ing the fight. He was alongside of Hamilton Fish when the latter was shot. When Fish was hit he said: "I am wounded." Culver called back: "And I am killed."

Culver was shot through the left lung, the ball coming out of the mus cles of the back. He believed he was dying, but said if he was to die he would do the Spaniards as much damage as possible before leaving this world. He continued to fire, and sent forty-five bullets at the enemy before being taken away. At first, after receiving his wound, he was in a dazed condition, but after he recovered somewhat he shot straight.

Hamilton Fish died a few minutes after receiving his wound. I passed him just after he was shot, and directed some of the skirmishers where to move. He thought I was speaking to him, and, raising himself on his elbow, said: "I am wounded; I am wounded!" and died a few minutes after that.

We thought at first that the Spaniards were using explosive bullets, but we found they were merely brass-covered bullets.

A detailed description of the Santiago fight is told by the Gloucester crew, which was first to sight Cervera's fleet as it steamed out of the harbor on the morning of Sunday, July 3. Ensign Sawyer's letter reads:

Last evening we went into Guantanamo and saw the camp where our marines had so gallantly held their own. The Marblehead, with McCalla,' was there, also the New York, the Iowa and that hero of the battle, the Oregon. The Gloucester also was there.

The greatest desire naturally possessed us to hear the details of the wonderful battle in which the Cape Verde fleet was destroyed. The Gloucester's story, though we had but a few moments, was most interesting so far as we have heard. She was lying closest to the entrance, and had just finished Sunday morning inspection when the lookout hailed: "They're coming out!"

Order of the Exit.

Instantly all eyes were directed on the familiar harbor mouth, and they could hardly believe their eyes to see those magnificent ships standing out in broad daylight. The Maria Teresa, Vizcaya, Oquendo and Colon swung to the windward, and not a shot was fired at the Gloucester. Evidently she was too small to waste shell on, or else all eyes were on the larger vessels. Following those grand ships came the destroyers Pluton and Furor, which have been so much dreaded. The Gloucester immediately stood for them full speed and opened fire, the Pluton and Furor firing rapidly, but not striking. The Gloucester finally got in between them and rained shell upon them from her rapid-fire guns. The Iowa also let go her battery, and one of her large shells literally tore the stern out of the Furor. The Gloucester

simply overwhelmed the Pluton with her shells, and a white flag was shown, whereupon Lieutenant Wood went over as quickly as possible to save the lives of the crew. She was a perfect hell on board. On fire below, one engine was still going, and there were only eight men not killed. He put these in the boat, tried to go below to save the vessel if possible, but could not on account of the fire. The boat shoved off to transfer the men to his vessel, when the Pluton blew up with a terrible explosion and sank. The boat was just a few feet clear when the magazine or boilers exploded.

Meantime the armored cruisers of the enemy stood to the west and were engaged by the Brooklyn, Oregon, Texas, Indiana and Iowa. The Maria Teresa and Oquendo were run ashore, burning fiercely, five and one-half or six miles west of the harbor. The Vizcaya and Colon engaged in a running fight with the Oregon, Texas and Brooklyn, but the first was practically destroyed and run ashore thirty-four miles west, and the latter surrendered sixty miles west of Santiago.

It was a terrible battle, and our escape from terrible loss is nothing short of miraculous. The Spaniards were really fighting four ships against five, and the superiority of the Americans was due more to their skill than material. If the Americans had manned Cervera's fleet the victory would have been ours just the same.

The Massachusetts and Newark were at Guantanamo coaling. The New York had gone five miles farther to the east than her usual station to allow the admiral to communicate with Shafter. The Oregon distinguished herself by overhauling and passing the Brooklyn and forced the Colon's surrender. We have not yet seen any of the fellows on the vessels that took part in the pursuit.

Our heavy work now commences in landing troops. The First Illinois, under Colonel Turner, is among our convoy, and if the boys fight the way they cheer there will be no question of the result.

PEACE JUBILEE FESTIVITIES.

The nation proved its gladness at the return of peace by celebrations and jubilees which extended from shore to shore. Most notable of all were the elaborate peace jubilees held in Philadelphia and in Chicago in October and November. The president of the United States participated in these ceremonies, with his cabinet officers and eminent warriors of the campaigns on land and sea in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippine islands. Elaborate illuminations and decorations made the cities beautiful, while the march of thousands of soldiers home from the war inspired the pride and the patriotism of multitudes who witnessed the festivities.

Nearly a quarter of a million soldiers again resumed civil life. Many of our brave soldiers left our shores never to return-some were killed in battle; some were stricken down with fever; others who were at the front and saw Old Glory proudly afloat over the once helpless and down-trodden subjects of Spain started homeward but failed to reach their loved ones through disease contracted while performing their duties on the field of battle. Such is war. The whole nation will cherish the memory of the dead and ever extend gratitude to those who safely returned.

The Peace Commission.

In accordance with the provisions of the protocol, it was necessary for commissioners to be appointed by the President of the United States and by the Spanish government to treat at Paris for the details of the terms of peace. President McKinley exercised great care in the selection of the American commissioners, and his choice was received with general approbation throughout the country. As the head of the commission he named the Honorable William R. Day of Ohio, the secre

tary of state in his own cabinet, the other members being George Gray, U. S. senator from Delaware; Cushman K. Davis, U. S. senator from Minnesota; William P. Frye, U. S. senator from Maine, and Whitelaw Reid, formerly United States minister to France. The Spanish commissioners appointed to conduct negotiations in the interests of the Spanish government had for their chief Senor Montero Rios, the other members being Senores Wenceslao Ranirez de Villaurrutia, Buenaventura Abarzuza, General Cerero and Jose de Garnica.

As promptly as possible after the appointment of the commissioners of each country, they started for France, and on the first day of October the peace commission assembled in Paris. The progress of peace negotiations may have seemed slow to Americans who are accustomed to doing business promptly and without unnecessary delay. But in the calendar of diplomacy it is not surprising that eight weeks intervened before definite terms for a treaty of peace were decided upon. There could be no such thing as informal discussions and conversations upon such important questions. Every proposition had to be placed in writing, translated into both languages, discussed in private by the members of each commission, and then argued before the full body. If an allegation by one commission was controverted by the other the same manner of argument had to be maintained.

Spanish Labor in Vain..

To the very end the Spanish commissioners made strenuous efforts to save for their country whatever wreckage they could out of the disaster that had befallen her. They strove to save some bit of colonial empire. They strove to have the colonial debts saddled upon the freed people of the islands. They strove to have the United States assume all or any portion of the colonial debts. And finally, when those efforts failed, they devoted their energies to securing as large an indemnity as possible for their losses.

It was on the twenty-eighth day of November that the Spanish commissioners finally yielded to every demand of their American associates and relinquished all claims to easier terms of settlement. Even until that day, there had been threats of breaking off peace negotiations on the part of the Spanish. This did not involve a threat of renewal of war on their part, because they recognized frankly that such an effort was impossible to them. Their troops had returned home from

Puerto Rico. Most of the troops had left Cuba for Spain. Their fleets were destroyed. Their treasury was empty and their credit low. If they had been able to embark new armies upon transports on the Spanish coast to sail for a renewal of hostilities in the West Indies, their fleet would never have reached the Caribbean coasts. Long before the Atlantic was crossed, American men-of-war would have been able to intercept the unguarded transports, for which no convoy could have been provided, and they would have been captured or sunk with all on board. The Spanish threat to break off negotiations meant only that they would yield to the superior force of the Americans and would withdraw from further effort to maintain what they believed to be their rights in the colonies. That movement would have relinquished the disputed territories to the Americans and the fighting would have been over, although there would have been no treaty of peace between the parties to the war.

Definite Terms of Peace.

Spain's contention rested on a disputed meaning of the protocol. The Spanish commissioners claimed that the meaning of the third section of the protocol, referring to Manila and the Philippines, was liable to doubt and that arbitration by a neutral power should be employed for its interpretation. The American commissioners denied that any doubt existed on this detail and refused to consider the suggestion for arbitration. The result was that ultimately the Spanish felt compelled to yield. At the afternoon joint session of the peace commission, Spain accepted the United States' offer of $20,000,000 and consented without condition to relinquish Cuba and to cede Puerto Rico, the Philippine islands and the island of Guam in the Ladrone islands.

The document presenting this acceptance contained only 300 words. It opened with a reference to the final terms of the United States, and said that the Spanish commissioners, after having taken cognizance of the terms proposed by the Americans, replied that their government had tried to give as equitable an answer as possible, but that they were not prepared to commit their government to the acceptance of the principles embodied in the American argument. Spain rejects these principles, the note continued, "as she always has rejected them."

Basing her attitude upon the justice of her cause, the note then said,