The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-02-21
"There Is Captain clark of the Ore
gOn."

II Commander wainwright's appoint
ment as superintendent of the Annapolis
naval academy is to be regarded at all
in the light OF reward for distinguish
ed war service, the cases of other naval
officers Immediately recur to the mind.
There is Captain Clark Of the Oregon. Up
in Vermont they are rather sore over that
officers failure to receive any reward what
ever for his unusual services, The Mont
pelier Waterman and Journal has recently
reviewed his case, aud, in view of the facts,
1t wants to know how much longer Captain
Clark is to be treated in this shameful man
ner. He is worse off in rank than he was
before the war with Spain.-Springfeld Re-
publican.
The soreness over the neglect of the
government to recognize in any way,
and especially in a way most grateful
to an officers heart, by merited promo
ton, the unusual services of Captain
Clark, is not confined to Vermont 1t
is as wide as the extent of the country
this able officer served with such sig-
nal distinction. 1t is everywhere the
subject of criticism and amazed COM
ment, by press and people. The
JOURNALS recent review of the case
has been widely copied and has been
the subject of remark, more or less eX-
tended, of the same tenor as the fore
going quoted paragraph.
If the country understood all the
facts of Captain Clark's unusual SER
vice in the battle of Santiago as clearly
as the official reports exhibit them,
emphasized by the generous credit his
comrade commanders have unofficlally
bestowed upon him, there would be
such pressure upon Congress to do jus
tice to this capable and gallant servant
of the government as should speedily
bring him his high deserts.
Do people grasp the fact that the
Oregon, under Its alert and sagacious
captain, compromising with the clear
eve of born commander what was re-
CURED of him and his ship, thinking
right and acting with decision, doing
both with the. quickness of the light
ning's flash, brave as a lion but pos
sessing the GOODNESS and discretion of a
perfectly balanced nature, do people
comprehend the fact that the Oregon,
under the direction of Captain Clark,
was the leading factor in the prompt
ness and completeness of the destruc-
ton Of Cervera's squadron? They
better understand, from the nature of
the case, the circumstances, the perils,
the marvellous skill, courage and sue
cess Of the voyage around the Horn
and up the Brazilian coast; but in the
battle, the Oregon was one of many
actors. Still, to the eye of the stu
dent of the facts of the battle the Ore
gon is always playing the lead
ing part--and the Oregon and Captain
Clark are always Synonymous terms.
In the arrangement of the ships in
front of the entrance of the harbor of
Santiago, on the morning of the battle,
the cruiser Brooklyn held the extreme
left, or western, end of the blockading
line. The battleship Texas was next,
the Iowa, Oregon and Indiana holding
stations in the order named The
cruiser New York, guarding the right,
or east, of the line had left her post and
the Massachusetts was at Guantanamo,
forty miles away, coaling. The board
of officers to plot the positions of Ger
vera's squadron and those of the Unit.
ed States fleet exhibit by chart the pc.
sitions of the ships at seven different
times during the battle, as follows:
No. /. 9;35 A. NJ, Maria Teresa came out
OF harbor.
No. 2. $3.50 A. M. Pluton came out
No. 3. 1913 A. NJ. Maria Teresa turned
to run ashore.
No. 4, 1920 A, M Oquendo turned to run
ashore.
No. 3. 1890 A, NJ, Juror blew up and
Pluton turned to run ashore.
No. 6. HOB A. M. Viscaya turned to run
ashore.
MOI. 115 P. M. Colon surrendered.
When the Teresa appeared, the block.
aiding feet, like pack of hounds,
broke for the game. From her posi-
ton in the line the Oregon was astern
OF the Texas and Iowa in the chase
that began when the Spanish vessels
steered to the west. Position No. g.
as shown by the chart of the board, ex.
hibits the fleeing ships-the Colon, Wis.
caya, Oquendo and Teresa-in near
proximity to each other, steering west
along the Cuban coast. The Teresa
had been the target of destructive
fire from the pursuing ships and had
fallen behind her companions. The
Oregon had come up with her, when
she turned sharply for the shore. AS
she turned, she received raking fire
from nearly the whole of the Oregon's
battery, That was the end of the