one
o'clock
When the _ Vizcaya _ was run ashore , the _ Colon _ was more than four miles ahead of her leading pursuer , the _ Brooklyn _ . Close on the heels of the latter came the wonderful battle-ship _ Oregon _ , which had unexpectedly developed such extraordinary speed that , although starting next to the last of the American ships , she now very nearly led the chase . Next behind her came the _ Texas _ , while the superb _ New York _ , though still far in the rear , was overhauling all three , and had the race been long enough would eventually have exchanged broadsides with the _ Colon _ . But she was not to be granted that satisfaction ; for shortly after one o'clock , when the chase had lasted two hours , the _ Oregon _ threw a couple of great thirteen-inch shells , at a range of five miles , so close to the flying Spaniard that they deluged her with tons of water . Upon this , to the surprise of every one , and without making any sort of a fight , the finest ship of the Spanish navy lowered her flag and was headed in for the beach . After she had thus surrendered , and before the Americans could board , she was wrecked by her own crew , who opened sea-valves , smashed out dead lights , threw overboard the breech-blocks of their great guns , and in many other ways worked what destruction they could in the time allotted . As a result of this vandalism , the fine ship rolled over on her side soon after striking , and would have slipped off into deep water had not the _ New York _ rammed her to a better position higher up the beach .