Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-20

a six-inch. 1t must be remembered that
the four and five-inch guns We're the
only quick firers above FOUNDERS in
cur feet and that they We're not only
much more rapidly but much more
surely handled than We're the larger
and slower firing guns. The damage
and loss of the American vessels We're
trivial. The only loss suffered was
aboard the Brooklyn, where one man
was killed and one wounded. In dam
age the cost of the repairs shows that
the Iowa suffered most and the Oregon
least. The American ships engaged
possessed more than two-fold ma
ships. and the difference in the hand
ling of their guns and their engines
was even greater. We have just cause
to be proud of the vigilance and the in
slant readiness our ships displayed and
the worlmanlike efficiency with which
they were handled. The most striking
act was that of the Gloucester. con-
verted yacht. which her commander,
Wainwright, pushed into the fight thru
Q hail of projectiles. any one of which
would have sunk her, in order that he
might do his part in destroying the two
torpedo boats. each possessing far more
than his own offensive power.
From the statements of the captains
above. from the official reports and
from the testimony before the court OF
inquiry, the fight can be plotted with
absolute certainty in it's important out
linz fhs ;s,, IT,
points. When the four Spanish crui-
sers came out of the harbor the New
York had left her position In the block
aiding lines forty or forty-five minutes
before. She had hoisted the signal
disregard the movements of the COM
mander-in- chief." but had not hoisted
the signal for the second in command
to take charge which. as appears by
the signal book, was sometimes but not
always used when the command was
transferred. AS soon as the engage
ment began the New York turned and
steamed back. hosting signal to close
in. which, however none of the squad
ron saw. She was in plain sight, and
not very much farther from the east
ernmost blockading ships than the lat
ter We're from the Brooklyn. which was
the westernmost of the line. AS soon
as the Spanish ships appeared the five
big American blockaders started
toward them in accordance with the
standing orders of Admiral Sampson.
ACTED Independently.
After this first move each acted
purely on his own initiative. For some
minutes the Spanish and American
vessels steadily approached one anoth-
er and the fighting was at it's hottest.
Then the already damaged Spanish
ships turned to the westward, while at
the same time the westernmost vessel
the Brooklyn, which was nearest the
Spanish line. turned to the eastward
making a loop of three quarter cir
Gle. at the end of which she again head
ed westward, farther off from and far
Their behind the Spanish vessels than
before the loop had begun. but still
ahead of any of the American vessels,
altho farther outside.
The Texas. the next ship to the
Brooklyn, either was or conceived her
self to be put in such jeopardy by the
turn toward her that she
backed her engines. coming almost to n
standstill: so that both the Oregon and
the Iowa, which We're originally to the
eastward of her. passed her and II was
some time after she again started be-
fore she regained her former position
relatively to the Spanish vessels The
Spanish vessels had Strengthened out in
a column for the west, the Colon going
inside of the others. and gradually
forging ahead of them. without suffer-
ing much damage. The two torpedo
boats which had followed them out Of
the harbor, We're now destroyed by the
fire of the Gloucester. which headed
straight in for them. paying no more
heed to their quick-fire guns than to
the heavy artillery of the forts, to
which she was also exposed.
In the running fight which followed,
until the Teresa, Oquendo and Viscaya
were destroyed, the Indiana gradually
dropped behind, altho she continued to
fire until the last Of the three vessels
went ashore. The Brooklyn was ahead
of any OF the other American vessels on
a course outside theirs: 1t was nearly
broadside onto the Spaniards. The Ore
gon, Iowa and Texas were all close to-
gether. and actively engaged turnout
this running fight. The Brooklyn and
Oregon. followed at some distance by
the Texas. then continued on chase of
the Colon, which went nearly thirty
miles farther before she also went
ashore. During this chase Of the Colon
there was practically no fighting.
These are the facts as set forth above
in the statements of the captains and
elsewhere in their official reports and
testimony. They leave no room for
doubt on any point.
Question Of Command Technical.
The question of command Is In this
case nominal and technical. Admiral
SIMPSONS ship, the New York. was
seen at the outset of the fight from all
the ships except the Brooklyn. Four
of these five ship captains have testi-
fled that they regarded him present
and in command He slgnalled CLOSE
in to the fleet as soon as the first
Spanish ship appeared, but his signal
not not seen by any American vessel.
He was actually under fire from the
forts and himself fired couple of shots
at the close of action with the torpedo
boats. In addition to signaling the In
diana just at the close of the action.
But during the action not single or
der from him was received by any of
the ships that were actively engaged.