The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-16

Inc smoke was mick and sitting, the
saltpeter fumes filing the throat and lungs
until breathing was difficult. The dense
bank of vapor enveloping the ship also
rendered it impossible 10 aim with any
accuracy. We of No. gun were early
impressed with this fact and Hay" the
second captain, exclaimed during a lul:
ITS that fellow in charge Of No 6.
He won't give us any show. Just look
how he's working his crew. Did YOU ever
see the beat of it?''
The captain of No. g. broker of con-
siderable note in New York, 4 member of
the Calumet Club, and the son of a dis
tinguished captain in the Confederate
navy, was fighting his gun with savage
energy. Under his direction and Inspired
by a running fire of comments from him.
No. crew literally poured a hail of steel
upon the batteries. The firing was so
rapid in fact that it kept our port com
pletely filled with smoke, much to our
sorrow.
Notwithstanding that fact, Hay" the
second captain of No s, did such marvel
Gus shooting that word presently came
from Capt. Brownson on the bridge, pub
licly commencing him. We were CORE
spondingly GLAZED, and worked all the
harder.
1t was not until we had been firing some
time that we began to take particular note
of our surroundings. AT first the novelty
VI lIlS SITUATION dll Il state OF excitement,
natural under the circumstances kept us
absorbed in our duties, but when it became
apparent that the engagement was to be
matter of hours--and also that the Span
iards did not aim very well-we commenc-
ed to look about.
One of the first things to strike me per-
sonally, and it was rather humorous, was
the appearance of stump" the second
loader. Orders had early been given to
avoid exposing ourselves to the enemys
fire as much as possible. stump" than
whom no more daring aud aggressive man
could be found on board thought it wise
to obey, SO he crouched down behind the
gun mount and compressed himself so as
to be out OF range. From this position
he had only to reach out one hand to train
the gun, which was his special duty.
Meanwhile he continually urged Hay" to
keep on firing.
Doesn't make any difference whether
you can see or not" he exclaimed. "Shoot
anyway. Give it to the beggars! That's
the ticket, old chap. Now another.
Whoop! did you see that land? Ah-h-hl
we are the people"
AS the novelty of the scene gradually
wore off we began to enjoy it hugely.
Laughing and Joking we pumped away at
the gun, commenting freely on the enc
my craftsmanship, and acting more like
a merry party out on a picnic than tho
a number of forts.
The two lines of ships were steaming
back and forth i'm front of the batteries
firing as the guns would bear. At first
Moro Castle and the smaller forts main
tanned a spirited fire. but finally their re-
Spouse to our fusilade slackened consider
ably, and it became evident that soon the
Spanish gunners had been driven from
their guns by the fierce fire of the Amerl-
can feet.
The difference in aim between the Span
ish gunners and ours was very percept-
Bile. Their shells invariably passed over
the ships or landed short and at no time
during the engagement were any of the
American vessels in danger. This was
not due to length of range either, as the
lines were maintained at from two TO
three thousand yards. AS "Bil" put IT,
ANY dago than can't hit flock Of barn
doors like this fleet had better go back
home and hoe garlic"
The ships of our fleet also made better
targets than did the batteries ashore IL
was certainly easy TO distinguish the pc.
sition of each vessel but as the Spanish
batteries were nearly all situated a short
distance back from the crest of the ridge
with a background very little different in
color from that of the battery, we found
II difficult to locate them a. times Our
elevation had to be perfect as with an
inch or two below or above, the projectile
would either vanish in the distance or take
effect on the cliffs below the batteries
We Of No gun, when the Yankee was
steaming with the starboard broadside
bearing managed to slip across the deck
and watch the firing from the ports and
headlights 1t was really beautiful to see,
the landing of the great shells upon the
forts and surrounding earth. Some battered
into the soft spots on the cliffs sending
ma of 1T md 1eJ. foI, Int
the air; then when the explosion came,
there would follow a great cloud of dust
resembling the waveTing smoke over
city fire.
Others struck the harder portion of
the cliff bursting into a shower of frag-
ments, each kicking up its own pother Of
dirt and shatterer rock. At times a shell
would land in a crack in the face of the
hill, and Immediately following would
come an upheaval of stones. These bould-
ers, many of them of immense size, would
roll down the slope and splash in the
water al the base creating a series of
fountain-liSe cascades.
Accompanying the display was a con-
tinuous roar of explosion and detonation
that echoed and reverberated across the
water like the pealing of tropic thunder.
In fact It was these noises mingled with
the fierce reports Of our guns which inn
pressed us the most. Taking il all in all
the scene was spectacular in the extreme.
Boys" remarked No. s of our crew
"Morrie," we called hlm-"this sight is
worth all the coaling and standing watch
es and poor food we have had to put up
with. would experience 1t all over again
just to see this bOmbardment"
And we heartily agreed with him.
After time it seemed as If the admiral
was determined to plum shells into the
vicinity of Santiago until there was moth
ing left to fire at There had been con-
tinuous outpouring Of projectiles from the
guns of the feet for over an hour, yet
that grim line Of gray steel fortresses stil
passed and repassed In front of the bate
RIGS.
il was really growing monotonous when
something occurred at the gun to which
l was attached that served to give us an
exciting minute OF two Hay" had Just
fired a shot which caught one of the new
batteries directly In the center The shell
was extracted, another inserted, but
when the second captain pressed the firing
lanyard there was no report. The shell
had missed fire.
IL