Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-06-11
HOW HOBSON PREPARED
FOR PERILOUS TRIP
Arrangements Had Been Made to
Start for the Channel on
Thursday Morning
SAMPSON CALLED HIM BACK
He Protests in Strong Terms to the
Admiral Against Prolonging
the Strain.
OUTLINES PLANS TO COMRADES
Did Not Contemplate surrender 10
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III
the Vessel TO BE Explode
cl by Himself.

Ct w ba"'TN''
Off Santiago dc Cuba. June 81 a.
m.--Nia Port Antonio, jamaica, June
4, per the Associated Press dispatch
boat Dauntcss.-(Dclayed in trans
mission.-(Copyright, 1898, by the As
ISOLATED PrcsS.)-While the men who
performed the act of heroism, under
the commard of Lieutenant Ho6son, in
channel leading into the harbor of San
tiago de Cuba remain prisoners of war
in the Spanish prison. nothing definite
will probably he known as to what ac-
tually occurred after the Merrimac
passed into Me channel. One can
judge, however what did happen from
what Lieutenant IIobson said just be-
fore leaving the flagship. Sitting i'm
his cabin, his face Drowned by the sun
and his eyes flashing with excitement,
he remarked:
nobson Talks OF Ills Plans.
Il shall go right into the harbor I'M
til about 100 yards past the Estella bat
terry, which is behind MORO castle. |
do not think they can sink me before
| reach somewhere near that point.
The Merrimac has 1000 tons %buoyancy,
and ] shall keep her full speed ahead.
She can make about ten knots. When
the narrowest part of the channel is
reached ] shall put her helm hard
aport, stop the engines, drop the m
chors, open the sea connections. touch
of the torpedoes and leave the Merri-
mae a wreck lying athwart the chan
mel, which is not as broad as the Mcr-
rimac is long, There are ten t%orpcdocS
below the water line on the Merrimac's
port side. They are placed on her side
against the bulkheads and %yitals, con
nected with each other with Il wire un-
der the ships keel. Each torpedo con
tains eighty-two pounds Of gunpow-
der. Each torpedo is also connected
with the bridge and they should do
their work in a minute, and il will be
quick work even if done in a minute
and n quarter. On deck there will he
four men and myself. In the engine
room there will he two other men.
This is the total crew and all of us will
be in our Undertaking, with revol-
sexs and ammunition in watertight
package strapped around our waists.
Forward there will he n man on deck
and around his waist will be a line, the
other end made fast TO the bridge, on
which l will stand. by that mans side
will be an aXe.
when stop the engine ! shall jerk
this cord and he will thus get the sig
nal to cut the lashing which will be
holding the forward anchor. He will
then jump overheard and swim TO the
four cared dingy which we shall tow
nstern. The dingy is full of life buoys
and is unsuitable. In il are rifles. 1t
is to be held by two ropes, one made
fast at her bow and one at her stern.
The first man to reach her wit haul in
the tow line and pull the dingy out to
starboard. The next to leave the ship
are the rest Of the crew. The quarter
master at the wheel will not leave un-
Ill after having put il hard aport and
dashed il so. lie will then Jump over
board.
Down below the man at the reyers-
ing gear Will stop the engines, scram-
bic up on deck and get over the side as
quickly as possible. The men in the
engine room will break open the sea
connections with n Sledgc hammer and
will follow his leader into the water.
This last step insures the sinking of
the Merrimac whether the torpedoes
work or not.
"By this time | calculate the six
men will be in the dingy and the Mer-
rimac will have swung athwart the
rho n.nl 70 III. f,n I,,Atl Il -. ono
yards Of cable, which will have been
paid out before the anchors were cut
loose. Then all that is left for me is
TO touch the button. | shall stand on
the starboard side of The bridge. The
explosion will throw the Merrimac on
her starbOard side. Nothing on this
side of New York city will be able to
raise her after that"
Chances Of Escape.
And you expect to come out of this
alive?" asked a companion Of the lieu.
tenant.
"Ab, dat is another thing" said the
lieutenant. He was so interested in
the mechanical details of the scheme
that he scarcely stopped to talk of life
and death. But in reply to frequent
questions, Hobson said:
Il suppose the Estclla battery will
fire down on us n bit, but the ships
will throw their searchlights in the
gunners' faces and they won't see
much Of MS. Then, II we are torpedoed
we should even then be able To make
the desired position in the channel
IL won't be so easy to hit us, and ]
think the men should be able to swim
TO the dingy. l may jump before ]
am blown up. But l don't see that il
makes much difference what l do.
have a fair chance of life either way
If our dingy gets shot to pieces we
shall then try to swim for the beach
right under Moro castle. We shall
keep the ground at all hazards. Then
we may be able to make u way
alongside and perhaps get back to the
ship. We shall fight the sentries or i
squad until the last, and we shall only
surrender TO overwhelming numbers
and our surrender will only take place
as u last and a most uncontemplateo
emergency"