The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-09

the danger into which the reckless pur-
suit had led them.
He concluded 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 dapping. an eight inch
hrarnsl she'll came hurting through the
ar from the water battery, mile and a
nalL away, 1t passed over the Morrill, be-
tween the pilot honse and the smoke
auaclI aud exp loded less than fifty feet on
she port guar ter, The small shot ratified
against her side. 1t was "a close call
Two more shots followed in quick success
sion, both shrapnel. One burst close
under this starboard quarter, filling the
engine room with the smoke of the ex-
ploding shell, and the other, like the first,
passed over and exploded just beyond.
Inc Spanish gunners had the range and
their time fuses were accurately set.
The crews Of both ships were at their
guns Lieut.. Craig, who was in charge
Of the bow four inch rapid fire gun of
the morrill,, asked for and obtained per-
mission to return the fire. AT the first
shot the Vicksburg, which was in the
sheared off and passed to windward under
The Morrill's stern. In the meantime
Captain Smith also put his helm to port
and it was none too soon for as the Morrill,
stood off, solid eight inch shot grazed
her starboard quarter and kicked up tons
of water as 1t struck wave one hundred
yards beyond.
Captain Smith said afterwards that
this was undoubtedly an eight inch armor
piercing projectile and that it would have
passed through the Morrlll's boilers had
he not changed her course in the nick of
time.
All the guns of the water battery, were
fine nf bn
Jacobs ladder of the Vicksburg, adrift
and another carried away portion of the
rigging. AS the Morrill, and Vicksourg
steamed away, their aft guns were used,
out only few shots were fired. The
MorriiPs six inch gun was elevated for
40OO yards and struck the earthWork re-
peatedly.
The Vicksburg fired but three shot from
her six FOUNDER. The Spaniards con-
5inued to fire Shot and shell for twenty
minutes, but none of the latter shots
came within one hundred yards. Some
OF them were SO wild that they aroused
the American sailors to jeers. The Span
1ards only ceased firing when the Morrill,
and Vicksburg were completely out of
range. Ii ali the Spanish gunners had
been suffering from strabismus, their
practice could not have been worse. But
the officers of the Morrill, and Vioksburg
frankly admit their ow, recklessness and
tHe udfIOW CsCbp0 u Unelf Vessels from
destruction. They are firmly convinced
that the pursuit of the schooner was a
neatly planned trick which almost proved
successful.
If any one of the shots had struck the
thin skin of either vessel, it would have
offered no moro resistance than piece of
paper to g rifle.
The accurate range of the first few shots
is accounted for by the fact that the
Spanish officers had ample time to make
observations The bearings of the two YES
ssls were probably taken at MORO with a
range finder at the Santa Clara battery
and at this battery is probably connected
by wire with MORO they We're enabled to
take bearings from both points and by
1aborious calculation they fixed the
positions of the vessels pretty accurately.
With such opportunity for observation it
would be no great trick for an American
gunner to drop a shell down the smoke
sheered off after the FIRST fire the Spanish
gunner lost the range and their practice
became ludicrOus Both Captain Smith
and Commander Lilly believe the Spanish
refrained from using the upper batteries
Is order not to expose their actual location.
Later in the day the Morrill, captured the
Spanish schooner Espana bound for
Havana and ,towed the prize to Key West
On Friday the French school ship
frigate Doboutrdieu carrying thirty guns
in all, entered Havana harbor. She was
stopped by the Morrill, and two saIutes
were fired by the Annapolis before she
showed her flag.