga- Without tro
/ bling y0u further I remuin your most affection
Z Z 4fn cousin who eutrusts his homer 10 your hand
{ PASCUAL CERNEkA.
To the Minister of Marine.
During January and February. 1895
CerveTa continued writing and telegraph
\ ing the Minister Of Marine regarding tn
poor condition Of his feet but little wa
z done TO improve 1t. On February 70 1885,
: Cervera wrote the Minister as follows:
5 The eight principal vessels Of the Havana st
tioH. 90 which YOU refer, have no military vain
whatever, and besides are badly worn out, ihtr
- fore they can be OF very little Use. IN s3yin
this ! am not moved hE iault-hHding spirit. bi
only by "a desire 10 avoid Illusions that may co
:. as very dear. Iahing things as they are, hos
ever -sd u may be, n is seen that cur nav
force when compared with that Of the Unite
= States Is approximately IN tEe proportion of !
8 It therefore seems TO me dream. almost
- fevcri-h fancy, 20 think that with this force a
, tluu8icd hy our long wars, we can establish q
u blockade Of any port 9t the United States.
r campaign lgair-t that country wiil have 10 b
. 1t led-t Tor the present 81 defensive or d dis.t
tIaus one. uUlCS ug have some alliances,
which case the tables may De- turned.
a letter from Minister Bermejo 10 Cer
: vera, i'm speaking OF an attache of Spai
in this country making unfavorable re
i, marks on the American fleet shows th
> feeling in Spain. He says: