The morning call., 1893-10-15
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

their different stations, overhauled and
remained near San Francisco waiting
orders. The first vessel to proceed to sea
was my ship. the Oregon. which was
| doWn the coast was delightful and we soon
reached San. Diego, In the vicinity Of
! which we cruised for about two days.
AT O'Clock In the afternoon Of Novem-
Der 28, 1894, the lookout spied the smoke of
steamer. and in half an hour we could
make out large maD-of-war about eight
miles to starboard and steaming our way
at full speed. Orders were at once given
to have the decks cleared, the men were
sent to quarters, the vessel headed toward
the stranger and our speed increased. The
stranger had evidently learned our nation
allty, Tor in few moments we saw flash
from her side and she'll came whistling
in our direction, falling short by about
fifty yards
The hydraulic elevators were soon en-
gagged In bringing out from the magazines
the powder and shot for the guns. Soon
our two 6-inch pieces spoke, and they
informed our adversary that we were
ready for the fray.
had decided not TO fire the 13-inch guns
until the men could get the range. I
thought, too, that they would have more
effect on the enemy. whom l discovered to
be the Camperdown of last years collision
Still rememb bered by many a widow and
orphan), at close range.
Shortly after sunset a shot from the
enemy carried away the small flagstaff at
the bow, but luckily it did no other dam
age. This was answered by two of our
8-inch guns one being fired a little in ad-
vance of the other. As it was nearly dark,
could not see the effect of these shots on
our opponent.
As she drew nearer the firing became
general, the roars Of the monster 13-inch
guns mingling with those of their smaller
| companions of and inches. Men were
being shot down on every side; those that
had been wounded were sent to the operat- .
ing room and the bodies of those that had
been killed were laid one side.
1t began to rain, gently at first, but
gathering in intensity as night came on,
and soon we were exchanging volIeys with
each other in storm. for the wind had
also risen and with it the waves To an
outsider the sight would have been grand,
awe-inspiring. The participants were too
excited TO notice anything but their work.
| Both ships. trolling and pitching in the
| high sea, were threatened with resting
| place in the inky blackness beneath by the
great waves which broke on reaching
them and sent the spray flying over the
| smokestacks, dampening the fires in the
CRATES below. The flash of the guns. the
men, stripped to the waist, covered with
! peIspiratiOn, powder and sometimes blood,
and the grand effects of the storm made a
scene that would never fade from the
memory Oh spectator.
AS the shots from one of the turrets con-
tanning two of the eight-inch guns had
ceased | sent an officer to find out the
cause and upon his return he confirmed nv
worst fears. AS that turret was the most
conspicuous of any Qn the binding Storm
L suppose it was. part of the time, the only
one visibe) 1t had borne the brunt of the
enemy's fire with the result that out of
thirty-two people who had entered only
two were alive, and those two were so
badly wounded that they could not get
out of the deathtrap, but had to lie there
in their agony.
All this had occurred in the short space
of two hours. though If it had been day
and the sea calmer the battle would have
been decided, probably, in less than half
that time.
The distance between the two ships was
at this time less than 500 yards, and
through my nightglass / saw that the
enemy was veering round to give us a
broadside. Shouting down the tube lead
| ing to the eDgine-roOm for a full head of
steam | then ordered the men in charge of
| the Gatllng and howitzer guns to get ready
for close work, and taking my place at the
side of the man at the wheel I determined
that through no fault of mine should the
battle be lost We had gone about 100
yards ahead when l saw that the enemy
was coming in our direction at full speed,
so / swung to starboard, then to port, and
crash! the Oregon plunged into the
Camperdown just abaft the bows. The
battle was over, and our work lay in saw
ing the officers and sailors of the defeated
vessel.
In less than an hour the British man-of-
war weS beneath the waters of the Pacific
The Oregon had suffered terribly. Of the
crew that had sailed out of Frisco Bay but
One-half were left.