The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-20
BATTLE WAS A
CAPTAINS FIGHT
Continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page.
| usually done by the commander-ia-chiet
before reaching the limit of signal dis
lance when he proposed for any reason
I temporarily to reIiaQuish his command &C
the next ranking officer"
TAYLOR CONDEMNS BROOKLYN
Following is Admiral Taylor's state
ment:
At the beginning Of the fight the New
York was about as far ID the eastward
OF me as the Brooklyn was 10 the west
ward. The only signal I received from
/ the New York was at the very close OF
/ the fight, when she signalled 70 ne 70
return and guard the mouth Of the har-
/ Dor, 50 that nothing should come out 70
attack our transports. 7 received 10
signal whatever from the Brooklyn, and
( should not have Needed 4ny II one had
been made. as I considered Admiral
/ Sampson present and IN command From
her position II Indiana took full part il
/ the actual fight as the Spanish ships came
out OF the harbor. When they ran 70 the
westward the Indiana fell behind, bEt
continued firing at them and the torpedo
boats until all but the Colon were sunk
or beached. I saw the Brooklyn turn
and run out seaward. seemingly over a
mile, about the time the rear one OF the
Spanish ships turned 20 the west r.
instead OF making this loop, the Brooklyn
had stood strainght in toward the Span
iards, as the ether American ships did.
it seemed to be that the fight would have
I'D Of rE-
long chase"
wAINWRIeHT's DECLARATION
Following is Commander Wainwright's
statement;
al the outset Of the fight the New
York was not much farther away from
ne in one direction than the Brooklyn
was in the other and was in plain sight
A signal from Admiral Taylor IN connec-
ton with my moving forward TO attack
the torpedo boats was the only signal
I received. I made one 70 the New
York Just before the last torpedo boat
sank The New York at that time was
coming up under the fire OF the batteries
and herself fred a couple ot shots at the
torpedo boats. OF course, Admiral
Sampson was present and in command.
4
and would not have noticed her at all
had il not been for the fact that when
the other vessels closed in she made what
has been since called the loop so that
my attention was attracted by not see
ing the Texas. because she STOPPED. and
by not seeing the Brooklyn, because she
went TO seward away from the Spanish
vessels. IN other words, the left or west
ward part of our line was confused, and
this attracted my attention. because Il
seemed 70 me from where was that this
permitted the Spanish vessels 20 try to
escape TO westward
EVIDENCE IN BULLET HOLES
The survey Of the damages OF the four
Spanish war vessels shows that in addi-
ton to several score hits by the six
FOUNDER and one-pounder guns Of the
American fleet, they were struck forty
three times by the larger guns OF four
inches calibre and over. The Colon.
which came out inside the others. and did
comparatively little fighting, received but
three Of these hits. The other three ships.
which bore the orunt OF the action, re-
ceived forty among them OF these forty.
eleven. according TO the report OF the
board which examined into them, were by
four-iuch guns, ten by fve-inch guns.
four by either four or five-inch 0he board
could not determine which, while one
was BY either a five or six-inch- Twelve
were BY eight-inch and two by twelve
inch guns All of our big ships except
the Texas had eight-inch guns Only the
Texas and Iowa had twelvs-inch guns
The oregon and Indiana had thirteen-inch
guns; and they and the Texas had six
inch guns. The only four-inch guns
were on the Iowa; the only five-fnch guns
on the Brooklyn. Therefore. on the
three spanish ships which did the bulk
Of the fighting. out OF the forty large
caIfber shots that struck them. eleven
certainly came from the Iowa, ten GER
tainIy came from the Brooklyn. four
from either the Iowa or the Brooklyn.
and two from either the Iowa or the
Texas OF the three which struck the
Colon. two We're fve-inch. and must
have come from the Brooklyn; one was
either fve-inch or a si,S-inch. It must
be remembered that the four and fve-ineh
guns were the only quick frers above
six-pounders in our feet. and they were
not only much more rapidly. but much
and slower firing guns The damage and
loss OF the American vessels were trivial
The only loss suffered was aboard the
Brooklyn. where one man was killed ard
one wounded. IN damage, the cost OF
the repairs shows that the Iowa SUI
fered most. and the Oregon least The
American ships engaged possessed a
more than two-fold material superiority
over the Spanish ships. and the difference I
in the handling OF their guns and their
engines was even greater We have just
cause 70 be proud Of the vigilance and
instant readiness our ships displayed and
the workrranlISe efficiency with which
they we're handled. Tie most striking
act was that OF the Gloucester. con-
vertsd Yacht. which her commander.
Wainwright. pushed into the hght
through a hail Of pFosectiiss. anyone OF
which would have sunk her. IN order
that he might do his part n destroying
two torpedo boats. each possessing FAR
more than his own offensive power"
The FIGHT PLOTTED
From The statements q the captains
above. from the Official reports ard from
The testimony before the court OF IN
quiry. TIE rght can be plotted zith al
solute certainty IN its important outlines. :
though there is conflict as % minor points. /
when the four Spanish cruisers came OFT
Every Woman