THE GREATEST NAVAL FIGHT OF MODERN TIMES. 213 were boldly heading west down the coast. "All small guns on the torpedo boats" was the order on the "Texas," and in an instant a hail of shot was pouring about them. A 6-pounder from the starboard battery of the "Texas," under Ensign Gise, struck the foremost torpedo boat fairly in the boiler. A rending sound followed above the roar of battle. A great spout of black smoke shot up from that destroyer and she was out of commission. The "Iowa," which was coming up fast, threw a few complimentary shots at the second torpedo-boat destroyer and passed on. The little "Gloucester," formerly J. Pierpont Morgan's yacht "Corsair," then sailed in and finished the second boat. End of the Gun for gun, and shot for shot, the running fight was kept up between the Spanish cruisers and the four American vessels. At 10.30 o'clock the "Infanta Maria Teresa " and "Vizcaya" were almost at the beach, and were evidently in distress. As the "Texas" was firing at them a white flag was run up on the one nearest her. Immediately I gave the order to cease firing and a moment later both the Spaniards were beached. Clouds of black smoke arose from each, and bright flashes of flame could be seen shining through the smoke. Boats were visible putting out from the cruisers to the shore. The "Iowa" waited to see that the two war ships were really out of the fight, and it did not take her long to determine that they would never do battle again. The "Iowa" herself had suffered some very hard knocks. The "Brooklyn," "Oregon," and "Texas" pushed ahead after the "Colon" and "Almirante Oquendo," which were now running the race of their lives along the coast. At 10.50 o'clock, when Admiral Cervera's flagship, the "Almirante Oquendo," suddenly headed in shore, she had the "Brooklyn" and "Oregon" abeam and the "Texas" astern. The "Brooklyn" and "Oregon" pushed on after the "Cristobal Colon," which was making fine time and which looked as if she might escape, leaving the "Texas" to finish the "Almirante Oquendo." This work did not take long. The Spanish ship was already burning. At 11.05 o'clock down came a yellow and red flag at her stern. Just as the "Texas" got abeam of her she was shaken by a mighty explosion, and noting her destruction the "Texas " left the "Almirante Oquendo" to her fate to join in the chase of the "Cristobal Colon." That ship in desperation was ploughing the waters at a rate that caused the fast "Brooklyn" trouble to keep the pace, and the "Oregon" was showing a speed truly extraordinary for a battleship, while the "Texas" was making a new record since her trial trip. The "Brooklyn" might have proved a match for the "Cristobal Colon" in speed, but she was not supposed 214 to be her match in strength. It would never do to allow even one of the Spanish ships to get away. Straight into the west the strongest chase of modern times took place, the "Brooklyn" heading the Greatest Chase of pursuers. She stood well out from the shore in order to THE GREATEST NAVAL FIGHT OF MODERN TIMES. Modern Times. try to cut off the "Cristobal Colon " at a point jutting out into the sea far ahead. The "Oregon" kept the middle course about a mile from the cruiser. The desperate Spaniard ran close along the shore, and now and then threw a shell of defiance. The old "Texas" kept well up in the chase under forced draught for over two hours. The swift Spaniard led the Americans a merry chase, but she had no chance. The "Brooklyn" gradually forged ahead, so that the escape of the "Cristobal Colon" was cut off at the point above mentioned. The "Oregon " was abeam of the "Colon" then, and the gallant cruiser abandoned all effort to escape, and at 1.15 o'clock headed for the shore, and five minutes later down came the Spanish flag. None of our ships at this time were within a mile of her, but her escape was cut off. The "Texas," "Oregon," and "Brooklyn" closed in Down Came the "Colon's" Flag. + on her and stopped their engines a few hundred yards away. The surrender in that little cove under the high hills was a general A Moment for Patrictic Cheers. got out its band, and the strains of the "Star Spangled Banner" echoed over the lines of the Spaniards drawn up on the deck of the last of the Spanish fleet, and up over the lofty green-tipped hills of the Cuban mountains. Commodore Schley, coming alongside the "Texas" from the "Cristobal Colon" in his gig, called out to me, cheerily, "It was a nice fight, Jack, wasn't it?" The "Resolute" arrived soon after, and the work of transferring the prisoners from the "Cristobal Colon" to her was then begun. Five hundred and thirty men were taken off; eight were missing. It was hoped that the "Cristobal Colon" might be saved as a Fourth of July gift to our navy. She was beached bow on, on a sandy shore, and her stern was afloat, but she was not materially damaged by the shots that struck her. One 13-inch shell and one 8-inch had hit her, but it was found that the Spaniards had taken every measure to destroy her after they " THE GREATEST NAVAL FIGHT OF MODERN TIMES 215 themselves were safe. They had opened every sea-valve in the ship and had thrown the caps overboard. They had also opened all the ports and smashed the deadlights, and had even thrown the breech plugs of their guns overboard. The "Colon" floated off at seven o'clock in the evening and drifted 500 yards down the beach to the westward, swinging bow out. The "New York" pushed her stern on to the beach, but the water was already up to her gun deck. At eleven o'clock she lurched and turned over on her starboard side, with her port guns pointing straight skyward. Twisted Wrecks of the Fleet. The first ship inspected was the "Almirante Oquendo." She was run ashore in a small bay, and well up on the beach, where she is likely to stay until time and the action of the elements complete the destruction begun by the American guns. Her sides were scarred by many shots, and in her port bow there was a tremendous hole made by a 13-inch shell. On her port quarter, near the water line, there was a large rent. Her military masts were gone and her decks presented a scene of wreck and confusion. As the vessel was approached a ghastly sight was presented. Dead Spaniards were seen floating all about in the water. They were stripped to the waist as they had stood to man their guns. The gunboat "Suwanee " steamed up, and Lieutenant Blue started ashore in her whaleboat to look after the prisoners, and especially the wounded, who were taken on board and their injuries carefully dressed by our surgeons. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. -Psalm xiv. + FIRST AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN SANTIAGO. 217 A FIRST AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN SANTIAGO. S the newsgatherer preceded our army in Cuba, so the newspublisher was first to inaugurate American enterprise on the reclaimed island. Santiago is a large city, with many capabilities, which correspondents were quick to discern; therefore, almost immediately after its surrender, and before the plunder incident to military ocсираtion was brought into orderly arrangement of assumed ownership, a paper was founded in the city. Out of a chivalrous deference to the suddenly mixed population of Santiago, the paper, very properly christened The Times, was printed half-and-half, but the spirit of every column was distinctly American of the far western type, as the following salutatory and extracts will show : "A newspaper should have a mission. Its mission should be to educate and enlighten. When it fails to do this, it is a failure. In the heart of Africa there are no newspapers. We have not heard whether there are newspapers in Hayti or not. We started the Times of Cuba so that we might have an American paper, as well as the American flag, in our new possession. They were Spanish papers, some of them run by Cubans. Of these latter we have had the pleasure of reading various old copies. They tell us of the loyalty of the Cubans to Spain, and how they proposed to keep the Yankee out, fighting side by side under the red and yellow flag. The editors are still here, and now they are singing verses and telling us how they helped whip the Spaniard. And they are full of complaints because we do not fire him out. "After seeing the pied form of a newspaper run up to the very day of our first bombardinent, we had some misgivings about starting the Times. Some of the old editors offered to furnish us with their 'wardrobes.' In our ignorance, we did not know what Singular Signifi cance of a Common Word. connection a 'wardrobe' could have with a daily paper, but later we learned that it was the term applied to the standing newspaper items which had been kept in Spanish printing offices for the last century. They included death notices, marriage announcements, and even local items of news. When a man died, or was assassinated, or put in jail, the editor went to his 'wardrobe,' selected the appropriate item, changed the victim's name and then the matter was all ready for the press, without fear of being censored. Then this matter of being censored also frightened us, + |