In the meanwhile, the greatest anxiety was felt for the United States
battleship _Oregon_. When the _Maine_ was destroyed, this vessel was at
the Mare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco. Before war was declared
she had been ordered to join the squadron of Admiral Sampson as soon as
possible.
[Illustration: THE OREGON.]
To do this she must travel through fourteen thousand miles of stormy
sea, through the dangerous passage around Cape Horn and then up the
eastern shore of South America.
On the 14th of March, commanded by Captain Clark, she sailed from San
Francisco, entering the straits of Magellan on the 17th of April. On
the same day that Admiral Dewey reached the Philippines, the _Oregon_
arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Every American was full of anxiety for the great battleship. Surely
Admiral Cervera would arrive in the West Indian waters before the
_Oregon_ could pass through them. But swiftly and steadily the great
ship came on.
Finally, on the 24th of May, the _Oregon_ sighted the harbor lights of
Key West, and soon reached a safe port. The very next day, Captain Clark
reported her ready for duty. She had steamed the length of two oceans
and not a valve was broken nor a repair needed.
Much praise is due to Captain Clark for bringing his vessel such a
distance in desperate haste in order to help fight the nation's battles.
But we must not forget that it was the chief engineer, Robert W.
Milligen, and his seventy men, who made this possible. In spite of the
terrible heat in the engine rooms, these brave fellows worked untiringly
to keep the great ship moving steadily day and night around the
continent.
[Illustration: MAP OF HARBOR OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA.]
Meanwhile, on the 11th of May, an unfortunate affair had occurred in the
harbor of Cardenas, on the northern coast of Cuba. Three of the American
vessels blockading this harbor had been ordered to explore the bay.
Suddenly the Spanish batteries on the shore opened fire. The torpedo
boat _Winslow_, being nearest the shore, received most of the enemy's
shells. Although bravely returning the fire, the little boat was soon
disabled. Five men were wounded, and Ensign Worth Bagley and four other
men were killed. These were the first Americans to lose their lives in
this war.
On the following day, the Americans heard that the Spanish fleet had
arrived at Martinique, a small French Island near the coast of
Venezuela. This being known, Commodore Schley sailed from Hampton Roads
for the West Indies.
On the 19th of May, Admiral Cervera sailed into the harbor of Santiago
de Cuba, on the southern coast of Cuba, and was there several days
before the Americans found it out. Commodore Schley hastened at once to
the mouth of the harbor so as to cut off all hope of escape for the
Spanish admiral. Admiral Sampson soon arrived with the main squadron,
and the entire fleet kept watch, frequently bombarding the forts at the
harbor's mouth.
The Americans did not attempt to pass into the harbor, as the entrance
was strongly protected by torpedoes; so they waited for a land force to
arrive, and attack the enemy from the rear.