The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-10
HOW SCHLEY FOUGHT THE SPAN
ISH FLEET.

Look out for the torpedo boats, Cook"
he sang out once, as the lookout above
notified US through the megaphone that
they were coming out of the harbor. An
instant after Capt. Cook said, There are
no other American vessels in sight" Put
ting his glasses to his eyes, Schley scam
ned carefully the dense mass of smoke
which hung like curtain three-Quarters
of a mile behind US. On our starboard
side were the four Spanish vessels, each
one Of them plainly in view, and each Of
them firing. If Schley had given the
slightest Indication at that moment that
he was afraid of the result, or If he had
ordered the helm put over to take the
Brooklyn out of the fight, it is perfectly
possible that panic would have seized US
all. But as coolly as if he were saving
that he would join a pleasure cruise,
Commodore Schley said to Cook, all in the
same breath, ''Well, we are going to stay
with them. Keep her in towards them, -
and in the next instant, to Ellis, 'Get
that range again, my boy Ellis STEP
ped out from the shadow of the turret
and took the range. Eighteen hundred
yards he sang out and turned to step
back. There was a sickening thud, a
splatter of warm. red blood over our
clothes and faces. and the headless body
curled down to the deck. A siX-pounder
shell had knocked Ellis head off Two
men jumped forward to throw the body
overheard, but, in the midst of all that
terrible conflict with every indication
that the Brooklyn was to be sacrificed,
with almost everything depending upon
this man in front of the coming tower.
from the heat of battle Schley found time
to turn quickly and say Don't throw
| that body overheard. Take it below and
We'll give it Christian burial" Hardly
had the body been lifted to a place be,
low the superstructure when there was
a slight cheer and Schley, looking
| around with his glasses toward the cur
tain Of smoke, saw the nose of the
Oregon with a great white wave piled UP
in front of it, come rifting through it,
by George, you're all right" he said;
and, almost at the same instant the
Maria Teresa turned in toward the shore,
a great column Of smoke rising from her
quarterback. Catching Capt Cook in an
almost vice-lfke grip by the shoulder the
commodore exclaimed Cook, we've got
one. Tell the DULLES below about it,
Poor devils{'' said Schley, in a sympa-
thetic tone.
The great fight of the day was now on,
for we were side by side with the Wis
caya, fighting a broadside fight, and at
closer quarters than had any of the ships
been. There was a grinding, crashing
noise from the deck beneath U.S. and
Schley said, Quickly: ''They have landed
something in US. Send a messenger and
see how many are killed and wounded"
In moment the messenger hurried up
and reported that a six and seven-tenths-
inch shell had come in and exploded, but
that only one man was hurt. 1T isn't
possible, is 1t, Cook?' exclaimed SchIey,
as if very doubtful that such a miraculous
incident could occur. And then, as he
glued his binoculars to his eyes and took
another glance at the Viscaya, which
was on our starboard quarter, he gave
expression to intense feeling in a long
drawn-out my Cod" as his glasses
showed him the picture of an eight-inch
shell from the Brooklyn striking tor
pedo in one of the Spanish ships forward
torpedo bow and bursting out all Of her
port bow. But the spirit of the contest
overpowering him again, as he saw
shell from the Oregon strike the Viscaya