Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-28

absolutely destroyed by gunfire, explosion,
flames, and Bleaching, rs in the cases OF the
Oquendo, Nizcaya, Maria Theresa, Pluton,
and Furor, or trcachcrously sunk, in the
case of the Colon 1t will be remembered that
Commander Hobson made great effort TO
salvage the Maria Theresa and got the
patched up warship as far north as Cat Island
in the Bahamas, when IL was abandoned IN
storm, went ashore, and now hes as another
monument to the destruction Of Spanish
power in the Western Hemisphere. Still,
the navy is to be credited with prizes
amounting to one million three hundred
and seventy-s1x thousand dollars.
ONE Of the most picturesque and valuable
- spoils OF war accruing to our navy was
the schooner Mathilde, which was captured
in sight of Havana the second day after the
establishment of the blockade of that port.
The little vessel (she could not have been
larger than two hundred tons was abso-
lutelv ignorant Of hostilities and when Lieu
tenant Fremont, q son of the famous first
Republican presidential candidate, went at
ter her in the torpcdoboat Porter, Captain
and crew evidently thought that the long
black fIend that shot across their bows flrst
and fired across them aftcrward was fooling.
AT any rate, the Mathilde did not he to until
several shots had been fired, the last ones
directed between the maSts and giving every
indication that the next ones would be lower
and dangerous.
The Mathilde had been laden with rum,
wines, and cordials in St. Thomas, and was
bound for Havana. The lamentations of the
Captain and his crew of twelve were mix
ture of the pitiable and the ludicrous. They
were followed by solemn sort OF despair
when the Porter lowed the schooner to the
lee of the flagship New York and reported
the capture to acting Rear Admiral Samp-
son. commander in chief. The dramatic
conditions were added to by the request of
Sampson to the Associated Press correspond
ent in charge of the despatch boat Dauntless,
that he tow the prize to Key West.
Now, the Dauntless had been the most
noted filibuster in Spanish waters, with
record Of eleven successful trips in landing
arms for the Cuban insurgents, and SO hate
ful in the eyes of the Spanish Government
that a reward of five thousand dollars had
been offered to anyone who would capture
or sink her. The irony of this towing of one
Of the first prizes taken from Spain by the
tug most hated by the Dons appealed to the
lacks who manned the side of the New York
as the pair started northWard through a
heavy sea and yelled most Justify as long as
the Dauntless was in hearing distance.
The Mathilde's cargo proved to be worth
between sixty thousand and seventy thou
sand dollars, and with the vessel itself
brought the Government and the captors
nearly one hundred thousand dollars.
DORTO RICO turned over a valuable as
set to the United States III the one hun
drcd miles of military roads, splendidly
made. wonderfully engineered, that run
from San uan ON the north to Ponce on the
south of the island. 1t would be unfair to
estimate these as spoil Of war, because their
maintenance is d constant source of cx-
pense The Notifications Of San Juan are of
some value; but it is impossible to find an
engineer officer Of our army who would put
Il price upon them since for modern de-
Tense they must be SO enlarged, their arrna-
ments 50 completely changed, and their
range of offensc 50 wdencd that millions of
dollars would have to be paid before they
could be regarded effective.
The United States has always had the
worst Of it, 50 far money values are con-
cerncd" said an officer of the General Staff
of the United States army when discussing
recently the subject Of the actual value of
spoils OF war. lin the Revolution won
freedom and an independence without which
our present superemlnent prosperity would
have been impossible. In the war with
AIcxico, and the veteran shook his head
rather sadly, we won millions of acres, an