Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-26
CAPTAIN CONCAS' STORY
Writes About the Battle of July
3.
Another Volume in the War Notes
Series Issued by the Bureau of
Naval Intelligence.

The bureau of naval intelligence has is
sued a fresh volume of its war notes series
and probably the last of them which Will
bear on the battle of Santiago harbor. The
present publication Is a translation from
the Spanish of Capt. Victor M Concas
Palaux. formerly commander of the cruiser
Infanta Maria Teresa and chief of staff to
Admiral Cervera in the battle of July j.
Like a number of previous articles from
officers of the Spanish squadron bearing on
the same subject, Captain Concas devotes
considerable space to the lack OF na'al
preparation in Spain prior to the war and
also to condemning the political party in
Spain, which was responsible for Offering
up the crippled squadron as sacrifice on
the altar of an historic ideal.
Brooklyn Escaped by Turning.
The vital section of the narrative begins
with the exodus of the devoted squadron
from Santiago harbor. Captain Concas
says in accordance with previous instruc-
lions the Teresa was headed toward the
Brooklyn, hoping to ram her. This was
frustrated by the Brooklyn's frequently dis
cussed loop to starboard, which Concas
says. brought the Texas and the Iowa be-
tween her and the Teresa
Captain Concas tells of the successive
sinking of the Teresa and the other vessels
of the squadron. He dwellS strongly on
point which he declares all other critics
have overlooked. namely, that owing to the
narrow and tortuous channel past the Mo-
no the Spanish vessels had come out SO
far apart. that they We're each attacked by
the combined force of the American squad
ron and destroyed in detail making it prac-
tically series of combats, each time sin
gle ship against a squadron. He calls at
tention also to the probability that the
American estimate of per cent of hits, out
of the shots aimed at Cerveras fleet, is too
low. He says the most horrible mortality
in the uDDer works,
where the shots left marks except those
wiped out by fire He says per cent of
hits probably would not be too high.
why the Brooklyn Was Hit Often.
In defense of the Spanish gunnery the
writer says that Cervera's ships fought
either bow or stern on nearly throughout
the battle. This reduced the number of guns
they could bring to bear. But he points out
that the Brooklyn. which was the only YES
sci keeping up a parallel broadside fight at
close range for any length of time, was
struck forty-one times. As she was under
fire only of the Viscaya. the Teresa and for
a short time of the best guns of the Colon,
Capt. Concas says the Spaniards gave very
good proof of their ability as marksmen.
Gives Captain Evans the Credit.
He credits the Iowa with landing the two
IL or 13-inch Shells which burst the Tere-
sa's main steam pipe and put her out of
action when her commander thought she
had a fair chance to escape These shots.
he says, have been claimed both by the
Oregon and the Indiana, but he adduceS
considerable evidence that they came from
the Iowa
Another peculiar incident brought out in
the narrative, and a striking example of
Yankee luck, was that the Oregon in her
pursuit of the Colon remained unconscious
ly in the dead angle between the only
guns on the Colon powerful enough to
reach her.
The author Indignantly denies that the
Colon was wrecked by her crew after she
had surrendered. He says she was run
ashore and her sea valves We're opened be-
fore her flag was hauled down. Regarding
this incident, the writer says:
Blames SampsOn's Impatience.
1.-THE Cristobal Colon was less fortunate
than any of the others, for, although going
at a speed of thirteen knots, she ashore
on sand: and If Admiral Sampson, with a
more seamanlke spirit, had ordered the
divers to close the valves, he could most
certainly have saved the cruiser, but with
feverish impatience he lowed her off with
his own flagship, the New York. Hardly
had the ship been floated. when she began
to list, at which moment, with great dex-
terity, he pushed the Colon back again
with the ram of his own ship toward the
sandy shoal; but 1t was too late, and, turn
ing over, that noble and Inflated cruiser
went to the bottom of the sea forever. The
few Americans and Spaniards who were
still on board hastily saved themselves"
Wounds Caused by Shell Fire.
Speaking of the nature of the wounds in
fiicted by modern naval shell fire, Captain
Concas declares them more horrible than
can be described. A boatswain of the Tere-
sa had fourteen wounds. None of the men
injured at all escaped with less than two.
Many, he says, were blown into unrecog-
nzable fragments. The total mortality in
the fleet reached the awful figure of % per
cent of the men engaged
In closing the account Of the battle the
author says:
1--WE could never complete this chapter If
We were to relate the innumerable acts Of
courage: but | cannot do less than to men,
ton one which l saw with my own eyes.
The Maria Teresa had already been ADAM
doned, the flames mounting up to the
height of the tunnels, and projectiles ex-
ploding all sides, and when everybody
thought that no living soul was left on the
ship, suddenly man appeared there calling
for help. Instantly, Jose Cascade. cried: Il
will not let that man die! and threw him
self into the water. He climbed up the
bloodstained sides of the ship, seized the
man, carried him down his shoulders,
and swimming with him to the shore, laid
his burden on the beach. 1t was hardly
possible to believe that that shapeless form
was man with fourteen wounds, who
must have been left aboard dead