Waterbury Democrat., 1901-10-26

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 ''In very few moments after the Oregce broke through the cloud ef Emoke she was perhaps 400 or 800 yards distant These two ships, the Brooklyn and the Oregon, were firing in manner 1 had never seen before. I never before realized what rapid gun fire meant. Both ships were at that time a sheet of flame. Soon after 1 saw that the leading ship was evi- dently battered hard. She Jagged sstern. I saw smoke coming out Of her ports and out of her hatches, and the fact that impressed itself upon me was that the columns were going straight up in the air. 1 said to Cap tain Cook, who was constantly at my side and always in my confidence: We have got one. Keep the boys be- low informed of all the movements. They cannot see and they ought to know And he did so throughout the action. Every few moments messages were sent below to the men that were answered oftentimes with cheers which we could hear through the ven tilatorS.
 s'It appeared to be a very short in- terTal of time after that that I saw a second ship on fire, which proved later to be the Oquendo. She evidently had suffered very severely and started inn mediately inshore, leaving the Viscaya and the Colon The Viscaya immedi- ately took a leading position on the bow, and I-thought for q little while that she would perhaps outfoot us. The Colon worked inshore, and the time between the dropping out of ac- ton of those two ships until the Wis caya turned inshore was a period of perhaps thirty minutes, during which time she was abreast of the Brooklyn and the Oregon. looked to the east ward and got occasional glimpses of the Indiana and of the Gloucester. I could not see very we'll what they were doing, owing to the clouds of smoke, though I knew that both were doing admirable work 1 felt that the moment those vessels ran into the beach the commanding officers of the ships which could not keep up the pace with the two leaders would take care of the prisoners and would save them from the insurgents as well as from their own fire.
 About thirty minutes. as nearly as 1 can remember, was the length of time from the turning in or the wounding of those two first vessels until the Wis caya went ashore She was little for ward of the beam of the Brooklyn and do not think at any time over 2,300 or 2.400 yards away. She was in most ex- cellent target range, and l remember that marine stationed in the top re- ported that he did not see any of the shots of the two ships, the Brooklyn and the Oregon. hitting the water. So 1 imagine from that that they were striking the ship. It was on the trip outward after, tie turn, was very anxious about the ranges, because 1 did not want the Viscaya and the Co lon to get out of good fighting range. Ellis, who was an expert with the sta- dimeter, constantly kept that instru- nent on those vessels and, knowing exactly their heights reported to me that they were maintaining the same range, but thought my eye was lit tie more sensitive, and I said, Now they are evidently gaining.
 '.He went from me the second time, and that was the last I saw of him alive In performing this magnificent duty he lost his life. He was struck about ten feet from where was stand ing. His brains and blood were thrown over great many people, and some of it reached me. He immediately fell, of course, to the deck, and it was a shock ing sight to men who had never seen such things befere-
 ssJust before the Viscaya turned to run ashore she put her helm astar- board, apparently starting out for the Brooklyn or the Oregon, l don't re- member which, and evidently at that moment got very severe wound, for l saw quite an explosion under her bow, and in moment afterward she put her helm hard aport, turning inshore, smoke coming from all of her matches"
 Admiral Schley in concluding his narrative of the battle, which was very dramatic, closed at 3 o'clock as follows:
 And that ended the battle of Santi- ago on the 3d day of July, 1898, and I must say that was very much i'm pressed with the officers and men en- gagged in that struggle, who fulfilled in the very highest and very noblest degree the traditions of the American navy"
 Admiral Schley then said that Ad- miral Taylor was too far away on the day of the battle to see where the Brooklyn was.
 He then entered into g long explana- ton of his course in regard to the Hodgson correspondence. He said he had no recollection of ever using the words Damn the Texas, and he de fended his course in regard to Lieu tenant Hodgson in the same way that he did in his letter to Hodgson and in much the same terms.
 Owing to Admiral Schley's voice giv ing out court was adjourned at 3:4N s'cloclt-