Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/292

248 the American ships sent a storm of steel in upon them, while the Gloucester ran in and speedily sunk one of the torpedo boats. One of the first of the ships in the battle was our noble Oregon, which had made the journey from San Francisco clear round Cape Horn, South America, to be on hand when needed! And right well did the Oregon show her mettle, as did every other war-ship around her.

The sinking of one torpedo boat was followed by the sinking of the second. The fight was now bent on the cruisers, and soon the Teresa was so badly riddled that she was run ashore to save her crew from drowning. Half a mile farther on the Oquendo also turned in, burning fiercely from stem to stern.

But to bring these vessels down had taken time, and now the two remaining ships were doing their best to escape, knowing full well that to stand and engage our powerful ships with their well-trained gunners would be suicidal. In the lead was the Colon, with the Vizcaya not far behind.

"We must catch them! We mustn't let