The age-herald., 1902-02-20

ish ships, and the difference in the ham ding of their guns and their engines was | even greater. We have just cause to be proud of the vigilance and instant readi- ness our ships displayed and the work manlike efficiency with which they were handled The most striking act was that of the Gloucester, a converted yacht, which her commander. Wainwright. pushed into the fight through 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.
 Roosevelt's Conclusions.
 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 its important outlines, though there Is conflict as to minor points. When the four Spanish cruisers came out of the harbor the New York had left her position in the blockading lines forty of forty-five minutes before. She had hoisted the signal disregard the movements of the commander-in-ch -chief, | but had not hoisted the signal to the sec- ond in command to take charge, which as 1 appears by the signal book, was some times but not always used when the | command was transferred. As soon as | the engagement began the New forK 1 turned and steamed back, hoisting sig nal to close in, which, however, none or | the squadron saw until she was In pialn sight and not very much farther rom the eastmost blockading ships than the | latter were from the Brooklyn which was lthe westermost of the line AS soon as the Spanish ships appeared the hVe DIE American blockaders started toward them in accordance with the standing orders or l Admiral Sampson.
 1 After this move each acted purely on l his own initiative. For some minutes the 1 Spanish and American vessels steauliy l approached one another and the nghtlns was at it's hottest. Then the already | damaged Spanish ships turned 10 the 1 westward while at the same tune tne westermost American vessels the Brook- | lyn, which was nearest the spanish hhe, 1 turned to the eastward, making loop or l three-ouarters circle at the end Of Wh1cn she again headed westward, farther oH from and father behind the Spanish yes sells than before the loop had begun, but still ahead of any of the American Yes- sells, although farther outside.
 The Texas in Jeopardy.
 The Texas, the next ship to the Brook lyn, either was or conceived hersel1 to be put in such jeopardy by the Brooklyn's
 
 zines. coming almost or quite to stand still. so that both the Oregon and the Iowa, which were originally to the east ward of her, passed her. and IL was some time after she again started before she regained her former position relatively to the Spanish vessels. The Spanish ships had strengthened out in a column for the west. the Colon going inside of the others and gradually forging ahead of them without suffering much damage. The two torpedo boats which had followed them l ont of the harbor were now destroyed by 1 the fire of the rearmost of the American l large vessels and of the Gloucester,
 which headed straight 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, un-
 til the Teresa, Oquendo and Viscaya were
 destroyed the Indiana gradually dropped
 behind although 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 out
 side theirs; she was nearly broadside to the Spanish warshps. The Oregon, Iowa and Texas were all close together and actively engaged throughout this running fight. The Brooklyn and Oregon followed | at some distance, and the Texas con tinued the chase of the Colon, which went nearly thirty miles further 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 important point.
 The question of command is in this case nominal and technical. Admiral l Sampsons ship, the New York, was seen at the outset of the fight from all the | ships except the Brooklyn. Four of these 1 five ships captains have testified that 1 they regarded him as present and in command. He signalled 'close in' to the fleet as soon as the first Spanish ship appeared but his signal was not seen by any American vessel. He was actually under fire from the forts and himself fired a couple of shots at the close of the action with the torpedo boats in addi- tion to signalling the Indiana just at the close of the action. But during the action not a single order from his was received by any of the ships that were actively engaged.
 Carried Out Sampson's Orders.
 Admiral Schley at the outset of the fight hoisted the two signals of "clear ship" and ''cose in which was simply carry ing out the standing orders of Admiral CdHlpSOn dS to what SnOulu De QOne IT the enemys ships attempted to break out of 1 the harbor. Not until after the close
 of the first portion of the fight did we l take notice of the different positions and noticed another signal from him. Wh<n
 the western pursuit had begun the Oee- gon noticed and repeated one of his Sig
 nals of command. The captain of the
 Oregon then regarded him as in command
 but did not in any shape or way execute | any movement or any action of any kind
 whatsoever in accordance with any order | from him.
 In short the question as to which of the two men, Admiral Sampson or Ad- miral Schley was at the time in com l mand Is of merely nominal character Technically Sampson commanded the | fleet and Schley, as usual, the western 1 division. The actual fact. the important fact is that after the battle was joined her helm was joined, not a gun was fired, not pound of steam was put on in the engine room aboard any ship actively | engaged in obedience to the orders of