ir, getting steam, of
course, as rapidly as possible on all boilers. To stop to couple up the
forward engines would have meant a delay of fifteen minutes, or four miles
in the chase.

"14. Several of the ships were struck, the _Brooklyn_ more often than the
others, but very light material injury was done, the greatest being aboard
the _Iowa_.

"Our loss was one man killed and one wounded, both on the _Brooklyn_. It
is difficult to explain the immunity from loss of life or injury to ships
in a combat with modern vessels of the best type, but Spanish gunnery is
poor at the best, and the superior weight and accuracy of our fire
speedily drove the men from their guns and silenced their fire.

"This is borne out by the statements of prisoners and by observation. The
Spanish vessels, as they dashed out of the harbour, were covered with the
smoke from their own guns, but this speedily diminished in volume, and
soon almost disappeared.

"The fire from the rapid-fire batteries of the battle-ships appears to
have been remarkably destructive. An examination of the stranded vessels
shows that the _Almirante Oquendo_ especially had suffered terribly from
this fire. Her sides are everywhere pierced, and her decks were strewn
with the charred remains of those who had fallen.

"15. The reports of Commodore W. S. Schley and the commanding officers are
enclosed.

"16. A board, appointed by me several days ago, has made a critical
examination of the stranded vessels, both with a view of reporting upon
the result of our fire and the military features involved, and of
reporting upon the chance of saving any of them, and of wrecking the
remainder. The report of the board will be speedily forwarded. Very
respectfully,

"W. T. SAMPSON,
"_Rear-Admiral U. S. Navy, Commander-in-Chief_
_U. S. Naval Force, North Atlantic Station._

"_The Secretary of the Navy, Navy Department, Washington, D. C._"

A letter from Captain Chadwick of the flag-ship _New York_, to his wife,
is an entertaining addition to the story of this most marvellous sea
fight:

"FLAGSHIP NEW YORK, July 4, 1898.

"Yesterday was a wonderful day, as you will know in a few hours after my
writing this.

"We were in a rather disgruntled frame of mind on account of a little note
from Shafter. He want