The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-26

saw that ] went forward onto the it
tie platform 4 had constructed on the
battle tower, IN CIDER t. be very cl1s =
to Captain Cook. I had only been there
a moment or two when Captain Cook
Joined me.
in the rledntiue Mr.. HOdgson. who
was on the upper bridge, sang ont
something to the captain about being
connected up and all ready, and he at
the same time said to me:
Cot Rs 5y For Action.
&" Commodore, they are coming right
at uc- Well l said, go right for
them.
THE helm was put aport The ship
was started ahead, first at perhaps
about half speed: 1 do not remember.
She took her way very quickly. and
when we headed around I said TO Cap
tain Cook: Go head full speed and
hoist signal 10 clear ship for action
We generally made that signal be
cause there was around the quarter
deck ana the forecastIe of most Of
these ships a little temporary railing
composed usually of oars and ropes
20 keep people from falling overheard.
Generally an awning of some sort was
up. that signal was followed by:
Close up for close action
The Brooklyn. as we'll as the other
vess Els of the squadron. charged i'm
mediately into the entrance in accord
ance with the original plan of seeking
the enemy's ships in the entrance or
driving them ashore. We continued
directly for the head Of the enemy's
column the idea uppernIost in mind
being il we could arrest them long
enough for the battleships to close in
and knock them TO pieces that would
be our hest point of attack.
They continued on this cOUf.,e. port
ing and starboaTdinE to meet the
movements of the leading ship. which
I assumed to be the flagship from a
flag at her masthead. 1 suppose from
the time we started we were ten to
twelve minutes turning first with port
helm and then with advancing direct
to the enemy. / saw the ships to the
eastward and westward closing in.
First Gun Fired.
II said to Captain Cook: Close ac-
tion or close up has been hoisted and it
means to keeU inside of 1000 yards.
out of their effective torpedo range
Captain Cook was standing alOngside
me. and said: Yes, we Will soon be
within he crOss-fiTS of these ships I
said. Yes, and that ] saw we had
advanced without firing
The first gun. 1 think. was fired by
Lieutenant Simpson. almost directly
over the forecastle of the ship. 1 saw
the leading ship which apparently had
started with the intention of ramming.
take a turn to the westward, leaving
a gap between her and the ship follow
ing, which subsequently proved to be
the Viscaya.
I'VE were advancing in the direction
Of the Visc4ya when she also seemed
TO have given up the intention TO ram,
and turned TO the westward. follow
ing the direction of the leading ship.
10 then became apparent. as we were
steering in diametTically opposite
courses. that the original p'9n had
failed. and that the Spanish fleet in
order and apparently at distance, had
succeeded in passing the battleship
line.
"A new feature of the fight became
Immediately apparent. Captain Cook
gave the order to port helm. ] did not.
1 should have done il in a second. I
saw the ships hold swinging very rap
idly. and asked him whether his helm
was hard aport and he replied that it
was either apOrt or hard apcrt.
think he said hard aport.
That Famous Loop.
Il never saw the ship turn more
rapidly than she did at this time Her
turn was continuous. There was no
easing of her helm. I never saw the
starboard side of the Texas at all. We
were never across her bow. 1 never
was al her port side and she never ap-
proacled any position that was within
500 ds Of the Brooklyn. She never
entered into my head at all as men
ace or danger.
we passed completely around the
circle. The least range that was Civ
en- was LOO yards. and the fact of the
nearness of that ship (the second
Spanish ship impressed itself upon my
mind, and will never be forgotten. be-
cause ] could see with the naked eye
men running over her turrets to her
superstructure deck. and 1 observed
the daylight between their legs as they
ran.
we turned very rapidly. and I had
been "A 1nnrr frna h..
preston that our starboard engine
was backed. from the fact that ! was
standing upon the starboard and in
/ looking asteru J saw an unusual
amount of churned water. It looked
TO me very much as il the engine had
been backing
Though the matter was not one Of
record. [ found out subsequently, | had
always been under the impression that
that ENGINE had backed. During the
turn Mr.. Hodgson very properly made
some allusion 20 look out. perhaps To-
the Texas. ] do not recall what il is
! but there was never any coIioquy of
any character between Mr.. Hodgson
and myself
No Colloquy With Hodgson.
First he was too good an officer to
/ have transgressed one. OF the plainest
duties OF an officer at such a time. and
! second, If he had undertaken it WOULD
neither have permitted it for a second
/ This Is fiction: there was no colloouy
Before we turned the leading shin
was abeam. or a little abaft the beam.
and when we turned about she was
abe ad Of US. that is. on the starboard
bow. and ell four ships and the forts
were firing at the same time. and from
that moment the following ten or If
. teen minutes were the most furious
part of the combat.
II remember very distinctly seeing.
from time to time, as my attention was
attracted for a moment. the jets Of
water ahead and astern and over and
short. The roar OF projectiles was one
of the things that can be heard only
once in a lifetime. and then never for
gotten II appeared at that moment
that all fCpr Of those ships were at
work upon the Brooklyn. and Up to
the moment of turning. so sar as ~.
could perceive, there was not the
slightest evidence they had even been
injured.