The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-06-09

sss vabueAsnsl sal his sserinel iass
~as dssb fars55wsd Sy tsnss dtawa
ltAss, but StsAAy resolution shown IN
sysa % Hbsoebsd VUs hs h The task
Nhead - hin that, unnlAdful q his a.
pearaAes and Of an ceremony and ma
vsl stiQustts. As told the adnirsl In .
tone Of command that he must not
ssaia b intsrfsrsd with. .
II can carry this thing through"
said be, but thsre must bs no more
recalls. Ny men have been keyed up
for ~ hours. and under . tremen-
l0us strain iron will break at last"
Friday morning the Merrimac start
- In shortly after o'clock. Slowly
the seconds Of fate licked on a.. for an
hour. 5000 strained eyes strove to
pierce the deep veil Of night.
Suddealy several blood red tongues
Of fame shot down from the rocky en-
insnce on which MORO Castle is sit.
uated. They were followed BY Jets
and streaks Of hrs from the batteries
opposite. The Msrrimac had reached
the entrance Of the harbor. Into the
murderous hre the Merrimac passed
and moved full quarter Of a mile.
Il seems Q miracle that her apparently
riddisd hull could have reached the
goal. After hvs minutes the firing
ceased. and all became dark again.
spaniards Admire Their Bravery.
Then among the watchers Of the
feet arose the question as to whether
those ive minutes Of murder had left
grief stricken mothers or widows or
orphans. Many . gunner's mate be-
sought permission to fre. but nothing
could be done. as an III directed shot
might kill our men, possibly struggling
In the water toward the open sea.
When the curtain Of night was at
hast lifted the light disclosed tiny
steam launch riding the waves at the
very throat of the entrance Of the har-
Dor. In an instant the guns OF the
shore batteries we're turned upon her,
and with a last, lingering. vain look
for the crew Of the Merrimac Ensign
Powell headed his launch close along
shore to the westward. In this lay
his salvation. The guns Of the bat
teries to the westward could not be
depressed enough to hit the little
launch. and the guns on MORO Castle
would not bear upon her.
Cervera. the Spanish admiral, was SO
struck with the courage Of the Merri-
macs crew that he thought Admiral
Sampson should know they had not
lost their lives. He therefore sent his
chief Of staff, Captain Oveido, to board
the New York under flag of truce
Captain Oveido told how Hobson and
his men had jumped into boat as the
torpedoes were exploded and rowed
away from the sinking collier. As 1,
would have been impossible to row to
our feet through the storm OF shot and
shell they rowed to the Spanish flag.
ship and surrendered. Captain Oveidc
stated that two Of our men are slightly
injured He did not know their names
Lieutenant Hobson is uninjured. After
Lieutenant Hobson had fired the tor.
pedoes which sunk the Merrimac the
men were unable to reach the dingy
They swan to the shore and were cap.
tured-
{. The Spanish admiral offers to ex.
Change the prisoners, and declares tina,
meanwhile they will be treated with
the greatest kindness. Their bravery
has won for them the admiration ol
every man In the Spanish feet. Wher
Captain Oveido returned to his fee,
he took a supply Of provisions and
money for the prisoners.