Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-09-20

J W00Ie0 10 use me, was C00 prompt 70.
ply. ''I MAS in Il dark 90 TO the loca-.
zion d the two aests.I I knew one. had
been at Hampton Roads and another nc
Key West, and tho charts told me that
! Jupiter inlet was in telegraphio reach
Of all points on the coast. From that
/ place also had coal enough to make
the run to either CT the two heeta You
can easily understand that had I gone
direct to Key West and the Oregon had
been wanted at Hampton Roads several
days would have to be lost in coaling.
OF course the fact is that we went. TO
Key West This was the end of what
may be called = successful though not
remarkable voyage" .s.I
"Do you believe the Spaniards would
have fought fair II you had been attack
ed in midocean. Would they have hon.
ored the white Gag il You had been
compelled to raise it?'' y rs asked with
| some hesitation. - >.< ~ &Af' a
II am not go sure that they would"
gravely replied Captain CLARK. with .
slowness tnat argued his strong views
ON the subject. The Hobson incident
had not occurred. Oervera himself
would not have countenanced any in
! justice, but shudder at the hopeless
ness Of our brave jackies. marines and
others in midocean had we been COM
PEELED to swim for our lives. There is
no telling our fate had we by accident
steamed into the middle of that feet.
The torpedo boats might have surround
ed us, and we might have gone quick
~ to the bottom in q half mile Of
Brine" 49,.
"Now, captain, tell me you: ideas Of
! tho great naval victory of Santiago
| hsrbor on July 81
II hope that it will not be taken al
vainglorious if l say that it was lucky
that q battleship with cruiser speed was
there that day." replied Captain Clark,
with some hesitation. 1.-THE Spanish
hearts were broken by the big guns Of
the battleships Their men lost zeal
when the IS inch shells began to skip
F.; about them"
"Please describe the appearance Of
the Spanish feet, was suggested.
"Never saw more sublime sight"
/ said Captain Clark. a"Out came the
SpaIjsh ships, with their great ensigns
flying to the breeze that their own mo.
mentum created. The sea was like q
pond. Hardly ripple appeared in any
/ direction. Those great ships looked
handsome and-defant, aud want to
say in all candor that it looked for q
time as if some, of them would get
away-I mean through our lines. We
didn't know how badly we were pun.
! fishing them. The Indiana, Iowa, Ore.
lon, Texas and Brooklyn were all
/ Laundering them ut the same time.
Five of Us were jumping at them like
! furious wolves, if the smile be good
one.' e.
"How often can tho various guns b.
discharged" was asked. ID
"The ID inch guns can be fred only
once in four or five minutes, replied
the captain. 1.-THE inch can be fred
| every two minutes, while the rapid fire
guns are much more speedy. The Span.
| iards always shot too high" - "S
! "How do You explain this?'' tS
II believe they set their range for
5000 yards and never lowered it for
any Of their guns. A steady stream Of
projectiles was going over our heads
all the time. They fired shot and shell
enough to have done us the greatest
kind Of harm, but we weren't hurt tc
any extent. The Spaniards were utter.
ly demoralized at the way we went at
them. It certainly was revelation to
most Of Us. The scores the Spaniards
made were stray shots. Hardly any roll
was on the sea that morning-it was
like pond. I never saw the ocean
smoother.
"What about smokcless POWDER"
was then asked.
1--WE should have had it, !" was the
prompt rejoinder. 1--WE never realized
its value. The rapid fire guns were i'm
peded by the great volume Of smoke,
and the big guns suffered just as much
from the smoke Of the smaller weap-
ons." ...'..
"What are the lessons Of the Santi.
ago fght?"
"First, smokeless powder; second,
no woodwork on warships. The Span
iards were burned up.
"What is your opinion about the
souttling of the Spanish ships after
their surrender"
1T was wrong and in violation Of
every principle Of good faith on the
part Of conquered foe," replied the
captain. 1.-THE men who did those acts
forfeited their right to be protected and
ought to have been shot then and there.
Souttling ship after surrender is
treachery. The moment the white flag
goes up everything in the possession Of
the surrendered force, on sea or on
land, becomes the property Of the VIC
tor. The vandal who violates this well
recognized rule puts himself outside all
laws of mercy. He is to be likened to
tho miscreant who comes into q camp
as friend and then destroys the pro-
visions or other property Of the men
from whom he asks and receives proteo-
ton. He deserves death and always
gets it. I do not believe that Admiral
Oervera gave orders for anything Of the