The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-05-12

were thrown high into the air b!
n these destroyers, but ns harm wa
done to the ships.
Commodore Dewey had fought
With Fsrra2us ct New Orleans and
Mobile bar, where he had his 6rsI
experience With torpedoes- Mol
5 knowing how many more Mines
there night De ahead, he EtjsI kept
On without f4Itering. No other
? mines exploded, however, and It i
believed that tae Spani4rd. hal only
) these two in place,
SELLS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE
OnIy q few minutes Later the shore
battery a. CARTE poilt sent over the
flagship a shot that nearly bis the
battery Il MaLIs. bat soon the guns
. got q b=tter range and the shells
began to strike near Us OF burst
7 close aboard from both tie batteries
and the Spanish vessels. Tie neat
was intense. The men stripped Of
all clothing except their t-oas re,
aud Their bodies glistened With
/ Precipitation.
+ As tie Olympia drew nearer all
was Is silent CT board as f the ship
+ had been empty, except for the
WhiEr Of blowers Aad the thr0b Of
the engines. Suddenly shell burst
directly over Us.
''REXEMBER THE MAINE
Remember the Maine cams
hoarse cry from the boatswain's
mate at the after iuch gun.
Remember the Maine arose
from the throats OF 500 nan at the
guns.
This watchword was caught Hp in |
turrets and fire rooms. wherever
seamen or fremen stood at their
post. Remember the Maine had |
rung out for defiance and revenge.
It's utterance seemed unpremedi-
tated, bat was evidently in every
mans mind. and now that the mo
ment had come to make adequate
reply to the murder OF the Names
crew, every man shouted what was
in his heart. The Olympia was now
ready to begin the fight.
DEWEY on The BRIDGE.
Commodore Dewey, his chief staff
commander, Lamberten, and his
aide and myself, with the executive
officer, Lieutenant Rees, and naviga-
tor, lieutenant Calkirs, who COINED
the ship most admirably, were on
the forward bulge Captain Gsidley
was 10 the coming tower, as it was
thought unsafe to risk losing al the
senior officers by one shell.
You may FIRE when ready, Grid
ley, said the commodore and at
forty one minutes past 5 o'clock. at
a distance of $500 yeris, the star
board s inch gun in the forward
turret reared forth compliment to
the Spanish forts Presently simi ar
guns from the Baltimore and the
Boston sent $50 pound shells hurt
ling toward the Castillo ard Reina
Christina for accuracy.
TIE Spaniards seemed encouraged
20 fire faster, knowing exactly our
distance while we had to guess
heirs. Their ship aud shore guns
we're making things hot for Us. The
piercing scream Of shot was varied Il
)ften by the bursting of time fuse
Ihells, fragments of which would =
ash the water ike shrapnel or cut
If hull and rigging One large shell
hat was coming straight at the
)lympia's- forward bridge fortu
lately fell within less than 100 feet
way. One fragment cut the rig-
ing exactly over the heads of Lam.
'srton, Ress and myset
A SHE'LL on TEE oLYHPIAs BRIDGE.
Another struck the bridge the
ratings in line with it, A third
lnder Commodore Dewey and
'ouged hole 10 the deck Incl
ents like these were plentiful.
Our men naturally were chafed at c
eing exposed without returning !,
re from ali our guns, but laughed 4
{ the danger aud chsffsd good hu- b