| Show SEEN PROM FROM THE IOWA off santiago de cuba july 8 per the associated press preas dispatch boat dauntless via port antonio jamaica july 8 by way of kingston jamaica july 8 copyrighted 1898 by the associated press the battleship iowa wils was the first ship to see aee the spanish fleet coming out of the harbor A n moment loment later the crew was at gen eral quarters and at am a gun was fired to attract the attention of the fleet capt evanss account of the battle as told in the cabin of the iowa to a correspondent of the associated press is intensely interesting he said at the time general orders were sounded the engine bell rang full speed ahead and I 1 put the helm to starboard and the iowa chosed the bows of the infanta maria teresa the first spanish ship out As the spanish admiral swung to the westward the twelve inch shell from the forward turret of the iowa seemed to strike her fairly in the bow and the fight was a spectacle As the squadron came out in column the ships beautifully spaced as to distance and gradually increasing their speed to thirteen knots it was superb the iowa from this moment kept up a steady fire from her heavy guns heading all the time to keep the infanta maria teresa on her starboard bow and hoping to ram one of the leading ships in the meantime the oregon indiana brooklyn and texas were doing excellent work with their heavy guns in a very short space of time the ships were all aft clear of chehar the harbor mouth and it became evidently impossible for the iowa to ram either the first or the second ship on account of the speed the range at this time was 2000 yards from the leading ship the iolas helm was immediately put hard bard to starboard and the entire starboard broadside was poured into the ft infanta fanta maria teresa the helm was waa then quickly shifted to and the ship went across the stern of the Ter teresa esain in an effort to head off the oquendo all the time the engines were driving at full speed ahead A perfect torrent of shells from the enemy passed over the smokestack and superstructure of the ship but none struck her the cristobal tolon colon being much faster than the rest of the spanish ships passed rapidly to the front in an effort to escape in passing the iowa the colon placed two six inch shells fairly in aur ur starboard bow one passed through the cofferdam and dispensary wrecking the latter and bursting on the berth deck doing considerable damage the other passed through 11 the side at the water line within the cofferdam where it still remains As it was now obviously impossible to ram any of the spanish ships on account of their superior speed the iolas helm was put to the starboard tard and she ran on a course parallel with the enemy being then abreast of the Al almirante oquendo at a 41 distance stance of 1100 yards the iolas entire battery including the rapid fire guns was ope opened ned on the oquendo many twelve inch shells from the iowa pierced the almirante 0 tuft ilk do atthe same moment one forward and the other aft the seemed to stop her engines for a moment and lost headway but she immediately med lately resumed her speed and gradually drew ahead of the iowa aud and eau caught the terrific fire are of the oregon and texas at this moment the alarm of torpedo boats was sounded bounded and two torpedo boat destroyers were discovered in the starboard quarter at a distance of yards fire was at onee once opened opened on them with the after battery an ana ft A twelve inch shell cut the st stem e rn of on one e destroyer squarely off As the shell struck a small torpedo boat area back at the battleship sending a shell within a few feet of bf my head well among the advancing cruthers cru tyers 61 spitting bitting shots at one ana the other ner w was as the little gloucester Shod shooting first at a cruiser and th then at a torpedo arvedo boat and hitting ahead wherever he rever she say paw it the marvel was that she was not destroyed by the rain of shells in the meantime the vizcaya was slowly drawing abeam of the iowa and for the space of fifteen minutes it was give and take between the two ships the vizcaya fired rapidly but wildly not one shor taking effect on the iowa while the shells from the iowa were tearing great rents in the side of the vizcaya As the latter passed ahead of the iowa she caught the murderous fire of the oregon at this time the infanta maria teresa and the almirante oquendo leading the column were seen to be heading for the beach in flames the texas oregon and iowa pounded them unmercifully they ceased to reply to the fire and in a few moments the sp spanish anish cruisers were a mass of flames and on the rocks with their flags down the teresa flying a white flag the crews stripped themselves and began jumping overboard and the smaller magazines began to explode meantime the brooklyn and the cristobal colon were exchanging compliments in lively fashion at apparently patently ly long range and the oregon with her locomotive speed was hanging on to the colon also paying attention to the vizcaya the teresa and the oquendo were empty and in flames on the beach just twenty minutes after the first shot was fired i fifty minutes atter after the first shot was fired the vizcaya put her helm to port piort with a great burst of flames from the after part of the ship and headed slowly for the rocks at al where she found her last resting place As it was apparent that I 1 could not possibly catch the cristobal colon and that the atte oregon and brooklyn undoubtedly would and as the fast new york tork was also on her trail I 1 decided the calls of humanity should be heard and assistance given to the 1200 or 1500 1600 spanish officers and men who had struck their colors to the american squadron commanded by admiral sampson I 1 therefore headed for the wreck of the vizcaya now burning furiously fare and aft when I 1 was in as far as aa the depth of water would admit I 1 lowered all my boats and sent them at once to the assistance si of the men who were being drowned by dozens or roasted on the decks I 1 soon discovered that the insurgent cubans from the shore were shooting on mentho men who were struggling in the water after having surrendered to ut us j I 1 immediately put a stop to this 1 t I 1 could not put IL stop to the mutilation ti of many bodies by the sharks the reefs these creatures had become excited by the blood from the wounded mixing in the water my boats crews worked manfully and succeeded in saving many of the wounded from the burning ship one aa man who will be recommended tor for promotion A fotion clambered elamb erad up thi the side of the vizcaya and saved three men from to io death the smaller magazines of the he vizcaya were exploding ding with magnificent ficen t cloud eff effects acts the boats were coming alongside in a steady string and willing hands were helping the lacerated spanish officers aha sailors onto the iolas quarter deck AH the spaniards were absolutely without clothes some had their legs torn off by frat fragments menti of shells others ve vete mutilated in every conceivable way 7 duax As I 1 know knew the crews of vae ipie first two 16 rec reeked re eked ked had not been visited by ay of f our vessels I 1 ran flown down to them I 1 If found lound the gloucester ath with admiral and 4 a number of his omeera dmn and also ajo a large lamp number of ad DOM in a mm maa aled condition many prisoners had been killed on shore share by the fire of the Cu cubans bains the harvard canoe came up and I 1 requested apt cotton to go tn in and take off the crews of the infants infanta maria teresa and the almirante oquendo and by midnight the harvard had prisoners aboard a great number of them wounded for courage and dash there Is no parallel in history to this action of the spanish admiral he came as he knew to bo absolute ute destruction there was one single hope that was that the cristobal Crid tobal colon would steam faster than the brooklyn the spectacle of two torpedo boat destroyers destri paper shells at best deliberately steaming out in broad daylight in the face of the fire of a battleship can be described in one way it was spanish and it was ordered by blanco the same must be said of the entire movement 1 I took admiral cervera aboard from the gloucester which had rescued him and received him with a full admirals guard the crew ot the iowa crowded close to the turrets half naked and black with powder as cervera stepped over the side bareheaded bare beaded over his undershirt hirthe he wore ware a thin suit of flannel borrowed from Com commander mandeT wainwright of the e gloucester the crew cheered vociferously cervera is every inch an admiral even if he had not mot any hat he submitted to the fortunes of war with a grace that pro cla limed him a thoroughbred capt evans is intensely proud of his bis ship said and her men the iowa fired thirty one 12 landh forty eight 8 inch 4 irich 1060 6 dounn and 1 pound shots the officers of the vizcaya say they simply could not hold their crews at the guns on account of the rapid fire poured upon them one of the 12 inch shells from the iowa exploded a torpedo in the Viz cayas bow blowing twenty one men against the deck a bove above and dropping them dead and mangled into tite the fire which at once started below the torpedo boat ericsson was sent by the flagship to the help of the iowa in the rescue of the Viz cayas crew her men saw a the flames leaping lea ping out from the huge shot holes in the Viz cayas side licked up the decks sizzling the flesh of the wounded who were lying there shrieking for help between the fre quent explosions the there came awful cries and groans from the men pinned in below this carnage was chiefly due to the rapidity of the americans fire corp carl smith of the iowa fired aimed shots shoots in fifty minutes froom from a four inch gun prom from two 6 shots fired in fifty minutes up in the tops the marines banged away with a one ne I 1 ll 11 one gunner of a secondary sec andary battery under a twelve inch gun was blinded by smoke and saltpeter from the turret and his hia crew driven ow 0 but sticking a wet handkerchief over his face with holes cut cult for his eyes hs he stuck to hl his gun finally as the six w were re s so 0 close to the eight inel inch turret as to make it impossible to stay there with etythe men were ordered away before tine the big gun was fired but they refused to leave the bottoms of the boats held two or three inches of blood in many cases dead men were lying in the blood five poor chaps ch apo died on the way to the ship they were att afterward erward buried buffed with military honors from the iowa some borne examples of heroism or mope properly devotion to diwi discipline pline and duty could never be surpassed one man on the bont vizcaya had his left arm shot off juet below the shoulder the te fragments were hanging by a small piece of skin put but he climbed unassisted over the side eide and saluted as if on a visit of cere mony immediately after him came a strong hearted sailor whose I 1 leef left ft t leg had been shot off above the knee ife he was hoisted on board the iowa with a tackle but never a whimper came from him gradually the mangled bodies and naked well men until it would have been almost difficult to recognize the iowa as a united states battleship blood was waa all over her usually white quarter deck and naked men were being I 1 supplied with water and food divilly Fi T nally villy came the bou boat with capt I 1 eulate commander of the vizcaya ia for whom a chair was lowered over the side as he was evidently wounded the captains guard of m marines were swung up on the quarterdeck quart erdeck to sa 1 lute him and I 1 stood w waiting biting to wel come him As the chair was placed on the deck the marines presented arni arm capt eulate slowly raised hirn gett 1 I from the chair saluted me with grave 1 l dignity un buckled his sword belt and holding the hilt of the sword before 1 him kissed it reverently with tears in his eyes and then surrendered to me of course I 1 declined to receive his hig S sword and as the crew of the iowa saw this they cheered like wild men in the meantime thirty officers of kofl the vizcaya had been picked up be 4 side of her crew our ward room I 1 fad and steerage officers gave up their 1 staterooms state rooms and furnished food cloth i ing ng and tobacco to those naked officers 1 from the vizcaya the paymaster F issued uniforms to the naked sailors and each was given all the corned beer bee 1 cottee and hard tack he ha ouirl eat the ti war had assumed another aspect VS when the eight inch gun was fired the concussion blew two men of the I 1 smaller guns crew ten feet from their J guns end and threw them to the deckys deck as deaf as posts rack kack they went want aam aai a ai am n 51 however and were again blown away and finally had to be dragged away 3 from their stations 41 1 the indiana was hit only twice the oregon was hit three times twice by fragments of shells the lo 10 iowa wa W masv I 1 struck nine times |
