The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-09

Fall Into the Trap and Escape Only |
the Spanish Gunners-The Two Ships |
Were on Blockade Duty and Seeing |
the Spanish Schooner Gave Chase and |
Before Realizing Their Danger Were |
Withing Easy Range of the Santa
Clara Batteries Which Opened Fire
and Did Some Damage-Rigging of the
Vicksburg Carried Away.
Key West, Fla, May S.-Only poor
craftsmanship on the part of the Span
ish gunners saved the Vicksburg and
the cutter Morrill, from destruction off
Havana yesterday afternoon. For over
half an hour they were under the fire
of the guns Of Santa Clara water bat
teries, but both escaped without ma
terial injury, although shrapnel shells
from eight-inch guns exploded all about
%'NN~SNN
scars of the Spanish bullets. The Span
iards had arranged a. trap to send
couple of our ships to the bottom.
They baited it as a man would bait a
rat trap. A small schooner was sent
out from Havana harbor shortly before
daylight yesterday morning to draw
some of the Americans into the ambus-
cade. The ruse worked like a charm.
The Vicksburg and the Morrill,, in the
heat of the chase and in their contempt
for Spanish gunnery, walked straight
into the trap that had been set for
them. Had the Spaniards possessed
their souls in patience but five minutes
longer not even the bad gun practice
would have saved our ships, and this
morning two more of our vessels would
lie at the bottom within two lengths of
the wreck of the ill-starred Maine.
Friday evening the Vicksburg and
the Morrill,, cruising to the west of
Morro Castle, were fired upon by the
big guns of the Cojimar batteries. Two
shots were fired at the Vicksburk and
one at the Morrill,. Both fell short and
both vessels, without returning the fire,
steamed out of range 1t would have
been folly to have done otherwise. The
schooner they had sent out before day.
light ran off to the eastward, hugging
the shore with the wind on her star
board quarter. About three miles east
of the entrance of the harbor she came
over on the port tack. A light haze
was on at the time and she was not
discovered for some time and the Vicks-
burg and Morrill, were signalled. Cap
tain Smith of the Morrill, and Comman-
der Lilly of the Vicksburg Immediately
clapped on all steam and started in
pursuit The schooner instantly put
about and ran for MORO Castle before
the wind. On doing so she would have,
according to the we'll conceived Spanish
plot led the two American warships di-
rectly under the guns of the Santa
Clara batteries. These works are a
short mile west Of Moro and are a
part of the defenses of the harbor.
There are two batteries, one at the
shore (Which has been recently thrown
up), of sand and mortar, with wide
embrasures for eight-inch guns, and
the other on the crest of the rocky en-
inence which juts out into the waters
of the gulf at that point. The upper
battery mounts modern ten and twelve
inch Krupp guns behind a six-foot
stone parapet, in front of which are
twenty feet of earthwork and a betting
of railroad iron. This battery is con-
sidered the most formidable of Hava-
mas defenses, except Moro Castle 1t
| is masked and has not been absolutely
| located by the American warships. 1t
| is probably due to the fact that the
| Spaniards did not desire to expose it's
position that the Vicksburg and Morrill,
are now afloat.
The Morrill, and Vicksburg> were
about six miles from the schooner
when the chase began. They steamed
after her at full speed, the Morrill, lead
| ing until within mile and half of
| the Santa Clara batteries. Commander
Smith of the Vicksburg was the first to
| realize the danger into which the reck-
| less pursuit had led them. He con-
| cluded it was time to haul off and sent
| a shot across the bow of the schooner.
| The Spanish skipper instantly brought
| his vessel about, but while she was
still rolling in the trough of the sea
with her sails Tapping, an eight-inch
| shrapnel shell came hurting through
| the air from the water battery, a mile
and a half away. 1t passed over the
| Morrill, between the pilot house and
| the smokestack and exploded less
| than fifty feet on the port quarter. The
| small shot ratified against her side. 1t
was a close call. Two more shots fol-
| lowed in quick succession, both shrap-
| nell One burst close under the star
board quarter, filling the engine room
with the smoke of the exploding shell,
| and the other, like the first, passed
over and exploded just beyond. The
| Spanish gunners had the range, and
| their time fuses were accurately set.
The crews of both ships were at their
| guns. Lieutenant Craig, who was in
| charge of the bow four-inch rapid fire
| gun of the Morrill, asked for and OBJ