BATTLE OF SANTIAGO. 
325 
twelve hits below. If we bear in mind that the ship presents a solid 
target below the upper edge of the freeboard, and the funnels, cranes, 
and even turrets are only incidental spots above this line, we see that 
the Spanish fire of considerable volume must have poured over the 
Brooklyn , but all directed too high to be of use, although the 
Spanish probably stood well to their guns. The Spanish cruisers were 
riddled and burnt out, except the Colon } which was uninjured 
practically. 
I do not like to offer strictures on the part played by gallant men, 
who came out to what they felt to be hopeless destruction, but while 
it is clearly understood that we respect their courage and devotion, we 
must criticise their operations in order to learn what lessons we can from 
any faults they committed. 
To deal then first with the Colon. We must all sympathize with 
the captain of the Colon. It must have been very disheartening to go 
to sea for active service with his principal guns deficient. His eye 
would constantly see the turrets, and he would be borne down by the 
sense that they were “ hollow mockeries.” He might feel that he was 
a sort of impostor, who could bark but who could not bite properly. 
If the thought that his ship was more modern than her consorts in her 
Q.F. armament and armour came to him, he might almost stamp with 
vexation when he looked at his empty turrets, and thus he might 
never sit down and work out the actual powers of his crippled ship. 
If this were so, we cannot have a better practical illustration of the 
need of carefully working out the powers of ships of war, for I fully 
believe that even thus crippled, the Colon was so well suited for the 
particular work before her, that I doubt if ten better ships could be 
found in all the world. Her task was first to bear the attack of a 
volume of shell fire in emerging from the harbour ; second to pour in shell 
fire on the Brooklyn ; third, to out-speed the American ships and escape. 
The Colon possessed (1) actual speed to escape, for she proved it by the 
lead she acquired ; (2) the power to resist all the fire of the United 
States vessels, except that of the primary guns, and even those could 
only get dead metal into her in most places ; (3) she had a quick-firing 
battery which ought to have crippled the Brooklyn in a few minutes. 
Under these conditions, she allowed herself to be overtaken, and she 
surrendered while uninjured herself, and without having injured her 
enemies. Can we have a more convincing illustration of the need of 
weighing our own powers with those of our known antagonist and of 
fighting skilfully ? Although the Colon ran past the ship ahead of 
her on the shore side and escaped some fire, yet the portion of her 
open to inspection as she lay nearly submerged, shows a fair share of 
hits, and among which is one of a 5-in. projectile, which was defeated, 
as must be the case, by her 6-in. Harveyed armour. This round must 
have been from the Brooklyn , who alone carried 5-in. guns. After 
attaining a lead of four, or, perhaps, five miles, why did her stoking 
fail ? Lastly, why did she not endeavour to make more fight before 
surrendering ? The natural answer may be that it was useless loss of 
