The times., 1898-08-09
JOHN D. LONG.
SIMPSONS GRAND STRATEGY.
How the New York Escaped From
the Porter.

How the New York Escaped FROM
the Porter.
For some time the Navy Department.
has been in pos ession { a report from
Commodore Ssmip=on's fl set which ie-
lates an imtere-ting tory.
1t is to the effect That one dark N ght
the flagship New York was mi tasen for
an enemy's vessel by the corpedo noat
Porter and narrowly escaped being b'own
out OF the water. how narr.wly may be
gu aztsed. when 1t is known that the order
to discharge three tccp doe, was on 0ne
lips of the conman ing officer hen the
er-cr in identity was disco fered.
AS before related, the might was dark
ami the fleet was lyiag fl Martinique
whittier II had come search OF Ger
vera's squadron. Tie american vessels
as precamtion against su:crise by the
enemy were without lights. and beng
pairited black. 1t was a matter OF ex-
tr me difficulty 80 identify a ship at the
distance OF few hundred yards 1t
mu be further Remembered that Ceryera
had not yet been trapped in Santiago
haIbor. his whereabouts was mystery.
and his sudden appearance to d. battle
WIS momentary p--sbiity, particI ar-y
on NIGHTS such as tbs one was.
Tie littie torpedo boat Porter was lying
to at a distance from the American fleet
wts.ch made il impossible for her crew TO
dist ngU:sh the other vessel. and Wien
the huge hulk of cruiser locmed UP
within sight, without lights ard flying no
signals. 1t was not remarkable that Capt.
Fremont, commanding the Porter, hid
some suspicion that it might loe a hostile
ship. Anyway. the torpedo bat sgnaled
ard getting no answer, gave chase 10
the unknown, Whicl turned at once and
made away into the darkness. But the
Porter followed ana gained upon the pur
sued. Again she signaled with the naval
countersign of that particular night. The
CRUISER ahead igncted the signal and
crowded on more steam. AT this the
Porter fired a small gun and go. an
answering shot.
The chase was now in earnest The
torpedo tubes were manned, and the ep-
orators awaited the signal to fire when
the unknown cruiser began to signal. The
Porter suspended hostilities fo- a min
ute and watched until the fugitive ahead
made an error in the countersiSp. just as
an enemy might have done n trying to
copy a signal. The Porter's men Here
now sure that they were on the trall of
a hostile vessel.
Without hesitation the tubes were
trained and the command which would
have sent three torpedoes kissing through
the water was on the lips of the gun Off
Ger when the mysterious cruiser put on
the forced draught to raise more steam
and the blaze from the furnaces revealed
three smokestacks. The order to fire was
instantly changed TO hold fast" and the
commander had peculiar feeling down
his back as he remarked:
No Spaniard carries three smoke
stacks except the Carlos V"
| Subsequent inquiry developed the fact
| that the cruiser which had been put tc
/ such inglorious flight was the fagshiy
| New York, commanded by Commodore
! Sampson.
| The Navy Department was naturally
| not anxious that the story should find il.
way into print, and the report was sup.
/ pressed Lieut.. Hobson, who was witt
the fleet at the time, admitted the occur.
renee while in Washington yesterday Y
laughed little about it, and then refused
to discuss the particulars. Other naya
officers who have seen the report were no.
quite so reticent.