The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-09
IIOBS0N,S RETURN

To hla old khtpnihtSl oh tle new 1919 'He
Ossaslon for = TFsrneHdOas ovation
OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July Z.
by the Associated Press Dispatch Boat
Dauntless, via PORT ANTONIO and
KINGSTON, july s, 9;15 a. m.-The re-
turn Of Assistant Naval Constructor
Richmond P. Hobson. of Merrimac
fame, to his ship, the flagship New
York last night, was marked by Wild
enthusiasm. It was dark when shout
was passed along the ship that Hobson
was coming. on the superstructure
clambered the crew, ten deep ana on
the quarter deck the officers clustered
around the sea ladder and hundred
hands were outstretched to grasp Hob
son.
It was not until he was safe once
more on deck that the crew Of the New
York cheered and then they broke out
Into wild yell, which went up over
and over again until the men were
hoarse Numbers. OF the crew rushed
forward on the quarter deck and
great group Of men struggled around
the tall figure OF the man who had dar-
ed so much.
Behind Hobson came Col. John JacUb
AstOr and the first thing HObson tried
to do was to introduce him TO the otf-
GERS, but Colonel AstOr got lost IN the
crowd which surged around Insisting
upon. shaking Hobson's hand. The
transports blew their whistles.
Hobson eat once more among his
messmates and told the story Of his eN-
.perlenre, his marvellous escape and his
imprisonment in MOrro Castle, watching
the shells explode outside his cell under
a murderous fire.
II did not miss the entrance to the
harbor," he said, "aS Ensign Powell In
the launch supposed. headed east un-
til I got my bearings and then made
for It. straight In. Then came the firing.
1t was grand, flashing out first from one
side OF the harbor and then the other
from those big guns on the hills, the
vIzcaya lying inside the harbor, join
mig In.
down when the news OF the Merrimdc's
coming was telegrnphed and soldieTa
lined the foot OF the cliffs firing Wildly
across and killing each other with the
cross fire. The Merrlmac's steering
gear broke as she got TO Bstralln Point.
only three Of the torpedoes on her side
exploded when touched the hutton. a
large submarine mine caught full amid
chips, hurting the water high in the air
and tearing a great rent In the Merrl-
macs side
"Her stern ran upon Estrella Point.
Chiefly owing to the work done by the
mine She began to sink slowly At that
tlme.she was across the channel but be-
fore she settled the tide drifted her
around. We were all aft, lying nm the
deck Shells and bullets whlstled
around, sIx-lnch shells from the Viz
caya cnme tearing into the Merrlmae,
crashing into wood and Iron and pass-
Ing clear through, while the plunging
shots from the fort broke through her
decks.
",Not a man must move said. and
II was only owing to the splendid disci-
pllne OF the men that all OF us were not
killed, as the shells rainei over us and
minutes became hours OF suspense. The
mans mouths grew parnhed, but we
mast lie there TIL daylight. told them.
Now and again one or the other OF the
men lyIng with his face glued TO the
deck and wondering whether the next
shell would not come our way would
say: Hadn't We better drop OF now
sIr?' but said: Wait till daylight.
ut would have been impossible to get
the catamaran anywhere near but ~ the
shore where the soldiers stood shooting,
and I hoped that by daylight we might
be recognized and saved. The grand old
Merrlmac kept sinking. wanted to go
forward and see the damage done 'here
where nearly all the fire was directed.
hut one man said that II / rose 1t would
draw the FIRE on the rest. So lay
mo,ioniess. It was splendid the way
these men behaved. The fire OF the eol-
JIers, the batteries and the Vizcaya was
awful. When the water came up on the
MerrImacs decks the catamnran tioated
amid the wreckage, but was still MADE
fast by the boom and We caught hold OF
the edge and clung on, our heads being
above water,
zone man thought we were safer right
there; II was quite Hight, the firing had
ceased except that on the New YORK
lsInch, and / feared Ensign Powell ana
his men had been killed.