Evening star., 1901-10-23

that time see one after another OF the
Spanish ships coming out OF the harbor
and he estimated their distance from the
Oregon to be about three and a half miles.
He said that as the ships came out signal
was made through the telephone in the
coming tower to fire at viii.
1.-The range indicators" the witness went
on. gradually fell until l think my first
shot was fired at a range of 1920 or $500
yards" He had, he said, at that time
fired five shots from the 13-inch guns. but
soon afterward the Spanish ships drew so
far ahead he could no longer train his guns
upon them
held right on her course. evidently toward
the head of the enemy's column, and ne
described her passage between the Texas
and the Iowa 81 had very good oppor1u-
nifty" said the witness, "for seeing both
of those ships. We were very close to the
Iowa on our starboard hand and the Texas
was a little off on the port hand. l did
not see the Brooklyn, but knew she was
farther on ahead Of the Texas; that whole
ships length was between my position
and the Brooklyn. wherever she was. AS
we passed between the Iowa and the
Texas those ships seemed to be practically
at anchor. We were going very fast thea
and forced draught was covering our quar-
terdeck an inch or more deep with cin-
ders. many of them red hot. Water was
running from every hydrant we had TO
keep the decks from burning. Al that
time the fire of the enemy and OF otir own
ships was very heavy. The wster WAS
whipped up in all directions: shots new
overhead 1 think 1t was the riost excrt-
ing time Of the whole engagement.
The Torpedo Boats.
Just at that time 1t was reported that
the torpedo boats were coming out. 1 saw
two of them coming out Of the entrance to
the harbor and steam close along the shore
One would seem to run little ahead of
the other and the other would catch up,
and one of them turned off little as II she
was going to attack the Gloucester. The
Gloucester ran up very close to them AS
could not get my guns to bear on the heaVy
ships Of the enemy I thought l would try
a shot at the torpedo boats. l took my
time about it, waited until those boats were
tapping and estimated the range as 2.2oO
yards from the torpedo boats. l fired a
thirteen-inch gun, and when the smoke
cleared away l saw one of those boats
blow up. / do not claim it was done by
my shot. There were several others firing
at that time. 1t is wonder to me they
were not blown ND sooner"
At this point the witness varied from his
narrative to criticise the navigator's chart,
saying that 1t showed the position of the
Oregon at that time to be four miles to
the westward of where she actually was.
The witness then described the burning
of the Maria Teresa and the Oauendo.
saying that the Teresa, which was Admiral
Ceveras flagship, was such a mass OF
flames that 1t seemed impossible for any
one to live on her. He considered 1t
waste of ammunition to fire at the vessel.
Firing on the Colon.
The witness said that when the sugges-
ton was first made to Captain Clarke that
the thirteen-inch guns should be fired at
the Colon he had demurred to an extent,
saying that he thought the range was too
great.
The witness replied that the guns could
be fired at a range of $4,000 yards without
a ,eri,,r hn md q
afterward they had been fired first at dis
tance of 5000 yards, which had been In
creased first to $500, and then to 1000,
and still later to $500. When the range was
fixed at $500 Lieut. Ackerman said he OBJ
served that the shot passed over the flee
Ing Colon, but it fell so close to her quar-
ter that he felt sure it had struck her
II had he said, taken my long glass
aloft with me and l searched the side of the
Colon for injuries and saw none, but GER
talnly discovered that her flag was gone
ment of the shell had carried away the hal
yards. The quarter deck of the Colon was
deserted and all the casemate doors and
ports were closed.
Here the court took it's usual noon recess
When the Colon Went Ashore.
At o'clock Lieut. Ackerman continued
to testify concerning the battle Of July 8.
When the Colon went ashore the Oregon
was probably mile and half from that
ready in case there should be any treach-
cry on the part of the Spaniards. The
Texas came up first after this and, he
thought, the Vixen came up then.
When the New York came up just before
the Colon went ashore the Brooklyn was
about three points on the port bow of the
Oregon and about mile away from IL.
The witness had gone aloft on the oregon
to get a better view of the fall of the
shots. While there he saw the starboard
forward eight inch gun of the Brooklyn
fired and he saw them fall short of the
Colon. At the end of the chase he did not
see any of the shots of the Brooklyn reach
the Colon.
Toward the end of the chase, the witness
said, the Brooklyn appeared to be SSng
out as if to head off the Colon oy g':ng
for the headland that projected from the
coast some distance ahead.
In reply to a question by the idga id-
vocate he said the extreme range of the
S-inch guns of the Brooklyn, he thought.
was about 1900 yards The S-iach guns
on the Oregon had an extreme range OF
S,4OO yards, but the 8-inch guns of the
Brooklyn were later mounts.
At the time of making the turn of the
Brooklyn he said the Texas did not seem
to be making as much headway as was the
Iowa. She was not making as big waves
as the Iowa. He could not tell whether she
had stopped or was backing, but she SEEM
ed to be going ahead slowly. The firing of
the thirteen-inch guns on the Oregon was
not in obedience to any orders from the
flagship.
The last range of the Oregon on the Co
| Ion before the flag of the Colon was hauled
down was about 5000 yards At that time
| the Oregon was making about fifteen knots
When the Colon surrendered, the witness
said. 1t was difficult to tell whether the
Brooklyn or the Oregon was closer to the
| Colon. The Brooklyn and the Oregon
seemed to be on the same circle.
II should say" he said, 1.-The Brooklyn
| was fully 5000 yards away from the Colon
and was probably more than that
He thought the Brooklyn at the time the
Colon surrendered might have been slight
Iy nearer the Colon than the Oregon.
The court asked several questions of the
witness. The only signal he remembered
from the Brooklyn to the Oregon after the
battle of July commenced was to "close
up He thought on the morning Of that
day the Oregon must have been in her
blockading position, though he was not
sure about that, as he was not that morn
ing on watch.
Gunner AppIegate Testines.
Gunner F. T. Applegate, on the Brooklyn
on July 3, testified in regard to the posi-
tion of the guns on that ship during the
battle.
He said there was no time on board the
Brooklyn when some Of her guns could not
| be fired on the enemy