de and confirmed the news through a
megaphone.

The excitement on board the "Yankee," like that throughout the fleet,
was tremendous. Those in the North who had received both the news of the
feat and the rescue at the same time, can hardly understand the
revulsion of feeling which swept through the American ships gathered
off Santiago. It was like hearing from a supposed dead friend.

These heroes were comrades--nay, brothers. They wore the blue and they
were fighting for Old Glory. Their praise was ours and their deed
redounded to the eternal credit and fame of the American navy. Small
wonder that we welcomed the news of their safety, and cheered until our
throats were husky and our eyes wet with something more than mere
exertion.

All hail to Richmond Pearson Hobson and his men!

Heroes all!

* * * * *

During the afternoon of our arrival, when we finally secured time to
look about us, we were struck with the appearance of the really
formidable fleet of warships collected under Admiral Sampson's flag. For
size of individual ships and weight of armor and armament, there had
never been anything in the history of the United States to equal it.

The fleet consisted of the powerful battleships "Iowa," "Indiana,"
"Massachusetts," and "Texas," the two splendid armored cruisers "New
York" and "Brooklyn," cruisers "New Orleans" and "Marblehead," converted
yachts "Mayflower," "Josephine," and "Vixen," torpedo boat "Porter,"
cable boat "Adria," gunboat "Dolphin," and the auxiliary cruisers "St.
Louis" and "Yankee."

The vessels formed a semicircular line, completely enclosing the
entrance to Santiago harbor. From where the "Yankee" rested, on the
right wing, a fine view of the coast could be obtained. Two insurgent
camps were plainly visible--one on the beach and another in the hills,
which at that point rose to the height of fully four thousand feet.
Morro Castle, a grim, sullen, gray embattled fort, directly overlooking
the channel, was in plain sight, and here and there could be seen little
green or sand-colored mounds, marking the site of earthworks.

The stretch of blue sea, edged by the tumbling surf-beaten beach, and
the uprising of foliage-covered hills, all brought out clearly by a
tropical sun, formed a picture as far removed from the usual setting of
war as could be. But war was there, and the scenery appealed to few.
There was more interest in the drab hulls of the fleet and