Furthermore, the Spanish navy had a num-
ber of torpedo-boat destroyers. They pos-
sessed extraordinary speed, and, if given the
opportunity, could blow up the mightiest
battleship that ever floated. They formed

253



254 THE SPANISn FLEETS.
the " uncertain quantity " in the impending
hostilities, and their worth or worthlessness
remained to be demonstrated.
Admiral Montojo's fleet had been destroyed
at Manila, but there remained two more. "
One was under the command of Admiral
Camara and was in home waters. A move
was made to send this fleet through the Suez
Canal to attack Admiral Dewey and recover
Manila ; but the effort was never made, the
fleet being recalled when hardly through the
canal. This was due to the fact that our
Government began serious preparations to
send a resistless fleet into the Mediterranean
to desolate the coasts of Spain. Camara's
fleet, therefore, cut no figure in the war.
The squadron known as the " Cape Verde
fleet " was the one that caused concern. It
was reported at widely separated points, and
Admiral Sampson had his vessels hunting
in a dozen different places for it. Admiral
Cervera was in command, and he was known
to be a skilled and brave officer. On May 12
Sampson bombarded San Juan, Porto Rico,
suspecting Cervera might be in the harbor
and hoping to draw him out ; but he was not
there, and, after doing much damage to the



THE SPANISH FLEETS. 255

fortifications, Sampson withdrew and con-
tinued his search for the elusive fleet, regard-
ing which all manner of reports filled the air.
Finally, it was discovered that the vessels
had entered Santiago harbor, a spacious sheet
of water approached by a narrow channel.
