The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-11-07
ARTHUR ROPES. General EDITOR
There Were Others.


by the JOURNAL to the effect that at
Santiago Captain Clark fought and ex-
tinguished the Spanish squadron, piece.
meal, strung out along the sea, as he
had planned to do had the encounter
come off the coast of South America,
the Boston Transcript, with the sug-
gestion Of a sneer, says:
In "Mr. Dooley's" review of Governor
Roosevet's book on the Santiago campaign
he suggested that the title should be
changed to "Alonein Cuba" AS the title
is not doing duty the Vermont Waterman
should have used it for an editorial in its col
umns this week. arguing for suitable State
recognition OF the services OF Captain Clark
OF the Oregon. We hardly think that
Captain Clark would claim as much for him
self as is here claimed for him. That he has
made splendid record no one Can truth
fully deny, and he added richly to his lau
rels off Santiago; but when the history Of
that naval conflict is written 1t will doubt
less appear that there were others.
Captain Clark claims nothing. He
COULDN'T be coaxed into making any
claim for himself, 80 the comparison the
Transcript institutes bias no applica-
ton whatever, and is as destitute of wit
as Of truth or sense. Ordinary intelli-
gence, ordinary familiarity with the
facts of the battle of Santiago, ought to
have taught newspaper of the modern
Athens better than to raise contention
on the point in question. There were,
indeed, others at Santiago, as the Trans
cript suggests, but pbere were they
when the problem, not merely of en-
mpassing the destruction of Ger
vera's cruisers, but of preventing,
also, the escape of one or more of them,
was presented2
The facts of the situation at the crisis
of the battle are given in the report of
the board of officers to plot the posi-
tions of CerverA's ships and those of
the United States fleet. They exhibit
by chart the positions of the ships at
seven different times during the battle.
At 9:35 The Teresa came out of the har-
Dor. Position No. 8, at 1915, was the
turning point of the fight. The O.e
gon had started in the chase from the
extreme right of the blockading line.
Ahead Of her were the Indiana, Iowa,
Texas and the Brooklyn, which held
positions to the left, or westward, in
the order named. The Oregon over
took and passed all these ships, ex-
cepting only the cruiser Brooklyn,
and at 1915, in position No. 8, was
abeam of the Teresa, with the Colon,
Vizcaya and Oquendo in near proxim-
ity. When the Oregon came up with
the Teresa-and not till then-the lat
ter turned sharply for the shore, and as
she turned received a raking fire from
nearly the whole of the Oregon's bat
terry. That was the end of the Teresa.
A this stage of the battle the Greg IN
was close alongside of the Oquendo,
but where were her consorts whose po-
sition in the line had given them a
long lead i'll the pursuit. The Texas
was a mile and quarter astern, the
Iowa mile and half and the Indiana
two miles. The cruiser Brooklyn, off
the Oregon's port bow, was the only
ship of the United States ahead of or
up with the Oregon. This was the
crisis of the great battle, and the Ore
gon was the dominating agent in turn
ing it's fortunes so decisively to the side
of the Americans.
Having placed the Teresa hors du
combat, the Oregon closed on the
Oquendo at range of only 900 yards,
and in few moments drove the Sec
ond of her antagonists, a burning
wreck, in shore. As the Oquendo
turned for the coast the Oregon's bat
teries gave her parting blast that
insured her destruction. "We have
settled another; now look out for the
rest" commanded Captain Clark.
The Vizcaya was now two miles
away. AT 11:05 the official report
says she turned to run ashore. The
story of the chase tells how, after a
running fight, she Oregon planted 49,
inch shell amidships, the eliminating
disaster which compelled her to seek
the shelter of the Cuban coast, eigh-
teen miles from Santiago, and an ex-
plot that drew from Schley on the
Brooklyn the approving signal, "Well
done, Ofegonp At this time every
other battleship had been hopelessly
distanced. The Texas, the foremost
of her followers, was miles astern and
all had given up the pursuit.
The Colon, the last survivor of the
Spanish squadron, had meantime
drawn some six miles ahead and ap'
peared to be making good her escape
The Oregon took uB the pursuit with