Middletown transcript., 1898-08-27
HOW H0BsON ESCAPED.
Detailed Account of the Event
full Night at Santiago.
OUR HERUs VIVID NARRATIVE.

OUR HER0s VIVID NARRATIVE
Pontoon Raft Until Morning - Their
Teeth Chartered With the Cold-Hob.
son Hailed the Launch Which Rescued
His Party-Admiral Cervera Helped
Drag the Lieutenant ON Board-Expe-
riences In Morro Castle.
Lieutenant Hobson a few days ago,
while in New York city on one of the
many flying visits which he has made
since his arrival from Santiago, related
to small party of friends the details
Of his escape from the collier Merrimao
and Of his subsequent capture by the
Spaniards.
1T was dark when we started in to-
ward the strait" said Lieutenant Hob
son in giving his narrative, 'and it was
darker when we got the ship into posi-
tion. We all knew that we were taking
desperate chances, and in order to be
unincumbered when we got into the
water we stripped down to our under
clothing. The ship gave heave when
the charges exploded, and as she sank
with lurch at the bow we got over her
sides. That we got into the water is
nearly all we know of what happened
in that rather brief period. Some sprang
over the ships sides, but more than one
of us was thrown over the rail by the
shock and the lurching of the ship.
''It was our plan to escape on a cata-
maran float which lay on the roof of
the midship house. One of the greatest
dangers of the thing was that Of being
caught in the suction made by the ship
as she went down, SO we tied the float
to the taffrail; giving it slack line
enough, as we thought, to let it float
loose after the ship had settled into her
resting place. swan away from the
ship as soon as I struck the water, but
I could feel the eddies drawing me back
ward in spite of all I could do. That
did not last very long, however, and
as soon as I felt the tugging ease I
turned and struck out for the float,
which could see dimly bobbing up
and down over the sunken hull.
"The Merrimac's masts wefe plainly
visible, and could see the heads Of my
seven men as they followed my example
and made for the float also. We had ex-
pected, Of course, that the Spaniards
would investigate the wreck, but we
had no idea that they would be at it as
quickly as they were. Before we could
get to the float several rowboats and
launches came around the bluff from
inside the harbor. They had officers on
board and armed marines as well, and
they searched that passage, rowing
backward and forward, until the next |
morning. 1t was only by good luck that |
we got to the float at all, for they were
upon us so quickly that we had barely |
concealed ourselves when boat with |
quite large party on board was right |
beside u.s.
Unfortunately, we thought then,
but it turned out afterward that moth |
ing more fortunate than that could have
happened to us, the rope with which |
we had secured the float to the ship |
was too short to allow it to swing free,
and when we reached it we found that |
one OF the pontoons was entirely out Of |
the water and the other one was sub |
Had the raft lain fat on the |
water we could not have got under it
and would have had to climb up on it
to be an excellent target for the first
party Of marines that arrived. As it
was, we could get under the raft and
by putting our hands through the crew
ices between the Stats which formed its
deck we could hold our heads out of
water and still be unseen. That is what
we did, and all night long we staid
there with our noses and mouths barely
put of water.
"None Of us expected TO get out Of
The affair alive, but luckily the Span
Iards did not think of the apparently
damaged, half sunken raft floating
about beside the wreck They came to
within cables length of us at inter-
Vals of only few minutes all night.
We could hear their words distinctly
and even in the darkness could distin-
suish an occasional CLINT Of light on the
rife barrels Of the marines and on the
lace OF the officers uniforms. We were
afraid to speak above whiser, and for
good wilhelm fact, whenever they
we're near us-we breathed as easily as
We could. ! ordered my men not to
speak unless to address me, and with
me exception they obeyed.
After we had been there an hour or
'wo the water, which we found rather
warm at first, began to get cold, and
ny fingers ached where the wood was
PRESSING into them. The clouds, which
we're running before pretty stiff breeze
when we went in, blew over, and then
y the starlight we could see the boats
when they came out of the shadows of
he cliffs on either side, and even when
We could not see them we knew that
hey were still near, because we could
lear very plainly the splash of the oars
md the grinding Of the oarlocks.
"Our teeth began to chatter before
cry long, and I was in constant fear
hat the Spaniards would hear us when
hey came close. It was so still then
hat the chattering sound seemed to us
oud as hammer, but the Spaniards'
ars were not sharp enough to hear it
dy men tried to keep their teeth still,
mt it was hard work and not attended
With any great success at the best We
IL knew that we would be shot If dis
overed by an ordinary seaman or ma
inc, and / ordered my men not to stir,
8 the boats having officers on board
,ept well in the distance One of my
nen disobeyed my orders and started
0 swim ashore, and had to call him
ack. He obeyed at once. but my voice
eemed to create some commotion
mong the boats, and several of them
ppeared close beside us before the dis
1rhanca in fha yuatar rn,ada hu kho s,nn., |