The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-02-20

/ "a
| must be remembered that the four or five.
| Inch guns were the only quick.hrers above
sN.pounders In out neet aud that thcy
/ were not Onfy much more rapidly but much
more surely handled than were the larger
aud slower firing guns.
! The damage ana loss Of the Americas
vessels were trivial, The only loss suffered
was aboard the BROOKLYN. whore one man
WAS killed and one wounded. In damage
/ the cost OF the repairs shows that the Iowa
suffered most ana thc Oregon least. The
| American ships engaged possessed a more
| than two-fold material superiority over the
/ Spanish ships; the difference In the hand
ling Of their guns and their engines was
I even greater We have inst cause to De-
! proud OF the vigilance and instant rcadt
ness our ships displayed and the workman
Ike efficiency with which they were han.
died The most striking act was that %
the Gloucester a converted yact. which
| her commander, Wainwright, pushed into
the fight through hail OF prolectilcs, an,
one Of which would have sunk her IN urlcr
/ that he might do bis part IN destroying
the two torpedo boats, each possessing far
more than his own offensive power
From the statements ~ the captains
above, from the official rcpor S. and from
the testimony before the court Of inquiry
the night eau be plotted with nhsUiu GER
tainty la Its important outlines, though
the four Spanish cruisers came ont of the
harbor he New York had loft her post
ton In the blockuding line forty or forty
nNe minutes before She bad huisted the
conmardcr In chief" but had not hoistcd
me signal 70 tne second Ia command to
take churgr which. as appears by the sig
mai book. was some lines bur not ALWAYS
used when the command was transferred.
As soon as the engagement began the New
YORK turned and steamed back. hosting
~ sihhal TO close In. which. however. none
ot the squadron saw until she was In plain
>lght ana not very much farther from the
eaNicrInust hluckudlug ships than the IN ter
were from the Broo&Iyu which was the
q 81 o. IuF na 50.
spanish ships appeared the i've big Amer.
lcan hi"'hadrrs started toward them. $40
accordance with tho standing orders of Ad.
AFTER THIS MOVE EACH ACTED
III RELY p\ HIS OWN INITIATIVE
For some minutes lie Spanish and Amer
,.3n Vessels slnaaiiE approached One an-
g,h"7 aud 'h" nrhtln. was a. its hottest.
Ihen th" already damaged Spanish -utp>
turned to The westward. while M the
same time 10" vcsterrmost American vo,-
SOL the brooklyn which WAS nearest the
spanish line turned 90 the eastward. max.
Ing q loop ot threuquurtcrS " CIRCLE
~ the end of which suo again headed west.
ward farther mi from farther behind The
spanish vessels tnm before the loop bee
gun, ou sftl ahead of any Of the American
csseis although farther outside.
he Texas. iu" next shin ia tho Brook.
Fu. either was or conceived herself 90 bc.
put In such jeopardy hy Tho Bra1Shu 8
urn toward her that She backed hes en-.
siues coming almost ar quite m n stand
sun, so thar both rho Oregon md Iowa.
|nl'h "er" originally 70 the eastward of
heet, passed her. and Il was some time
ssa,'r She again started before She roslInel
isb I ycass position r,laJHsiF To- the span
traisateugd our 10 c ,Iaa ror '. Se w e.a
the Colon going Inside OF tho othcrs and
gradually forging ahead Of them without
hoats "bIch had Followed them oai Of
the harbor. were now DESTROYED hv the fire
az the renrmost NJ the American big vas.
selS and of the Glourcstor which beaded
straight for them. paving no more he'd
| 10 their quirknrc guns thnn In The heayy
Z artillery az the forts. 90 which sine was also
| exposed
the Teresa. 0GucnSdo and V i5cavo We're WuT,
destroyed, the Indiana gradually dropped
/ hehlnn, although qhe continued no IRE uut,l
! Ine lasi IF the three vessels went ashore.
| me brooENu was ahead nj any OF the
| nt6er American vessels on a course out.
side tnolrs, She hoing nearly broad,ldo on
Texas were ai close together and octtycIt
| engaged throughout this rIuuiug drht The
| Brooki}n and Oregon. followed M some
! distance by the Texas, then continued In
! chase Of the Colon, which went ncariv
| thirty miles farther before she also Went
! ashore. During this chase Of Tho Cnl0n
, there was practicallv no fghtIpp.
These are the rnCts sol forth ohovc In
! the statements Of tho captnlna and else
| where In their official rcnorts MA t.tI
I mony They leave no room for Jonbt an
| any important point
The question Of command In +hfs c,eo
IS nominal and technlrni tdniIr,i s.,nl