The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-15
Leads all North Carolina Dailes i'm News and Circulation

tie of July 3. Captain Cook said he was
in his cabin when TIE Spanish eet was
sighted and went Immediately on deck.
Had you had any intimation on the
night before that the feet was coming
out ?" sue
| mo. | turned in the night before,
about midnight, feeling rather the other
way, all hope of their coming out having
been given up
when you came on deck where were
the Spanish vessels? What were they
doing?"
| when / first arrived on the forecastle
there were two in sight. The third one
was just outside the entrance and the
fourth appeared Immediately afterward. ,"
| (Which way did they head?'
1--WE were to the westward The en-
trance to us was about northeast by
north The fleet came out south and
! turned as they left the entrance to four
| points southwest, so that they turned III
our direction. ASsM
our direction. When first got on deck
the helm had been starboarded, holding
little to the northward. When ! saw
! the fleet they were heading southwest,
and seemed to be coming straight for the
| interval between the Texas and the
Brooklyn. / went in the coming tower
and directed the helmsman.
| STRAIGHT FOR THE SPANIARDS.
81 told him what l wanted to do was
to keep straight for the feet They wav
| cred little. Sometimes they turned one
way and then another. We shifted helm
1 H,.+ l;t+
| finally when we were getting up fairly
| close, say between fifteen hundred and
two thousand yards, it seemed to NE
| clear that they wanted to pass between
the Texas and the Brooklyn. The Texas
twas well on our starboard hand and she
was headed to the northward and west
ward. All ships were carrying out the
instructions of the COMMUNICATIVE chief,
and that was to head in for the entrance.
| We were well to the westward and head
ed to the norteast. When | saw that, l
ported the helm perhaps half way over.
She was swinging starboard very rapidly
The Spanish fleet was coming straight for
this interval. l stepped out of the tower
| on the port side to get good look az
| this eet, to see just what they were going
/ to do as to our relative positions, and |
saw they evidently put helms hard aport
| and were turning to the westward. We
were then turning very rapidly to star
| board with port helm and we had turned
l think, almost to the east. The Texas
was well on our starboard side. ] then
I gave the order Hard aport' to the helms
man. ran through the opening between
/ the shield and the coming tower to the
other side on purpose to see, our own
fleet and our relative positions. Quicker
than l could tell it, the Commodore
called to NE Cook, Hard aport,' or Is
your helf aport.' l answered The helm
is hard aport turning as rapidly as possi-
BILE.
QUICK TURN BY BROOKLYN.
AS l watched the Texas the bow of the
Brooklyn seemed first to point to her
port bow. l never saw the starboard bow
of the Texas and changing her bearing
very rapidly the bow of the Brooklyn
] passed along the port side of the Texas
4 until there was clear opening between
] us and the stern of the Texas. We made
a complete turn, very quick turn, with
helm hard aport until we came around
and paralleled the fleet on the other
side. AS we paralleled the Spanish fleet
the Viscaya--'
Admiral Dewey: May interrupt? How
near did you pass to the Texas?"
NEVER FEARED A COLLISION.
81 never thought of collision 1t
! never entered my mind. / never for a
moment had one idea or vcissitude in
that respect. We passed, / Judge, about
four hundred yards. l had handled the
ship under all circumstances an got so
l could judge pretty correctly and my
/ impression was tat we were about the
! distance we sailed in squadron But a
collision l never thought of She turned
perfectly clear of the Texas, came around
and then we had the Viscaya on our
starboard bow and about abeam was the
Oquendo and then the Colon. At the time
thought it was the Teresa, but soon
discovered this vessel was dropping out
and heading for the beach. That was
about the hottest time of the action. 1t
was critical time. There was not any
time fer indecision and | do mot think
| there was any. have always felt in my
mind, in studying the positions, that the
chances would have been for disaster
had we shifted helm at such time. How
| ever, we got around and we had these
three vessels l looked and could see
| nothing but smoke astern and vessels
| seemed enveloped in this smoke. l could
not understand it. L could not under
| stand exactly how we got there. They
were all three firing on the Brooklyn,
| when almost Immediately faster than
| could tell it, | saw large white bone in
the water and through this smoke / saw
the Low of vessel / exclaimed at the
! time. What was that?' The navigator,
| who was near me, said it was the Mass
! achusetts or something to that effect. /
said she was away and he then said
That is the Oregon l felt perfectly as
| sured from that moment. She came up
| very rapidly; she was making mere speed
| than we were at that time"
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