The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-10-22
ST PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS MIMI SATURDAY 1898

those Which burst easily and are very. diff
ferent from the armor piercing variety
which are meant for use against plated
ships.
The armor piercing shells used by the
Texas. had little effect unless they struck
Spanish gun or within foot or two
OF 1t. Therefore, when it is remembered
that the battleship silenced the Spanish
battery it will be seen that there is a
foundation for the assertion often made.
that her gun practice that day was tbs
most remarkable during the war;
Both ship and battery fired slowly, the
ships gunners even more deliberately
than the gunners on the height. -he
Spanish aim was better than usual.
Shells fell close to the Texas continually.
When a 6-inch projectile struck her on
the bow, went through, cut off big
stanchion and burst among the men who
We're grouped about two 6-pounders in
the forward compartment, few on board
knew what had happened. Indeed, when
the smoke Of the gun which fired the
shell belched from the hill one of the of
ficers on the Texas thought it was a shell
from the ship exploding in the Spanish
work and cried out that it was good
shot . ..''. .-.1
Tut, man. said Capt. Philip: "that
was one of their guns. A few moments
later smoke rose in clouds from the for
ward compartment and he added,
They've hit u.s.
Questions were shouted from the bridge,
but for minute there was no intelligent
reply. But men had already hurried to
the pierced compartment with stretchers
for the wounded and lines of fire hose,
and the surgeons were busy with lint
and bandages. Before the men on the
bridge knew the extent OF the damage
the wounded were carried out and the
fire eXt.nguished, SO we'll did every man
Know STATION Inf
There was one man whom they could
not carry out. He had been torn to
shreds by the shell. A man at his side
was unhurt. man as far from him as
was possible in the small compartment
had dozen wounds.
The word that one was dead and several
terribly hurt vent through the ship
quickly. e.
Steadily the big guns took their revenge
shell after shell went home. The fire of
the Sacopa battery became ragged. Then
| it ceased. The Texas steamed out pas,
the Brooklyn and Schleys men cheered
I'LL signal told them man had been
killed. Then the Brooklyn asked by sig
| nal If she could afford any assistance,
/ and added a compliment concerning the
wonderful shooting.
1.-The Texas wants nothing, unless it be
some common SHE'LL was Philips an
sWer. Then, for the first time, the Brook
| lyn's company learned that the great ex-
1 ecution had been done with armor- pierre
| Ing projectiles, and wondered the more at
the grim duel and it's quito ome.,
Thought Friend n Foe.
The description in the Herald of Sept.
rs of an experience through which the
| flagship New York and the torpedo boat
| Porter passed during the war with Spain
| recalls to me similar experience in
which the Porter's sister vessel, the Du-
pont, narrowly escaped destruction when
about to torpedo the monitor Puritan.
| The incident is vouched for by one OF
those present at the time.
When, on April %, the Puritan, Am
phitrite Cincinnati and Machias and the
torpedo boats Dupont, Foote and Wins
low began patrol duty off Matanzas,
Cuba, they were arranged in three lines
| the torpedo boats stationed one mile
Off the entrance to the bay, the cruisers
three miles further out, and the monitors
! three miles outside the cruisers.
| Each vessel was to patrol back and
| forth. and not to leave station except
to Intercept a strange vessel, and then
to exchange signals with her. The same
| orders as were in force on the Porter
and New York were to be observed off
Matanzas. Should a vessel reply to sig
| nails with the same display it was re-
| garded as sufficient evidence that she
was friend; but in the event of failure
| to respond, or the display Of a different
signal, she was to be regarded as sus-
picious vessele
| The vessels went to. their stations on
the night of April "a, the Dupont having
| the eastern end of the inner line. No.
notice had been given to her of any
change having been made in the DISPOSE
| ton of the vessels for the night, SO when
a shot was fired and it was heard to
| strike close under her stern, coming from
the direction of the shore, the command
ing officer, Lieut.. Spencer S. Wood, was
| puzzled, as he was unable to see an!
| or,I I'm Of fort
| that vicinity.
To clear up the doubt the vessel was
turned toward the direction of the shot
and the signal lights were displayed
no response. A complete circle was made
still no reply TO- the IS eig 1ae;t s Woag
decided to investigate closer, and pre-
pared for an attack. All hands were
called to their stations; the guns ana
torpedo tubes were manned; steam pres
sure was increased, and the dupont spec
along under two boilers, making aDout
twenty-five knots.
l when approaching the place from which
1.-The shot had apparently come speed was
slackened, steam was allowed to bottle up,
preparatory to dash, and every one
strained his eyes to see into the darkness.
Still nothing could be seen, when, sud
denly, out Of the blackness dark mass
began to appear. 1t was vessel OF some
kind, but what was 1t?
Are you ready?" was passed quietly to
Ensign Clark, who was stationed at the
port torpedo.
Eyes, SIR" the report came back.
Speed was increased; the boat appeared
to leap toward the strange vessel, which
had not replied to her signal Then two
faint white lights, in a horizontal plane,
lappeared, but it was not the right signal.
No chances could be taken now. She
must be destroyed. Quicker revolved the
screws. The Dupont must be nearer Tor
defective work .
The lieutenant was about to give the
order to fire, when faint red light began
to show between the two white ones.
Hard a-port' cried the lieutenant. The
Dupont passed clear, and the lieutenant,
lgrasping the megaphone, called out:
i"Your red light is too faint. can
scarcely make it OUT and the Dupont re-
turned to her patrol station, and the men
to lner hunks.
Oil lanterns were used that night on the
{ Puritan for signals, and as they We're
burning dirnly this accounted for the diff
Guilty in distinguishing her lights.
It was not until some weeks later that
those on the torpedo boat heard the other
side Of the story. The officer of the deck
Of the Puritan had seen what he thought
a strange vessel and, not receiving any
Ireply to his signal-the lights were too
dim-he had fired the shot which had
astonished the Dupont, and then gave a
general alarm, which summoned all to
their quarters.
All prepared for attack, and when
J about deciding it had been false alarm
the Dupont was sighted speeding toward
!, most of the officers declared she was not
one Of our boats, but one Of the Spanish
destroyers.
The moment had almost, come to fire, for