The evening times., 1899-03-04

the night at Santiago. Ine omcerS OIL Cor-
vera's fleet undoubtedly know who it was
that whipped them. There are no illu-
sons in their minds as to the particular
ship which had most to do with their de-
struction. They have no prejudices in fa-
vor of any particular commander, nor are
they interested in any of the plans OF the
Navy Department. This is what the Span
iards say about the part which Schley and
his ship had in that fight:
The Spanish pilot who took Cervera' $
flagship out Of the bay AYERS that orders
were given on the morning Of the battle
to direct the heaviest of the firing toward
the Brooklyn; and he says that it was
generally thought that the fleet would get
away if the Brooklyn were sunk.
Lieut.. Antonio Lopez Ceron, of the
Maria Teresa, says that Ceryera ordered
all guns concentrated on the Brooklyn;
that they fired a few shots at the Iowa,
but that three-fourths of their guns were
aimed at the Brooklyn. One of the gun
crews was ordered TO fire at her steering
gear to make her unmanageable if possi-
BILE. Cervera also tried to ram her. But
Lieutenant Ceron says that whenever the
Spanish flagship headed toward the Brook
lyn she swung around and threatened TO
cross her assailant's path.
DR.. Adolpho Niemere- Suasere, one OF
the surgeons on the Cristobal Colon, makes
this statement:
The Colon came out next to the last. II was
the plan of the battle that she should keep be
hind the heavier amored ships She hi
only six times by big shells, and would have got
away if the conformation of the shore line had
been different. The fine tactics of Commodore
Schlcy in making for the great hcadand instead
OF following the Colon into the bay is what
caught her.
Captain Eulate, OF the ViZcaya, says:
The entire squadron was ordered to devote the
fire of their guns to the cruiser Brooklyn, be-
cause it was believed that she was the only shl
in the American squadron that could overtakf
US. When we got out of the harbor my ship was
second in line, and | Immediately that tho
flagship Maria Teresa was getting terrible bnp
tism of fire. 1t was frightful! The Texas ant
Brooklyn just riddling her, and in fiftecr
minutes l saw she was on fire. The Brooklyn
half mile closer 10 me than any other ship
and determined TO try to ram her, so that thC
Colon and oqucndo could get away, and | started
for her She made a good mark, with her big
broadside. and as | started | thought surely
would get her. But she had evidently seen ~
and very quickly She turned about, and making
a short circle, came AT port side, so that
thought she would ram lis. / moved in towarc
the shore 50 that | could avoid her. and then
saw the 0quendo had gone ashore also, her steam
pipes evidently having been severed by shell
The mancuvre of the Brooklyn was beautiful ",
opened a rapid fire at her with all oar big guns
but she returned it with terrible effect The
Oregon also hit us several times, but the Brook
lyn's broadside crashing into our superstructurt
simply tcrrorizcd the men. We worked all ON
guns At her at time, and don't see how
she escaped US. She simply drove us in to shore
At one time fighting us at 1,l00 yards Tht
Brooklyn had prevented me from getting away
for l could have beaten the Oregon out, as | ha,
a two-mile lead of her. Ny orders were to try
to sink the Brooklyn. and tried TO carry then
out / did not think that her battery could be 5,
| terrible it was
Now. it may be that there is some mys
terious power in Admiral SIMPSONS will
which enables him TO hypnotize an ''un
trustworthy" commander into doing effec
| tive work, at a distance of between sever
and ten miles; but to the unprejudicet
reader it looks very much as if there wer,
| nothing magical about the business at all
! Unless Sampson somehow induced Cerver;
! 10 believe that the Brooklyn was the mos
! formidable ship of the squadron, it woul,
/ seem that Cervera must have had reasons
! of his own for doing his best to sink tn
/ Brooklyn. and that those reasons were full
| ly justified. If Sampson. and not Schley
/ is really responsible for the destruction o
! the Spanish fleet on that occasion. contrarl
| to the testimony of engineers officers gun
| ners and sailors on the ships of the Allan
! tic squadron, of practically every newspa
/ per man who was anywhere in the neigh
/ hood, and of the Spaniards themselves. tn
| American people would like to know how
the thing was managed. At present, ther
! seems to be considerably more juggler,
about il than the average Yankee mind ca.
comprehend. The story of SIMPSONS ex
ploits which we were asked by the Nav,
| Department to believe is of sort TO throw
the Samson of the Bible entirely in tn
shade. 1t is more like Hindu fairy tall
! than anything else.
But Schley has his deserts at last ant
! Sampson is where he beIongs-two pace
| to the rear.
The timely suggestion of promnen
| Canadian newspaper, that it would be
af,,I 49,.