A Spanish tug, flying a flag of truce, which had emerged from the harbor at noon, met one of our tugs, also flying a flag of truce, and almost immediately a string of signals went up to the signal yard of the "New York." Then came such a burst of cheers and whistling and tossing of hats from every ship in the fleet that it seemed as if every officer and sailor in Sampson's squadron had suddenly gone daft.

Like wildfire, the glorious news spread-- Hobson and his men were safe! The tug from the harbor had brought an officer sent by Admiral Cervera himself with a message stating that the brave naval constructor and all his crew had been captured alive and were now prisoners in Morro Castle.
Later, a press boat came alongside and confirmed the news through a megaphone.
The excitement on board the "Yankee," like that throughout the fleet, was tremendous.

Those in the North who had received both the news of the feat and the rescue at the same time, can hardly understand the revulsion of feeling which swept through the American ships gathered off Santiago.

It was like hearing from a supposed dead friend.
These heroes were comrades--nay, brothers.

They wore the blue and they were fighting for Old Glory.