The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-05-12
AN ENGAGEMENT.
Santa Clara Water Batteries and the
vlcksburg and Gutter Morrill, Fight.
The Willy spaniards Arranged . Trap for
Our Vessels, and They Walked Into
It-Yankee Ingenuity, How.
ever, Got Them Out.

KEY WEST, Fla, May 9-Only poor
Workmanship on the part of the
Spanish gunners saved the Vicksburg
and the cutter Morrill, from destruction
off Havana Saturday morning. For
over half an hour they were under the
fire of the guns of the Santa Clara
water batteries, but both escaped with
out material injury, although shrap-
mel shells from eight inch guns ex.
ploded all about them and both now
show the pitted scars of the Spanish
bullets.
The willy Spaniards had arranged
trap to send couple of our ships to
the bottom. They baited it as man
would bait trap. A small schooner
was sent out from Havana harbor
shortly before daylight Saturday morn
ing to draw some of the Americans in.
to the ambuscade. The ruse worked
like charm. The vicksburg and the
Morrill, in the heat of the chase and in
their contempt for Spanish gunnerv
walked into the trap that had been set
for them. Had the Spaniards possessed
their souls in patience but five minutes
longer not even the bad gun practice
would have saved our ships, and Sum
day morning two more of our ves-
sells would lie at the bottom within
two lengths of the wreck of the ill
starred Maine.
Friday evening the Vicksburg and
the Morrill,, cruising to the west of
Moro Castle, were fred upon by the
big guns of the Cojmar batteries. Two
shots were fired at the Vicksburg and
one at the Morrill, Both fell short
and both vessels, without returning
the fire, steamed out of range. 1t
would have been folly to have done
otherwise. But Saturday morning the
Spaniards had better luck. The
schooner they had sent out before day
light ran off to the eastward, hugging
the shore with the wind on her star
board quarter. About three miles east
of the entrance of the harbor she came
over on the port tack. A light haze
fringed the horizon and she was not
discovered until three miles off shore,
when the Mayfower made her out and
signalled the Morrill, and Vicksburg.
Capt. Smith, of the Morrill,, and Com
mander Lilly, of the Vicksburg, imme-
diately slapped on all steam and start
ed in pursuit.
The schooner instantly put about
and ran for MORO Castle before the
wind. On doing so she would, accord
ing to the well conceived Spanish plot,
lead the two American war ships di-
rectly under the guns OF the Santa
Clara batteries These works are q
short mile east of Moro, and are a
part of the defense of the harbor.
There are two batteries, one at the
shore, which has been recently
thrown up, of sand and mortar with
wide embrasures for eight-inch guns
and the other on the crest of
the rocky eminence which juts out into
the water of the gulf at the point.
The upper battery mounts modern TO-
inch and 12-inch Krupp guns behind a
six-foot stone parapet in front of which
are 30 feet of earthwork and betting
of railroad iron. This battery is con.
sidered the most formidable of Ha-
vana's defenses, except Moro castle.
1t is masked and has not been abso-
lutely located by the American war.
ships. 1t is probably due to the fact
that the Spaniards did not desire to
0APO6S OuC POSlVAOa tlldU tu0 VlChSOuIK
and Morrill, are now afoat. The Nor
rill and vicksburg were miles from the
schooner when the chase began. They
steamer at her full speed. the Morrill,
leading until within mile and q half
Of the Santa Clara batteries. Com
mander Smith, of the Vicksburg, was
the first to realize the danger into
which the reckless pursuit had led
them. He concluded it was time to
haul OF and sent q shot across the
bow of the schooner. The Spanish
skipper instantly brought his vessel
about, but while she vas still rolling
in the trough Of the sea with her sails
hspping, an eight-inch shrapnsl shell
came hurting through the air from
the water battery q mile and q
half away. 1t PASSED over the
Morrill, between the pilot house and
the smoke stack and exploded less than
50 feet on the port quarter. The small
shot ratified against her sides. 1t was
. close call Two more shots followed
in quick succession. both ShrapneL
One burst close under the star.board
quarter, filing the engine room with
the smoke of the explosion of the
shell and the other, like the
first, passed over and explod
ed just beyond. The Spanish
gunners had the range and their time
fuses were accurately set. The crews
of both ships were at their guns
Lieut. Craig, who was in charge of the
bow four-inch rapid-fire gun of the
Morrill,, asked for and obtained per
mission to return the fire. At the frs,
shot the vicksburg, which was in the
wake of the Morrill,, slightly inshore
sheered of and passed to windward
under the Morrill's stern.