The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-29
To the Navy in Defeating tile Spanish Gunboat
IT HAS BEEN "A. MENACE TO SIMPSONS FLEET.
And Terror in Imagination to All Naval Men-The Vicious Little
Boat Made Dash at tho Unarmorod Cruiser St Pau-The
American Vessel Hit Her Three Times and She Had to bo
Towed Into San Juan Harbor in Sinking Condition.

WASHINGTON, June 2s.-The navy
department to-day posted the following
bulletin:
Admiral Sampson reports that the
Yale arrived to-day and discharged her
troops. i.
Captain Slgsbee reports that on We'd
needay afternoon while Off San Juan,
Porto Rico, he was attacked by Span
ish unprotected cruiser and the Spanish
torpedo boat destroyer Terror. The
Terror made dash which was awaited
by the st. Paul. The st. Paul hit the
Terror three times, killing one officer
and two men, and woundng several
others. The Terror dropped back under
cover Of the Notifications with difficulty.
and was towed into the harbor In q
sinking condition, where che Is now be.
ing repaired. Later n cruiser and n
gunboat started out but remained under
protection Of the forts ,
In defeating the Terror, Captain sigs-
bee rendered a most important service
to our navy and indeed to all navies. He
has not only deprived Sampson's fleet OF
apprehension OF an attack In the rear
some dark night by this vicious little
boat, but he has demonstrated that an
auxiliary cruiser Is amply able to take
care OF herself against a torpedo gun
boat. showing that the offensive power
Of this craft has been very much over
rated.
The torpedo gunboat was an untried
quality in naval warfare up to this time.
Swlfter than torpedo boat, seaworthy,
and possessed Of the armament OF which
the torpedo boat Is void. the torpedo
gunboat has been a terror in imagina-
ton to all naval men. The presence>of
such Spanish gunboat. the Temerario
In the river Platte In the pathway OF the
Oregon on her cruise around South
America, was for several weeks cause
for great anxiety at the navy depart
ment. Now Captain Sigsbee has shown
that with an unarmored cruiser armed
with only 5-inch guns, the torpedo gun
boats are not feared, at least not In day
light. it -i3
. q
The Terror Is Of English build, having
been turned out at Clydebank In 1896.
She IS a low lying steel craft with steel
tunnels. Is Of $40 tons, 900 feet long, %
feet beam and feet 6 inches draft. The
boat Is filed with engines and boilers,
her horse power being 6.0Oo. capable OF
driving her at speed OF IS knots. with
Norman boilers. While the ordinary
torpedo boat carries only a little one
FOUNDER gun the torpedo gunboat Is
armed with a formidable battery for
vessel OF her size. consisting of two a.
Founders, TWO g. Founders and two /
Founders, all quick firing and having
two 4-lnch torpedo tubes on deck.
The other Spanish cruiser referred to
by Captain Sigsbee In his report as join
ing In the attack upon the ST. Paul Is
supposed here to be the Alfonso XII, an
irs,n bark rigged cruiser built IN 1857, OF
5000 tons. While an old vessel she has
q. pretty good battery made up of four
teen Hontoria guns os various calibres,
five machine guns and two torpedo
tubes ia
AS soon as Captain Sigsbee's report
came to hand the officials at the navy
department lyrecalledhthe fact
TINT, the Spaniards had last week sent
ont a bulletin describing the flight of an
American cruiser before two Spanish
vessels of San Juan, and that particu-
lar engagement was identified us tho
same referred TO by Captain Si-sbee.