The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-24

oOAnG SA6hs NAoh9SS 40 shS CAA8Ahai PiduS
were made.
About 1880 Mr.. Hobson came on the
bridge. All the men who were to go with
the ship, Montague. Charette, Philips, deg
nan, Murphy and Kelley, were called UT
and given final instructions as to their du-
ties. Everything was ready below. The
relief crew and myself were sent aboard
the Texas. The ship was steaming in to-
ward the entrance at dead slow so as te
enable the launch to go over to the Texas
and then catch her. This was about 2:SG
a. m.
At 3:15 a. m. the first shot was fred, COM
ing from one of the guns on the hill to the
left of the entrance. The shot was seen to
splash seward from the Merrimac, having
passed over her. The firing became gen.
eral very soon after, being especially fierce
and rapid from the batteries inside on the
left of the harbor. probably from batteries
on Smith Cay The flashes and reports were
apparently those of rapid-fire guns. ranging
from small automatic guns to 4-inch or
larger. For fifteen minutes a perfect fusil-
lade was kept up. Then the fire slackened
and at $3.50 had almost ceased A close watch
was kept on the mouth of the harbor in or
der to pick up the steam launch. There
was little desultory firing until about 3:45
o'clock when all became quiet Daylight
came about 8 o'clock. At about Sis the
launch was seen steaming from west to
east near or across the mouth Of the har-
Dor. She steamed back from east to west
and then began skirting the coast to the
west Of the entrance.
Mr.. Powell came alongside the Texas and
reported that no one had come out of the
entrance of the harbor. His words sounded
like the death-knell of all who had gone in
on the Merrimac. 1t seemed incredible,
almost impossible. that any of them could
have lived through the awful fire that was
directed at the ship.
There was probably no one in the fleet
who did not think all seven of the men
had persisted. In the afternoon, much to
the surprise of everyone a tug, flying the
flag of truce, was seen coming out of the
entrance. The Vixen, flying a table cloth
at the fore. went to meet the tug. A Span
ish officer went aboard the Vixen from
the tug and was taken aboard the flag
ship. Not long after signal was made
that Murphy Of the Iowa was saved and
was prisoner of war. About o'clock
another signal was made from the flag
slightly wounded. All WE'LL
1t can easily be imagined what relief
this signal brought to all hands who had
been mourning the death Of all the men.
The Spanish officer said also that the pris-
oners were confined in Moro Castle. He
said further that Admiral Cervera con-
sidered the attempt to run in and sink
the Merrimac across the channel as an
act of such bravery and desperate daring
that he thought it only proper that our
admiral should be notified Of the safety
of the men. Whatever the motive for
sending out the tug with the flag of truce,
the act was a most graceful one and one
Of most chivalrous courtesy. The Span
ish officer is reported to have said:
you have made 1t more difficult, but
we can still get out"
From bearings of the Merrimac. whose
masts and smoke pipes could be plainly
seen, taken in the afternoon. 1t appears
that she is lying with her bow to seward
just above Estrella Point, with her stern
swung around until she lies almost par
allel to the direction of the channel. From
the fact that she is completely submerged,
except her masts and smoke pipes, 1t would
seem that she is sunk some little distance
from the right bank. However, she Is
not lying across the channel.
So far as blockadng the channel the
attempt cannot be said to be successful.
1t is probable that the anchor on the star
board quarter carried away the shoppers
on the chain and also the bits which were
not very securely fastened, and the chain
must have cut through the rail so far as
the midship section of the ship. This would
have permitted the stern to swing entirely
around until the ship lay up and down the
channel. According to the Spanish reports
of the affair sent to Madrid, one of the
big American liners attempted to force
the entrance of the harbor and had been
sunk in the channel by the batteries, and
that only seven of her crew escaped.
Whether failure or successful, the attempt
of the Merrimac will undoubtedly go down
to history as one of the bravest and most
daring deeds in naval annals. Mr.. Hobson
and the men under him were fully alive
to the desperate If not hopeless nature of
the expedition and of their small chances
of escape from death. There was no shrink
ing. On the contrary there was the great
est eagerness to be allowed to go with
the ship. The steady refusal of Mr.. Hob
son to have more on board than were alb
solutely indispensable for the bare dis
charge of the duties required showed how
we'll he appreciated the danger. He de-
clined to grant the persistent and earnes.
entreaties of a number of young officers
who begged permission to go. 1t seems
well now that he went alone and that all
the honor and praise are his.
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