the _Gloucester_, to the seaward, was the _Indiana_. Nearly as
far from the latter ship, and southeast of her, lay the _Oregon_. The
_Iowa_ was the outermost ship of the fleet, lying four miles from the
harbour entrance; next her, to the eastward, each vessel slightly nearer
inshore, were the _Texas_ and the _Brooklyn_ in the order named.

[Illustration: GENERAL WEYLER.]

Shoreward, inside the harbour, could be seen a long line of black smoke.
On board the fleet religious services were being held, but the lookouts of
every ship were at their stations.

Suddenly, at about half past nine, a dark hull was seen coming out past
the point of the harbour, and instantly all was seemingly confusion on the
big fighting machines.

"The enemy is escaping," was the signal run up on Commodore Schley's
flag-ship, and within a few seconds the roar of a 6-pounder on the _Iowa_
broke the stillness of the Sabbath morning.

It was as if every American vessel was put in motion at the same instant,
and even as the flag-ship's signal appeared, the clouds of dense smoke
from their stacks told that the men in the furnace-rooms had already begun
their portion of the task so unexpectedly set for all the fleet.

John R. Spear, author of "The History of our Navy," who was with Sampson's
fleet, wrote this complete story of the marvellous naval battle off
Santiago and along the southern shore of Cuba, for the _World_:

"The enemy was first seen at 9.30, and at 9.32 the men of the American
batteries were standing erect and silent beside their loaded guns, waiting
for the order to commence firing, and watching out of the corners of their
eyes the boys who were still sprinkling the decks with sand that no one's
foot might slip when blood began to flow across the planks.

"But though silence prevailed among the guns, down in the sealed
stoke-hole the click and ring of the shovels that sprayed the coal over
the glowing grate-bars, the song of the fans that raised the air pressure,
and the throb of pump and engine made music for the whole crew, for the
steam-gauges were climbing, and the engineers were standing by the
wide-open throttles as the ships were driven straight at the enemy.

"For, as it happened, the _Texas_ had been lying directly off the harbour,
and a little more than two miles away the _Iowa_ was but a few lengths
farther out and to the westward, while Capt. Jack Philip of the one, and
'Fighting Bob' Evans of the other, were both