The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-19
ASECONDM MOBILE
Wherein Havana IIarbor Resem-
blcs the Great Fight
THAT fARRAGUI ONCE MADE
IN THAT FAMOUS BAY-THE AID.
M1RAL's BRILLIANT FEAT IN
RUNNING THE FORTS AND TOR.
PEDoEs WAS THE EXAMPLE
WHICH DEWEY FOLLOWED AT
MANILA-T1tE AFFAIR" MAY
BIZ REPEATED AT HAVANA.

friHN' $3.50 a.
MANILA-T1tE AFFAIR" MAY
BIZ REPEATED AT HAVANA.
-
Even o c~ursory'glancc at the maps OF
Havana harbor and Mobile bay ,suflces
10 reveal the remarkable geographical
resemblance between the two sheets Of
water and that the fortincatlons OF the
C~ontederates were very similar to those
Of the Spanish about Havana harpor
to-day.
MORO castle with It's forts stands
like the angel Of the flaming sword at
y thu entrance to:the harbor. Just as Fort
] Morgan commanded the entrance TO
Mobile bay; while upon the other side
the. fort OF La Punta frowns as did Fort
Gaines from the opposite shore. In adj
dillon, Mobile bay vas guarded by tor
pedoes much as Havana harbo: is
guarded to-day. All this gives an espe-
ciai and ,present interest to the famous
lbny fight. the most famous perhaps In
the annals OF our navy. For history is
ever repeating itself. and IN NIL proba-
billy the remarkable tactics Of lFarra-
gut in, his capture OF the city OF Mobile
4 Will be repeated In the coming capture
OF Havana.
POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE.
Icommander ". F. Tobln, the presld-
ing officer OF the Associated Veterans OF
Farragut's feet. an organization COM
posed OF survivors of men who served
under Farragut. has made a careful
H study Of Havana harbor and its forth
fications and defenses. 1t Is his firm
conviction that F%arragut.s plan Of at
tack WILDE repeated at Havana, though
y new notifications may be made to suit
present exigencies and the differences
that exist between the battleships to-
day and those OF the civil war period.
Commander Tobin Is one OF the seven
survivors OF the original ships COM
4 panyS OF the United States steamship
O%ctorara. the historic ship that was Sc
lected together with the Brooklyn to
lead FarraEut's fleet of eighteen ships
In the memorable battle of Mobile bay.
Commander Tobin was wounded in
that battle, consequently the encounter
is, !ndeliblv impressed upon his mind, for
should memory fall he has scars to
quicken 1t.
Farraput's entrance into the bay was
accomplished under great difficulties.
Fort Morgan on the one side, one OF the
most powerful forts In the United States
and Fort Gaines on the other, guarded
the entrance. Within the bay was a
fleet OF four Confederate ships. headed
e. ~ tI,aA yrty,ntyn I ? p ~ Tn ~ rSra.
manded by Admiral Buchanan, OF Mer-
rimac fame, the man who burned the
Congress and sank the Cumberland. To
reach the fleet the narrow. guarded en-
trance had 20! be passed in which were
sunken numberless torpedoes-torpedoes
so thickly strewn that ven a. slight
deviation from the line mapped out by
Farragut meant instant destruction.
In the same way the entrance to Ha-
vana%harbor Is lined with torledoeS,
which are also concealed In the-harbor
Itself tasi was the case in Mobile bay.
The Notifications defending the en-
trance. as mas been pointed out. are
Lve~rySsinllarlS placed o :those of Mobile.
Consequently It Is n natural Inference
that the plans of our most renowned
naval hero will influence the attack
that must soon be made upon Havana.
The battle OF Mobile bay is of
a twice told tale in history. But histo.-
ians are but rarely eye-witnesses OF the
events which they n%arrate, so the testi-
monyo OF an actual participator of On
Historical event often throws new light
upon It, and makes It a present reality
to the minds eye in a way impossible to
even the most BRILLIANT pen scratching
oyer dusty archives.
From Commander Tob!n's own notes
and observations ! give q brief review
OF that famous conflict. the like of
which is perhaps to be repeated at@Ha-
vana.
FARRAGUT'S FAMOUS ORDER.
Just here 1t is well TO give the famous
order which Farragut issued on July u,
three weeks before the engagement. He
had been waiting for the monitors and
also to get a wind and tide In his favor,
a wind that would blow the smoke into
the faces OF the enemy.
General Order No. 10.
United States Flagship Hartford. on
Mobile Bay, July T.. 1854:
Strip your vessel and prepare for the
conflict. Send down all your superfiuous
spars and rigging. Trice up or remove
the whiskers. Put up the splinter nets
on the starboard side, and barrlcade the
wheel aud steersmen with sails and
h%animocks. Lay chains or s%andbags on
the deck over the machinery. to resist
a plunglng fire. Hang the sheet chains
over the side. or make any other ar
rangement for security that your inge-
nuity may suggest. Land your star
board boats, or lover and tow them on
port side and lower the port boats down
TO the waters edge. Place a quarter
boat,ior the one most convenient to the
commander.
The vessels will run past the forts IL
couples, dashed side by side, as herein
after designated.
! THE FLAGSHIP.
The flagship, changed at request OF
commander, will lead and steer from
Sand Island n. by, E. by compass, until
abreast OF Fort Morgan; then y. W.
: hill ". until past the middle ground,
then y. by W. and others as designated
in,the drawing. will follow in due order
" until ordered TO anchor; but the bow
and quarter line must be preserved, to
give The chase"guns n fair range; and
each vessel must be kept astern OF the
broadside OF the next ahead; each yes.