Fleet Smashed

Washington, July 4.- A dispatch received at the war department from Lieutenant Colonel Allen, in charge of he signal service at Santiago, says hat Cervera's fleet is destroyed. It ald that Cervera made a dash out of Santiago harbor wíth the vessels of hls quadron, and tried desperately to esape to sea. Whether or not the Merrimac was removed was not stated. At all events the ships succeeded in geting out oL the harbor. As they apíeared they encountered Sampson's eet and a hot interchange of shots began at once. So well was the American fleet maneuvered that all but one of Cervera's ships were cut off from posible escape, and great damage to them was inflicted. Cervera saw that his ships were doomed and. rather than urrender them, he ran them all ashore and blew them up. One of the Spanish ships succeeded in getting by the Americans and put to sea. Immediate chase was given, but the result was net learned. Nearly all of the men of the Spanish crew escaped ,o the shore before the ships wereblown up. It was learned also that the report stated that General Shafter had demanded the surrender of the city of Santiago, under penalty immediate bombardment. It was not learned whether this demand was made before or after Cervera attempted to escape. Th fleet of Admiral Cervera was one of the finest Spain possessed. Three of :he vessels - the Almirante Oquendo, the Vizcaya and the Cristóbal Colon - were modern armored cruisers of the firstclass. The Vizcaya, whlch visited this country soon after the Maine was sent o Havana, and was in the New York harbor when the news of the destruction of the American battleship was aken to her commander, was of 7.U0U ons displacement, 340 feet long and ïeavily armored, her belt armor being welve inches in thickness and her deck armor three inches. Her armament consisted of two 11-inch, ten 5.5-inch Hontoria gun?, eight 2.2-inch rapid-flre guns, eight 1.4-inch rapid-flre guns and ;wo mitrailleuses. She had two masts wlth military tops, two turrets, two smokepipes, and a ram bow. She carried six torpedo tubes, was capable of aspeed of twenty knots, and her complement was 500 men. The Almirante Oquendo was in almost every respect a Suplícate of the "Vizcaya. The Cristóbal Colon had a displacement of 6,840 tons and was 328 'eet long. She had six-inch armor, both at the water line and at the gun positions, and 1.5-inch armor on her deck. 3er armament consisted of two 10-inch, ten 6-inch rapid-fire, six 4.7-inch, ten 2.2-inch and ten 1.4-inch guns, two mitrailleuses and four torpedo tubes. She was capable of a speed of twenty knots and carried a complement of 450 men.