Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-10-26

seeking the enemy's ship in the en-
trance or driving them ashore We
continued directly for the head of the
enemy's column, the idea uppermost
in my mind being that If we could ar
rest them long enough for the battle
ships to close in and knock them to
pieces tina. would be our best point
Of attack. They continued on this
course, porting and starboarding 10
meet the movements Of the leading
ship, which | assumed TO be the flag
ship from flag at her masthead. !
suppose from the time we started we
were 10 or IL minutes turning. first
with port helm and then advancing
direct to the enemy. | saw the ships
TO the eastward and westward clos
ing IN. | said to Captain Cook,
Close action or close up has been
hoistea, AMI it means to keep inside
OF a Thousand yards. out Of their ef-
fectiye torpedo range. Captain Cook
WAS standing alongside me and said,
Yes we will soon be within the cross
fire of these ships. | said, Yes, and
| then saw we had advanced without
firing. Th efirst gun, | think, was
firing. The first gun. ! think was
directly over the foreci azIe Of the
ship | saw the leading SHp which
apparently had started with the inten-
ton of ramming. take a turn ahead
to the westward leaving a gap be-
tween her and the ship following,
which subsequently proved to be the
Viscaya. We were advancing In the
direction of the Viscaya, when sh.,
also seemed to have given up the in.
tention to ram and turne6 to the west
ward, following the direction of the
leading ship. 1t then became appar-
ent, as We were steering on diamet-
rically opposite courses, that the orig
inal plan had failed and that the
Spanish fleet in order and apparently
at distance, had succeeded in passing
the battleship line. new feature
of the fight became Immediately ap-
parent. Captain Cook gave the order
to port helm. | did not. | should
have done it in a second. / saw the
ships head swinging very rapidly and
| asked him whether his helm was
hard aport and he replied that it was.
either aport or hard aport. | think
he said hard aport | never saw the
ship turn more rapidly than she did
at this time. Her turn was absolutely
continuous. There was no easing OF
her helm. | never saw the starboard
side of the Texas at all We were
never across her bow. | never was at
her port side and she never approach
ed any position that was within 600
yards of the Brooklyn. She never en-.
tered into my head at all as a menace
or danger. We passed completely
around the circle. The least range
that was given was 1 loo yards and
the fact of the nearness of that ship
lthe second Spanish ship impressed
itself upon my mind and will never
be forgotten, because | could see with
the naked eye men running over her
turrets to her superstrueture deck
and | observed the daylight between
their legs as they ran. We turned
very rapidly and had been for long
time under the impression that our
starboard engine was backed, from
the fact that | was standing upon the
starboard, and in looking astern | saw
an unusual amount of churned water.
Thought Starboard Engine Backed.
1t looked to me very much as If that
engine had been backing. Though
the matter was not one of record, as
| found out subsequently, | had al
ways been under the impression that
that engine had backed. During the
turn Mr.. dodgson very properly made
some allusion to the lookout, perhaps
for the Texas. | do not recall what it
was, but there was never any colo
guy of any character between Mr..
Hodgson and myself. First, he was
too good an officer to have trans
crossed one of the plainest duties of
an officer at such a time, and, second,
If he had undertaken it would not
have permitted 1t for a second. That
is fiction, there was no colloQuy.
Before we turned the leading ship
was abeam, or little abaft the beam,
and when we turned about she was
ahead of us-that is. on the starboard
bow--and all four ships and the forts
were firing at the same time, and
from that moment the following 10 or
Id minutes were the most furious part
OF this entire combat. / remember
very distinctly seeing, from time to
time, as my attention was attracted
for moment the jets of water ahead
and astern and over and short The
roar of projectile was one of the
things that can be heard only once
in lifetime and then never forgot
ten. 1t appeared at that moment that
all four OF those ships were at work
upon the Brooklyn, and up to the mo-
ment of turning. SO far as we could
perceive, there was not the slightest
evidence they had even been injured.
The thought passed through my mind
that after all our precautions and
waiting those fellows would get away.
At that moment | felt and | thought
remarked to Captain Cook that we
were alone and would perhaps have
most Of that fight upon ourselves, be-
because | did not know then that the
battleships could possibly keep up
their speed. But / said to him we
must stay with this crowd had no
idea that we would escape OF course
if they could have shot as we'll as our
people did they certainly would have
got us. When we had completely
turned around on a westerly course
the ships appeared to have been
broken up a little although still in
some sem blanre of formation and /