The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-23
YOUTHS PAGE

StSu Oh Ielel comes from tne spectators.
Hay" passes a grimy towel over his
perspiring face
''Whew that was ticklish moment"
he said solemnly. I'D just as soon not
handle any more defective shells"
Which exactly represented our senti-
ments.
Three minutes later Number Eight was
barking away at the forts ashore, and
the episode of the cartridge that missed
fire was a thing of the past.
The bombardment of Santiago had now
lasted over an hour. AS yet not one of
the American vessels had been reached
by a SHE'LL nor had the forts suffered any
perceptible damage. The fleet, roaring
and laundering, was swinging back and
forth through the great semi-crcle, the
smoke from the guns was banking along
| the beach, and from Moro Castle and its
attending batteries came sharp defiant an
! swers to the interminable volleys fired by
! our squadron.
'It's a good thing Uncle Sans shot
| locker is pretty capacious," remarked
| Flagg, as we showed another cartridge
| into the yawning breech of our five-inch
! gun. IF we haven't fired over three hun
dred rounds since O'Clock, l can't
! count"
"Itll be double that before we get
! through" grunted Tommy as we stepped
| back from the loaded gun. Steady,
| there. Stand byn'
|
lanyard, and almost instantly came the
| sharp, vicious report of the breech-loader.
! Each man sprang back to his station, and
! the process of reloading went on without
! delay The battle smoke from Number
! Six, which had filed our port for some
time, cleared away just then. enabling us
! to see Hays last shot strike squarely
| upon the outer line of earthworks of the
| Punta Gorda battery.
Splendid shot Hay" exclaimed our di-
vision officer briefly.
Bully, that's what it was-bullyr' cried
Stump. patting the second captain upon
the back.
Murray! it's knocked out a gun" re-
ported Dye, from nearer the port. Il
saw the piece keel over backward"
There was no time for further COM
| ment. When a guns crew is firing at will,
and the excitement of combat has taken
| possession of the individual members, the
task in hand requires all ones attention.
We of Number Eight had suffered one de-
lay, and we really felt that the lost time
must be made up.
Personal impressions in battle have
been described in prose and poem until
the subject Is hackneyed, but 1T may be
of interest to note that the impressions
experienced by the novices in naval war
| fare manning the Yankee during the
bombardment of Santiago consisted main
I Iy of one feeling. II was well voiced by
!
| II felt Just as / did one time when l at
| tended Barnum's circus in Madison Square
| Garden. They had three rings, two plat
| forms, a lot of tight ropes and trapezes
and other things ali going at the same
| time. Before l had been in the place three
minutes L was wishing for a hundred eyes.
| And that is the way l felt at Santiago"
What we saw of the bombardment was
| limited to the range of our gun port, but
| that little was worth all the hardships and
| toll and discomforts of the whole cruise.
| The spectacle of the fleet itself was al
most enough. To see the great ships plow-
ing through the water, each enveloped in
shroud of smoke shot here and there
with tinges of ruddy flame, to see that
mighty line swinging and swaying in front
of the enemy, to see the shells land and eX
plode In fort and battery, to see the great
gaps torn in cliff and earthworks, to see
the geyser-lke fountains of water spout
| up here and there al the Spanish shells
struck the surface of the bay, to see an
| this, and TO hear the accompanying thun-
| der and booming Of the guns, and to real
| ze that we were actually taking part in
the greatest bombaTdment of modern times
was payment in fun for coal handling and
standing watch and government
| straight" Not one of the Yankee boys
would have missed the spectacle for any
thing earth could offer.
During the second hour of the attack we
were enabled to observe the work being
| done by other vessels of the fleet Near us
was the gallant New Orleans, the ship pur-
chased from Brazil. Her foreign build made
il easy to distinguish her, and as she was
| the only craft using smokeless powder, she
presented a prominent mark. The guns
| on board the New Orleans were being
served rapidly and with precision, and we
| saw a number of shots strike Wen within
the limits of the batteries.
At our end of the line the flagship New
| York, the Iowa and the Oregon were pour
ing an appalling fire into some new earth
| works near Moro Castle 1t was seen that
| but very few shots were sent In the direc-
ton of the latter, and it transpired that
| Admiral Sampson had issued strict orders
to the fleet 10 avoid endangering Lieut..
Hobson and his brave companions, who
were supposed TO be imprisoned in Old
Moro Before the end of the second hour
the New York and New Orleans had sue
ceeded in completely silencing Cayo Bat
terry, dismantng the guns and wrecking
the outer fortihcations.
At the other end of the line Admiral
Schley's division was doing splendid work
We could see the Massachusetts, Brook
lyn and Texas move in toward shore and
| open fire at close range. 1t was stirring
| sight this mighty duel between warshps
and forts. As compared with the cliffs and
| hills of the land. the ships seemed verita-
bic pigmies, but in this strife the pigmles
were all powerful.
The guns of the fleet were working ha-
voc in the forts ashore, and we could see
| the Spanish artillerymen abandon battery
after battery. Cayo, Punta Gorda Estrel-
Ia and Catalena were rapidly becoming
| vacated The former was entirely out of
| the fight and the others were replying
only at intervals. Presently the Massachu-
| setts and MaTbiehead advanced within two
thousand yards Of the Estrella fertilization
and began such terrific firing that with
in a few minutes a great cloud of smoke
| appeared above the works. The Spanish
guns became quiet at once, and a rousing
cheer went up from the fleet
Hay, in his exuberance, wanted to send
a fve-inch shell from our gun al the burn
ing fort, but the distance was too great
and he was compelled to be content with
a couple of well-aimed shots a the near
| est battery.
II wish we had thirteen-inch guns and
the range was about ten feet" grumbied