174 HOW WE ANNIHILATED CERVERA'S SQUADRON. A Horrible Scene on the Ship Deck. had been using a rapid-fire battery on them. Finally came the boats with Captain Eulate, commander of the "Vizcaya," for whom a chair was lowered over the side, as he was evidently wounded. The captain's guard of marines were drawn up on the quarter-deck to salute him, and I stood waiting to welcome him. As the chair was placed on the deck the marines presented arms. Captain Eulate slowly raised himself in the chair, saluted me with grave dignity, unbuckled his sword belt and, holding the hilt of the sword before him, kissed it reverently, with tears in his eyes, and then surrendered it to me. Of course, I declined to receive his sword, and, as the crew of the "Iowa" saw this, they cheered like wild men. As I started to take Captain Eulate into the cabin to let the doctors examine his wounds the magazines on board the "Vizcaya" exploded, with a tremendous burst of flame. Сарtain Eulate, extending his hands, said, "Adios, 'Vizcaya.' There goes my beautiful ship, captain," and so we passed on to the cabin, where the doctors dressed his three wounds. In the meantime thirty officers of the "Vizcaya." had been picked up, beside 272 of her crew. Our wardroom and steerage officers gave up their staterooms and furnished food, clothing and tobacco to these naked officers from the "Vizcaya." The paymaster issued uniforms to the naked sailors, and each was given all the corned beef, coffee and hard tack he could eat. The war had assumed another aspect. As I knew the crews of the first two ships wrecked had not been visited by any of our vessels, I ran down to them, where I found the "Gloucester" with Admiral Cervera and a number of his officers aboard, and also a large nuimber of wounded, some in a frightfully mangled condition. Many prisoners had been killed on shore by the fire of the Cubans. The "Harvard" came off, and I requested Captain Cotton to go in and take off the crews of the "Infanta Maria Teresa" and the "Almirante Oquendo," and by midnight the "Harvard" had 976 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 went as he knew, to absolute destruction. There was one single hope; that was that the "Cristobal Colon" would steam faster than the "Brooklyn." The spectacle of two torpedo-boat destroyers, paper shells at best, deliberately steaming out in broad of the Vanquished. daylight in the face of the fire of battleships can only be described in one way: It was Spanish, and it was ordered Amazing Heroism by Blanco. The same must be said of the entire movement. In contrast to this Spanish fashion was the cool, deliberate Yankee work. The American squadron was without sentiment apparently. The ships went HOW WE ANNIHILATED CERVERA'S SQUADRON. 175 at their Spanish opponents and literally tore them to pieces. But the moment that the Spanish flag came down it must have been evident that the sentiment was among the Americans, not among the Spaniards. I took Admiral Cervera aboard the "Iowa" from the "Gloucester," which had rescued him from the dead, and received him with a full admiral's guard. The crew of the "Iowa" crowded aft over the turrets half naked and black with powder, as Cervera stepped over the side bareheaded. Over his undershirt he wore a thin suit of flannel borrowed from LieutenantCommander Wainwright, of the "Gloucester." The crew cheered vociferously. Cervera was every inch an admiral, even if he had no hat. He submitted to the fortunes of war with a grace that proclaimed him a hero and a chivalrous gentleman. The "Iowa" fired 61 12-inch, 48 8-inch, 270 4-inch, 1,060 6-pound and 120 1-pound shots. The officers of the "Vizcaya " said they simply could not hold their crews at the guns on account of the rapid fire poured upon them. The decks were flooded with water from the fire hose and blood from the wounded made this a dark red. Fragments of bodies floated in this along the gun-deck. Every instant the crack of exploding shells told of new havoc. One of the 12-inch shells from the "Iowa" exploded a torpedo in the "Vizcaya's" bow, blowing twenty-one men against the deck above and dropping them dead and mangled into the fire which at once started below. The flames leaping out from the huge shot holes in the "Vizcaya's " sides, licked up the decks, sizzling the flesh of the wounded who were lying there shrieking for help. Between the frequent explosions there caine awful cries and groans from the men pinned in below. This carnage was chiefly due to the rapidity of the Americans' fire. Corporal Smith, of the "Iowa," fired 135 aimed shots in fifty minutes from a 4-inch gun. Two shells struck within ten feet of Smith and started a small fire, but the corporal went on pumping shots into the enemy, only stopping to say. "They've got it in for this gun, sir." Nothing Could Drive the Gunners Away. From two 6-pounders 440 shots were fired in fifty minutes. Up in the tops the marines banged away with 1-pounders, too excited to step back as the shells whistled over them. One gunner of a secondary battery under a 12-inch gun was blinded by smoke and saltpetre from the turret, and his crew were driven off, but sticking a wet handkerchief over his face, with holes cut for his eyes, he stood by his gun. Finally, as the 6-pounders were so close to the 8-inch turret as to make it impossible to remain there with safety, the men were ordered away before the big gun was fired, but they + 176 HOW WE ANNIHILATED CERVERA'S FLEET. refused to leave. When the 8-inch gun was fired the concussion blew two men of the smaller gun's crew ten feet from their guns, and threw them to the deck as deaf as posts. Back they went again, however, and were again blown away, and finally had to be dragged from their stations. Such bravery and such dogged determination under the heavy fire were of frequent occurrence on all the ships engaged. During his stay on the "Iowa" Admiral Cervera endeared himself to all. After Blanco's order was issued he wanted to come out on the night of July 2, but General Linares said, "Wait till to-morrow morning. You will catch them at divine service then." The Spanish were not deceived in this belief, for religious exercises were in progress on most of the ships, but serving country is serving God, and so Cervera learned to his cost that the American sailor is true to both. REMOVAL OF A JAMMED SHELL. 177 WAS IT SAMPSON OR WAS IT SCHLEY? W HEN the Spanish fleet with full headway, And marked the game with eagle eye; Say, was it Sampson or was it Schley? Who was it, when shot and screaming shell, His good ship leading all the way, While the roar of his guns shook earth and sky, In American hearts who holds first place + REMOVAL OF A JAMMED SHELL WHILE UNDER THE FIRE OF THE ENEMY. BY PAUL ST. C. MURPHY, (Captain U. S. M. Corps of the "Brooklyn.") NE of the bravest acts performed by an American sailor during the terrific engagement between our fleet and Cervera's squadron of July 3 was little written about at the time, but which deserves perpetuation in the pages of history as a conspicuous example of American valor, and an evidence of the courageous spirit that animates the defenders of our country when the most perilous service is required. At the moment the alarm was given that the enemy's ships were coming out of the harbor the guard was at quarters, ready for inspection. It 12 178 REMOVAL OF A JAMMED SHELL. was immediately dismissed and the men sent to their stations for battle. The men were full of enthusiasm, but there was no excitement or disorder, and apparently no concern for personal safety. The battery was handled with admirable coolness and deliberation. Greater care could not be taken in setting sights and aiming if the men had been at target practice and each striving to make a record score. Considering the fact that the enemy was within effective range during the greater part of the action, the fire of the secondary battery must have been most destructive to his men and material, and contributed its full share to bringing the battle to an end so speedily, and with so little loss to ourselves. It is reported that the Spanish officers have stated that so deadly was the effect of our secondary battery fire that it was impossible to keep their men at the guns. Where all did their duty manfully it is a difficult matter to select individuals for special mention. There are some, however, who deserve to be remembered by name for conduct that displayed in a conspicuous manner courage, intelligence and devotion to duty. During the early part of the action a cartridge jammed Bravery of Gray, in the bore of the starboard 6-pounder of the "Brooklyn" Smith and MacNeal. and in the effort to withdraw it the case became detached from the projectile, leaving the latter fast in the bore and impossible to extract from the rear. Corporal Robert Gray, of the port gun, asked and received permission to attempt to drive the shell out by means of a rammer. To do this it was necessary to go out on the gun, and the undertaking was full of difficulties and danger, the latter due in a great measure to the blast of the turret guns firing overhead. The gun was hot and it was necessary to cling to the jacob ladder with one hand while endeavoring with the other to manipulate the long rammer. After a brave effort he was forced to give up and was ordered in. Quarter Gunner W. H. Smith then came, sent by the executive officer, and promptly placed himself in the dangerous position outside the gun port, where he worked and failed as the corporal had done. Neither had been able to get the rammer into the bore, and there seemed nothing left to do but dismount the gun. At this juncture Private MacNeal, one of the crew, volunteered to go out and make a final effort. The gun was so important, the starboard battery being engaged, that as a forlorn hope he was permitted to make the attempt. He pushed out boldly and set to work. The guns of the forward turret were firing, every blast nearly knocking him overboard and the enemy's shots were coming with frequency into his immediate neighborhood. It was at this time that Chief Yeoman Ellis was killed on the other side of the deck. MacNeal never paused in his |