322 
BATTLE OF SANTIAGO. 
unarmoured. The principle incidents were (1) occasional firing with 
no marked result; (2) the running in and sinking of the Merrimac on 
June 3rd, in the mouth of the harbour, in order to block it. This was 
most gallantly performed, but the vessel so sank that the passage was 
not obstructed ; (3) the systematic lighting of the harbour entrance 
by the battle-ships Iowa, Oregon and Massachusetts , standing in for 
two hours in turn and taking a position at about 3,000 yards distance 
from which they were able to illuminate the entrance very satisfactorily. 
About June 10th the ships closed in their semicircle to one of about 
three miles radius, and this seems to have been further decreased later 
on. The garrison of Santiago could fire but little because their 
armament was miserable. Two 16 cm. Hontoria B.L. guns appear to 
have been the most efficient weapons they possessed. This must account 
tor the immunity enjoyed by the sentry ships illuminating the harbour 
from a fixed spot at 3,000 yards range, night after night. 
One or two things deserve mention from their inefficiency. The 
Spanish appear to have had submarine mines placed, one of which was 
“ picked up by the Marblehead’s screw,” and another “ dislodged by 
the Texas.” Admiral Sampson considers that these ships had “ narrow 
escapes.” The mines in question were charged with gun-cotton, but 
the fuzes were actually defective. Some inside the harbour, however, 
were in fair condition. On the other hand, the Vesuvius fired her 
enormous torpedo shells “ almost nightly,” and Admiral Sampson 
observes that “ no doubt that the explosion of shells of this character 
has a very important effect.” The Spanish (see Lieut. Jose Miillery 
Tejeiro’s report) observe that “ if the projectiles dropped close to a 
battery its ruin was certain. Fortunately they do not seem to be very 
sure either in range or in aim.” As it does not appear that any 
projectile ever fell even “ close to any battery,” the value of the 
dynamite gun is questionable. 
In the Siege of Sebastopol some of our sailors sunk a gun in a pit at 
45° elevation. An officer, seeing it, send its shot far over everything, 
asked where it went, and received the reply, “ somewhere into 
Rooshia.” Russia is a very large target. Probably the dynamite gun at 
present must be put under something under the same category as the 
sailors gun. It is very effectual for firing “ somewhere into Rooshia.” 
Admiral Cervera^s squadron consisted of four cruisers. Of these, 
three belted cruisers, (see Diagram) Maria Teresa, Vizcaya and 
Oquendo were all similar except that the Vizcaya appears to have had 
ten 5’5-inch Q.F. guns, and the others only ordinary pieces. The 
fourth cruiser, the Colon, was of a new and an entirely different type. 
She had never received her primary guns (two 10-incli pieces) but she 
had ten 6-in. Q.F. and six 4*7 Q.F. guns, besides smaller pieces, and 
she was plated with 6-inch Harveyed steel armour over her belt and 
the main part of her upper structure. With the cruisers were two 
torpedo-boat destroyers, Furor and Pluton. All the Spanish ships 
were supposed to have a speed of full twenty knots, but the three 
older cruisers had bottoms in very bad order. Of the American 
