OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (SAMPSOX.) 



ron; at last, by the unerring fulfilment of his 

 plans, crushing it under the fleet which executed 

 his commands; yet now compelled in dignified 

 silence to be assailed as vindictively as if he were 

 an enemy to his country." Capt. French E. 

 Chadwick, of the United States navy, who was 

 chief of staff to Admiral Sampson, writes as fol- 

 lows and furnishes the accompanying diagram: 



appointment as vice-admiral ; but for similar rea- 

 sons this action never was taken, so that Samp- 

 son's success at Santiago failed to receive any 

 official recognition from Congress. He received 

 the thanks of the Legislature of New Jersey for 

 his services during the war with Spain, and was 

 presented with a jeweled sword, in honor of his 

 victory at Santiago, by the citizens of his adopted 



i.A 



LCo/on O o position at which stopped by the "Speed Record" 



I Ot B ? n ,, It It " _' " ." 



J.1t\to I. to ] 



Broo kl l, tlndiano 



T .T'if Oregon. 



loifa 



f Aeic York 



Brooklyn's True distance 30.5 milts 

 Distance run by "Sp 



by "Speed Record" S0.72 





Texas's True distance II miles 



Distance run by "Speed Record" 52.17 



Oregon's True distance 39.5 miles 



Distance run by "Speed Record" 



New York's True distance so miles 



Distance run by "Speed Record" S7.03 



DIAGRAM OF THE BATTLE OF SANTIAGO. 



'" There is a very curious misconception about the 

 distance of the New York from the squadron 

 when the enemy came out of Santiago July 3d, 

 which ought to be rectified. This, I think, is 

 very important. It should be remembered that 

 the blockading ships were not less than 4 

 miles from the entrance and ranged approximate- 

 ly in a semicircle, which was from to 8 miles 

 long, as the ships were drifting about and 

 were frequently considerably farther out than 

 this from their appointed stations. When the 

 New York turned, which was at the instant the 

 smoke of the gun which was fired from Socapa 

 battery at the same time the enemy's flag-ship 

 emerged, she was, as near as can be reckoned, 

 7J miles from the entrance. The Gloucester was 

 thus but half the distance from the New York 

 that she was from the Brooklyn. The Indiana was 

 nearer to the New York than to the Brooklyn; 

 the Oregon was a trifle nearer to the Brooklyn 

 than to the New York. To say that the New 

 York was absent from the squadron under these 

 circumstances is, of course, absurd." At the close 

 of the war with Spain Admiral Sampson served as 

 one of the commissioners from the United States 

 to arrange the details of the evacuation of Cuba 

 by the Spaniards, and on the completion of this 

 service he resumed command of the North Atlan- 

 tic squadron. On Aug. 10, 1898, President McKin- 

 ley recommended that Admiral Sampson be ad- 

 vanced eight numbers for eminent and conspicu- 

 ous conduct in battle; but, owing to a popular 

 excitement in favor of Schley, Congress failed to 

 confirm this recommendation. It was the inten- 

 tion of the President to present his name for 



State. In October, 1899, he was assigned to the 

 command of the Boston Navy-Yard, and he con- 

 tinued in that duty two years. Meanwhile his 

 health, never strong, and probably impaired by 

 the strain of the campaign during the war with 

 Spain, began to fail, and in October, 1901, he was 

 placed on waiting orders. The presidency of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology was of- 

 fered to him in 1900, but he declined it. Harvard 

 and Yale gave him the degree of LL. D. Samp- 

 son was retired from active service Feb. 9, l!>u2, 

 and thereafter remained in Washington, where he 

 made his home until the end, steadily failing 

 from softening of the brain, which terminated in 

 a cerebral hemorrhage. His death was announced 

 in an order issued by the Secretary of the Navy. 

 in which, after reviewing the principal event > in 

 his career and quoting " Let me assure you that 

 I have the highest appreciation of your service 

 as a commander-in-chief of the Atlantic naval 

 forces during the Spanish war, in blockading 

 Cuba, cooperating with the army, directing the 

 movements of the great number of vessels under 

 your orders, and at last, after the most effective 

 preparation, consummating, with the gallant ofli- 

 cers and men under your command, the destruc- 

 tion of the Spanish fleet," from President. McKin- 

 ley's letter of March 13, 1899, he closed with the fol- 

 lowing encomium: "This record of lifelong devo- 

 tion to duty, with its fruitage of splendid achieve- 

 ment, renders his name illustrious in the annals 

 of the navy and places it high on the roll of those. 

 who have deserved well of the republic." His 

 funeral surpassed in pomp and ceremony any 

 similar naval service. At the church every de- 



