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Show Ninth The Vlteaya was itllt under un-der the Are o( the lending vcsiels, the Cristobal Colon had ilmwn ahead, leading the chase, and toon passed beyond be-yond the rango of the gunsuf the lending lend-ing American ships. The Vlarnya wat aoon Ml on Ore, and at 111 she turned In shore nnd nan bleached at Acecrraderos, flftecn miles from Santiago, Santi-ago, burning fiercely and with her re-servo re-servo of ammunition on deck already beginning In explode When about ten mile west of Santiago the "Indl-nna" "Indl-nna" had been signaled to go tuck to the harbo- entrance, and at Accerra-dcrout Accerra-dcrout the Iona was signaled to "re-aumo "re-aumo blockading atatlon " The Iona, assisted by the Crlceson and the Hist, took oil tho crew of tho Vlteaya, while the Harvard and the (lloucvater rescued those of the Infanta Marin Tcresn and the Aliul-raulc Aliul-raulc Oquendo. TMs rescue of prisoners. Including the wounded, from the burning ship, was tho occasion of some of the most daring and gallant conduct of the day. The ships were burning fore and aft, their guns and reserve, ammunition were exploding, and It was not known nt what moment the Urn would reach the main magnttnes. In addition to this n heavy surf was running Just Inside In-side of the Spanish ships, lint no risk ilderrcd our oMcera mid men until their work of humanity was complete. OMSK or TUB tin fix. Tenth There remained nuw of the Nptntsli ships only the Cristobal Colon, hut she was their liest and fastest vessel. Forced by the situation situa-tion to hug the Cuban coast, her only liance of escape was by superior and sustained spied. When tho Vlteaya went ashore, the Colon was about six miles nhend of tho llrooklyn and tho Oregon, but her spurt was finished, fin-ished, and the American ships wero now gaining upon her. llchlnd the llrooklyn and Oregon came the Texas, Vixen and New York. Jtwas evident from tho brMgo of the New York that all tho American ships were gradually overhauling the chase, and that she had no clianco of escape At 13.30 the llrooklyn and tho Oregon opened flro and got their rango the Oregou'a heavy shells striking beyond her and at 1:10 she gave up without firing another shot, hauled down her colors and ran ashore at lllo Toruqulno, forty-eight miles from Santiago. Capt Cook of tho llrooklyn went on board to rceelro the surrender. While his boat was alongside 1 camo up In the Now York, received his report re-port and placed the Oregon In chargo of tho wreik, to save her If possible, and directed the prisoners to be transferred to -tho llcsolute, which had followed tho chaw. Commodore Com-modore Schley, whose chief of stuff had gone on hoard to receive tho surrender, sur-render, had directed that all their personal per-sonal ejects should lie retained by tho onicera, This order 1 did not modify. Tho Cristobal Colon was not Injured In-jured by our firing, ami probably Is not Injured much by lieachlng, though sho ran ashore at high speed. Tho beach Js, to steep Hint slioiumiofr by Old wooing of lint sea. Hut her sea , , Yalrpa 1 rro opened and broken, treacherously, treach-erously, 1 nin sure; after her surrender, ' and llrjplU all effuf M hq .sank, " iViieil l( ta'caiya .avfolfiit tljal sho imild not ba kept afloat, sho was iWW'W18 P'W0'1' ,,,11,Jr Jupon3,lie U'acli,'"th,eY New Yorka stvm Hlng placed against her for-thla purposo tho ship being handled by Cam llkl wltlAadiiilrm.Cn J3 UMustai4lUinK lirailmll watr Ximl' may be saved. Hail this not been l.lcveutli l regard this coniplcto and Important victory over tho Spanish Span-ish fomM tho sJurKJtfut llnlsh'Nlf several Ml et trot Vduoiit ami close blockade, so stringent and olfccUvc tTUftliif liio iilghllirdTtCo enemy was ,lflnUU,clatlernii l(uL kJeiL I '1 hat such was tho caso I was Informed by tho commanding olllccr of the Cristobal Colon w-ockak Hr SuiiJiiY r T elfll. VJ, seejSi pAllUkWcfl.' describe hero the manner In which this was accomplished. Tho harbor of W.UJh3rT0nafllHlrtfdcep'natc', acstxtoMdlug close up to tho shore lino IWIEIEi'i Mlieiraoon was at Ha full, and there was auetoirtitsllglrii 4ilrUf 4ho night to enable any inorqmeutoutaUqpOio 'cbftSnWtb'waetec'red. ' ImTwllh. tho waning of tho moon -and the coming of dark ulghts. there was, opportunity lor Mllo eireroy td ctcaricVoV- for hhi torpello bouts toniske n Attack upon tho blockading vessels. I was certain wltli"ialK Wrtcrusfveness hat "tne follows: ' t To the little ships was assigned the duty In turn, of lighting thu channel ' Moving up to the port, at a distance of from one to two tulles from the Morro - dependent upon the condition of the atmosphere thry threw a searrhllght beam directly upon tha channel and held It steadily there This lighted up the entire breadth of the channel for half a mite Inside of the entrance so brilliantly that the movement of small boats imild be detected. Why the batteries never opened fire upon tho searchlight ships was always a matter of surprise tn me. but they norcr did Stationed clow to the entrance en-trance of the port were three picket launches and, at n lltltedlstance farther out, thrcesniall picket vessels usually eonvertril yachts when they were nvallablc. one or tnn of our torpedo boats. Willi this arrangement there was at least a certainty that nothing could grtoul of thcliarhorundctrctcd I'pon the nrrlrnl of tho army, when thesltuitlou forced upon tho Spanish ndmlrnl a decision, our vlgllauco In-created. In-created. Tho night blockading ills-tanco ills-tanco was reduced to two miles for all vessels, and a battleship was placed alongside the searchlight ship with her broadshlo trained upon tho channel In readiness to flro tha Instant a Spanish ship should appear The commanding nfllccrs merit the greatest praise for the perfect manner In which they entered en-tered Into this plan and put It Into execution. ex-ecution. Tho Massachusetts, which according to routine, was sent that morning to coal ul Ounntanamo, llko tho others, had spent weary nights upon up-on this work, and deserved a bellcr fate than to lie absent that morning. I enclose fur tho Information of the department copies of orders and memorandums mem-orandums Issued from time to time, relating re-lating to tho manner of maintaining tho blockade. Thlrtecnth-Whcn nil the work was done so well, Ills illflliutl to discriminate discrim-inate In pmlte. The object of tho blockade of Ccrvcrn'a squadron was fully accomplished, and each Individual liore well his part In It tho commodore commo-dore In command of tho second division, the captains of ships, their officers and men. The flro of tho battleships waa powerful and destructive, and the resistance re-sistance of tho Spanish squadron was, In n great part, broken almost Iwforo they had got beyond the range of their own forts. The fine, speed of tho Oregon enabled her to take a front position In tho chase, and tho Cristobal Colon did Dot give up until tho Oregon had thrown a tlilr-tccn-lnch shell beyond her. This performance per-formance adds to tha already brilliant record of this line battleship, and speaks highly of tho skill and care with which her admirable efllclency has been maintained during a servlco unprecedented In tho history of vessels of her class. Tho Ilrooklyn'a westerly blockading position gave her an advantage In tho chase, which sho malntalnod to tho end, and sho employed her flue battery with telllngcffcct The Texas and the New York were gaining on tho chase during tho last hour, and had any aa cldcnt befallen tho llrooklyn or tho Oregon, tho former would have speedily speed-ily overhauled tho Cristobal Colon. I'roin the moment tho vessel exhausted ex-hausted her first burst of speod the result re-sult was never lu doubt. Sho fell, In fact, far below what might reasonably have been expected of her. Careful measurements of time and distance give her an average speed from tho tloiosho oleared tho harbor mouth until un-til tha time she waa run on shore at Tarqulno of 13.7 knots. Neither the New York nor the llrooklyn stopped to couple up their forward engines, but ran out the chase with ono pair, getting steam, of course as rapidly as p sstblo on all boilers. To atop to-eoni p thofnrw"lrrt en glnes would have meant a delay of (If- l'ourteenth Several of tho ships uAtirjlliHuiy "tSilWvtfio'icuafesI being uboard the "Iowa." Our lost was one man killed and ono wounded, JoU lnyTheJlAdjn)r) It Isdlfilcult to explain this Immunity from loss of life or Inlurr (o shlnsln n combat with, modem irssol of tha best tj pet but nlh&unucryraroor aICTst, Ml thdyperlorUWglit alij Wuraoy Jtliur JlspccsUll IrovcitWisJukAim their guns and silenced thrlr fire. This Is borne out by tho statement of prlt-" imj and by observation. Tho Span-' iMrsenjTs, as MM&dAshid out of the' r"sL0ljc,U, 'ttTrlT' w'1'' "10 ainoko from tlitlr own guns, but this speedily diminished In vol u mo and soon almost UWoMattlAnlpArV&W'W nivo been reuirlinbly-lctnictlrc.-An examination ex-amination qflho stranded-. vessels Tfofcwfij&jAlL AU'lrfitl filjuendo especially had suffered terribly frouii with tho charAllsiiiiiUl) tloUWio had fallen. X 1'lfteenth The,- reports of Commodore Commo-dore Vf H. Sihley and of the commanding command-ing pfllcer aro eaoloscd f Tyr caleUinlnaflon of the vessels both with a vl"vr,' reporting upon tho 'clta'nc'e otiWWoMy'ot' llJcm 'sn(1of wrecking the remslnde' Tho report of the board wilt be speedily forwarded. forward-ed. Very respectfully, V. T. SAMrsox, Ilear-Admlral United States Navy, Commandcr-ln Chief United States Naval Forces, North Atlantic, t-ta tlon. To Secretary of the Navy department, Washington, 1). 0. |