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THE DEADLIEST VESSEL EVER CONCEIVED.

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claimed for the gun, that it can do-fall in the water near a ship and blow its outsides in, or craftily sinking below the keel, blow the bottom to the stars.

The acreage of damage by dynamite is large and final. The torpedo striking the water near a vessel is as deadly as if the ship were struck amidships. Instead of dense smoke it will send a wall of water 100 feet high to hide its immediate work, but this is simply its artistic, scenic trick; it is the ivy to the blasted oak. It explodes five seconds after striking, and the clever gunner, taking this into line, can play all sorts of tricks with his fearful toy. He can plant his horrible Surprising Accuracy charges on the four sides of a square of a fleet.

of Firing.

How delighted "Fighting Bob" Evans must be over Thursday's achievements off Santiago. No man in the fleet watched the new little cockleshell's work more than the captain of the "Iowa." He always had faith in her ultimate success. He told Mr. Edwin Cramp that if he had had control of her for three months longer down in those South American waters several years ago, she would have amazed the naval world then.

The man who invented her never intended that the time fuse they tried should be used; but the government was experimenting on its own account, and the consequence was the gun never went true. Immediately it was decided that the pneumatic dynamite gun was not any good afloat. On land, fine; let it stay there! But there was a little band of zealots who cajoled and coerced and won their way in not having the little volcano dismantled. The government by successive stages followed out the Scotchman's proverb of "keep a thing seven years, turn it over and keep it another seven." Ten years ago the "Vesuvius" startled both continents by its trial trip before Secretary Whitney, going at a speed of 22.947 knots an hour. The Americans claim this to be the fastest record ever made and gladly hailed themselves the champions of the world in shipbuilding. The British papers made a demur from this "bombastic declaration," as they termed it, and quoted four or five other trips. But there is a large and generally accepted opinion which put the "Vesuvius" as the fastest vessel afloat at that time.

That her conception, her guns, her method is purely American no one on either continent doubts. She is the heroine of the marine engineering world to-day, as Dewey and Schley and Hobson are of the human world. It remains simply this, that America has probably revolutionized warfare at sea. So the day of the minority has become the pledge of the majority, and the little band of believers, Captain Evans among them, are just hurrahing away! Poor little craft! She has been flopping around for ten weary, uneventful years, called the crazy fancy of someone's cracked

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THE DEADLIEST VESSEL EVER CONCEIVED.

brain; no one wanting her, every man in the service swearing he wouldn't serve on her unless drafted; unmanned, misunderstood, she was a pathetic thing. Now her hour has come! If she has any intelligence she must feel the glory of success. But, barring her emotion, there are those to-day who feel they have been vindicated.

Construction and Cost.

Technically, the "Vesuvius" has a water line of 252 feet; beam, 26 feet 6 inches; draught, 10 feet 1 inch; displacement, 929 tons; she has a speed of 21.4 knots. She

has two propellers driven by vertical triple expansion engines. Her horse power is 3,794; coal capacity, 152 tons. In addition to her three 15-inch dynamite guns she carries three 3-pounder rapid fire guns. The Cramps built her in 1887 at a cost of $350,000, when Mr. Whitney was Secretary of the Navy. She was launched in 1888. Her speed at trial of 21.947 was considered the fastest on record.

One of the prime uses to which the "Vesuvius" may be applied is the countermining of channels that have been planted with torpedoes. So wonderfully destructive are her dynamite gun-cotton shells, that it is possible for this unique vessel to literally fight her way through the most dangerous passage that mines ever defended, and thus open the way for the entrance of following ships. One of her 500-pound shells, which may be accurately thrown a distance of nearly two miles, can be made to explode at any point, whether on the water surface, or at the bottom, and such an explosion will destroy every mine or torpedo within 200 feet of the place where it falls. For this countermining purpose the services of the "Vesuvius" may be regarded as being invaluable, while for bombarding, especially under the cover of night, when she may creep within range, she promises to be dreadfully effective, as was shown at Santiago.

T

(Captain of the Battleship "Iowa.")

HE destruction of Cervera's ships before Santiago de Cuba on the morning of July 3, 1898, was an incident at once so thrilling and -important that the story will never cease to interest, and the history of the world has been mightily enriched thereby :

As Cervera's squadron came out in column, from the bottle-necked harbor,-the ships beautifully spaced as to distance, and gradually increasing their speed to thirteen knots, it was superb. The range at this time was 2,000 yards from the leading ship of our blockading fleet. The "Iowa's" helm was immediately put hard to starboard, and the entire starboard side was poured into the "Infanta Maria Teresa" which led the advance. The helm was then quickly shifted to port, and the ship headed across the stern of the "Teresa" 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 smokestacks and superstructure of the "Iowa," but none struck her.

The "Cristobal Colon," being much faster than the rest of the Spanish ships, moved rapidly to the front in an effort to escape. In passing the "Iowa" the "Colon" placed two 6-inch shells fairly in our 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 the side at the water line with the cofferdam, where it remained until removed when the ship was overhauled at New York a month later.

As it was now obviously impossible to ram any of the Spanish ships on account of their superior speed, the "Iowa's" helm was put to the starboard, and she ran on a course parallel with the enemy. Being then abreast of the "Almirante Oquendo," at a distance of Terrible Damage 1,100 yards, the "Iowa's" entire battery, including the rapid-fire guns, was opened on the "Oquendo." The punishment was terrific. Many 12 and 8-inch shells were seen to explode inside of her, and smoke came out through her hatches. Two 12-inch

172 HOW WE ANNIHILATED CERVERA'S SQUADRON.

shells from the "Iowa" pierced the fated vessel at the same moment, one forward and the other aft. The "Oquendo" seemed to stop her engines for a moment, and lost headway, but she immediately resumed her speed, and gradually drew ahead of the "Iowa," and came under the terrific fire of the "Oregon" and "Texas."

At this moment the alarm of "torpedo boats" was sounded, and two torpedo-boat destroyers were discovered on the starboard quarter at a distance of 4,000 yards. Fire was at once opened on them with the after battery, and a 12-inch shell cut the stern of one destroyer squarely off. As this shell struck, a small torpedo boat fired back at the battleship, sending a shell within a few feet of my head. I said to Executive Officer Rogers, "That little chap has got a lot of cheek." Rogers shouted back, "She shoots very well all the same."

Well up among the advancing cruisers, spitting shots at one and then at another, was the little "Gloucester," shooting first at a cruiser and then at a torpedo boat, and hitting a head wherever she saw 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 shot taking effect on the "Iowa," while the shells from the "Iowa" were tearing great rents in the sides of the "Vizcaya." As the latter passed ahead of the "Iowa" she came under the murderous fire of the "Oregon." At this time the "Infanta Maria Teresa" and the "Almirante Oquendo," leading the enemy's column, were seen to be heading for the beach and in flames. The "Texas," "Oregon" and "Iowa" pounded them unmercifully. They ceased to reply to the fire, and in a few minutes the Spanish cruisers were a mass of flames and on the rocks, with their colors down, the "Teresa " flying a white flag at the fore.

my's Vessels

The crews of the enemy's ships stripped themselves and began jumping overboard, and one of the smaller magazines began to explode. Meantime the "Brooklyn" and the "Cristobal Colon" were exchangDriving the Ene- ing compliments in a lively fashion, but at apparently long range, and the "Oregon," with her locomotive speed, was hanging well on to the "Colon," also paying attention to the "Vizcaya." The "Teresa" and the "Oquendo" were in flames on the beach just twenty minutes after the battle began, Fifty minutes after the first shot was fired the "Vizcaya put her helm to port with a great burst of flame from the after part of the ship, and headed for the rocks at Acerraderos, where she found her last resting place.

On to the Rocks.

As it was apparent that the "Iowa " could not possibly catch the "Cristobal Colon," and that the "Oregon" and "Brooklyn" undoubtedly would, and as the fast "New York" was also on her trail, I decided that the calls of humanity should be answered Bodies Attacked and attention given to the twelve or fifteen hundred by Sharks. Spanish officers and men who had struck their colors to the American squadron commanded by Admiral Sampson. I therefore headed for the wreck of the "Vizcaya," now burning furiously fore and aft. When I was in as far as the depth of water would admit, I lowered all my boats and sent them at once to the assistance of the unfortunate men, who were being drowned by dozens or roasted on the decks. I soon discovered that the insurgent Cubans from the shore were shooting on men who were struggling in the water, after having surrendered to us. I immediately put a stop to this, but I could not put a stop to the mutilation of many bodies by the sharks inside the reef. These creatures had become excited by the blood from the wounded mixing in the water.

J

My boats' crews worked manfully, and succeeded in saving many of the wounded from the burning ship. One man, who has since been recommended for promotion, clambered up the side of the "Vizcaya" and saved three men from burning to death. The smaller magazines of the "Vizcaya" were exploding with magnificent cloud effects. The boats were coming alongside in a steady string, and willing hands were helping the lacerated Spanish officers and sailors on to the "Iowa's" quarter-deck. All the Spaniards were absolutely without clothes. Some had their legs torn off by fragments of shells. Others were mutilated in every conceivable way.

The bottoms of the boats held two or three inches of blood. Five poor chaps died on the way to the ship and they were buried with military honors from the "Iowa." Some of the Spanish sailors were examples of heroism, or more properly, devotion to discipline and duty, such as may never be surpassed. One man on the lost "Vizcaya" had his left arm almost shot off just below the shoulder. The fragments were hanging by a small piece of skin. But he climbed unassisted over the side and saluted as if on a visit of ceremony. Immediately after him came a strong, hearty sailor, whose left leg had been shot off above the knee. 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 accumulated until it would have been almost difficult to recognize the "Iowa" as a United States battleship.

Blood was all over her usually white quarter deck and 272 naked men were being supplied with water and food by those who a few minutes before