moving, sir," he said quietly to Mr. Hodg

son.

"Give me the glass," said the Navigator, and, fixing it on the hazy smoke in the entrance, he took a long look. Anderson caught the glass as it fell, or it would have been smashed, while Hodgson, picking up the megaphone, yelled, "After bridge, there! Report to the Commodore and the Captain that the enemy's ships are coming out." There was little necessity for the cadet on the signal bridge to repeat the message. Before he had stumbled down the ladder to the quarter-deck, the strident tones of Lieutenant-Commander Mason could be heard, "Clear ship for action," and the clanging bells notified those below of the summons to battle. Captain Cook rushed forward to the conning-tower to move the ship; and grabbing up his binoculars, Commodore Schley started forward.

I followed him closely, and as he passed the after bridge heard him call to Ensign McCauley, "Signal, The enemy is escaping.'" Lieutenant Sears, who was near, shouted back, "We have already done so, sir!" and Schley, as he hurried through the gallery towards the forecastle, answered: Signal the fleet to clear ship."

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As he climbed the ladder to the forecastle, I remember his pulling out my watch, which I had loaned him, and saying to me, "It's just 9.35 o'clock." Just as we reached the point of vantage, a wooden platform two feet high elevated around the conning-tower, there came the sharp detonation of a sixpounder, and we saw from the smoke that

the "Iowa" had fired the first shot and was flying the signal, "The enemy is escaping," having run it up several seconds before the "Brooklyn" served the same notice. Following quickly the warning of the "Iowa," the doughty "Texas" opened with a big. twelve-inch shot; and, as Captain Cook shouted to the quartermaster," Full speed ahead," the "Brooklyn's" forward eightinch guns boomed out. From the time of Lieutenant Hodgson's announcement to the time of the boom of the "Brooklyn's Brooklyn's" guns was barely three minutes, and what to a layman seemed the direst pandemonium and disorder was the finest of discipline and the acme of order. That men flew by you dropping their shirts from their backs as they ran, that orders flew thick and fast, and that men and officers seemed tumbling over one another was no criterion. That every gun was ready to shoot; that fire had been started under four fresh boilers; that every battle hatch had been lowered; that every watertight compartment was closed; that ammunition was ready for the reloading of the guns; that the fire pumps were on and the decks wet down, and that every man of 500 was in the place assigned to him for battle, completes an indisputable miracle.

THE "BROOKLYN" CLOSES IN.

Turning so as to fire her port battery, the "Brooklyn" moved northeast towards the harbor entrance, while the big battleships, somewhat slower in their movements, pointed straight in. Glasses in hand, Commodore

5

Schley tried to make out the enemy's ships. It was a trying and nerve-destroying moment. The terrific effect of the eight-inch gun fire on one's ear drums, the distressing taste of the saltpeter, the blinding effect of the dense smoke, and the whiz of projectiles of the enemy in close proximity, all were forgotten, and you stared through your bedimmed glasses at the entrance full of smoke, a yellow mass at which the first terrible fire of the American ships was directed with such frightful effect. Out of the midst of it there suddenly projected a black, glistening hull,

the position of which showed it to be pointing westward. Would the others follow, or would they break through at different points? Still the frightful fire of the ships continued, and flashes of brilliancy from the mass of smoke in the entrance showed that the enemy had opened. The western battery on the crown of the hill was also dropping shot to the westward.

At Commodore Schley's elbow stood FlagLieutenant Sears, also with glasses glued to his eyes. For a minute the pall of smoke rose, and then Lieutenant Sears exclaimed:

PORT SIDE OF THE "MARIA TERESA" AS SHE LAY ON THE SHOALS THE DAY AFTER THE BATTLE.

From a photograph taken on the morning of July 4th by J. C. Hemment; copyrighted, 1898, by W. R. Hearst.

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been able to ram her and sink her, or torpedo her, with the same fatal result.

The "Maria Teresa," the "Vizcaya," the "Colon," and the " Oquendo" were now in plain view, in the order named, with the torpedo boats "Furor" and "Pluton " following. Suddenly the "Vizcaya" left the westward-pointing line and headed straight for the "Brooklyn." Almost at the same instant that Lieutenant Sears reported this, Commodore Schley said to Captain Cook:

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Put your helm hard a-port," and the ship began to move around to starboard, steering a circle toward the enemy, instead of away from him. It was evident that neither the "Vizcaya" nor the "Maria Teresa" quite understood this movement, for both immediately changed their course and ran nearer shore. Around in a short circle moved the "Brooklyn," her port side a perfect mass of flame and smoke, as the six eight-inch, six five-inch, and eight six-pounders belched forth the deadly shot. Then, as she swung towards the four Spanish ships, her star

board battery opened, and the din was terrific.

The

"Tell the men at the guns to fire deliberately and make every shot tell," called Schley to Captain Cook, and out of the choking smoke and fire Lieutenant-Commander Mason could be heard quietly instructing the men in the turrets as to the distance. "Brooklyn" had described a perfect circle, and, although under a deluge of shot and shell, uninjured, pointed west and began her famous fight. The "Colon" could be seen sneaking up behind the Spanish line, as if intent upon getting away, while the "Oquendo" and "Maria Teresa," evidently striving vainly to shield the torpedo boats, were receiving a most horrible baptism of shot and shell.

SUNK IN FORTY M'N

UTES.

How terrible this rain of steel projectiles was, thrown from the battleships and the cruiser, is indicated by the fact that within forty minutes two heavily protected cruisers and two torpedo boats were destroyed and had surrendered. Yet there is evidence to show that the large twelve and thirteeninch projectiles did little of this damage, only three of them landing. The roar of the guns and the whistle and crash of the falling projectiles acted upon the observer like a tonic, and with absolute nonchalance to danger I watched closely the result. The instant the "Colon "had cleared the harbor, she started up the line behind the

three other ships,

COLON."

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doing but little

firing. The two

long, snaky torpedo destroyers following her also

CRISTOBAL

attempted to hide themselves; but Captain Wainwright, in the "Gloucester," had seen them, and in a moment the little converted yacht was bearing down upon them. At the same instant, every ship in the fleet opened upon them with the rapid-fire one and six pounders. Like an avenging angel seeking more tribute for the Maine " dis

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