Evening star., 1898-06-28
CAPTAIN SIGSBEE'S FEAT
Disabled the Spanish Torpedo Boat De-
stroyer.
The Former American Liner More
and Overrated Style of Warship.

J.. The Navy Department today posted the
following bulletin:
Admiral Sampson reports that the Yale
arrived yesterday and discharged her
troops.
Captain Sigsbee reports that on We'd
nesday afternoon while off San Juan, Porto
Rico, he was attacked by Spanish unpro-
tected cruiser and the Spanish torpedo boat
destroyer Terror The Terror made dash
which was awaited by the st. Paul. The
St Paul hit the Terror three times, killing
one officer and two men and wounding sew
e1al others. The Terror dropped back I'M
der cover of the Notifications with diff
Guilty, and was towed into the harbor in a
sinking condition, where she is now being
repaired. Later a cruiser and a gunboat
started out, but remained under protec-
ton of the forts"
In defeating the Terror Captain Sigsbee
has rendered a most important service to
our navy, and, indeed, to all navies. He
has not only deprived SIMPSONS fleet of
apprehension of an attack in the rear some
dark night by this vicious little boat, but
he has demonstrated that an auxiliary
cruiser is amply able to take care of her
self against a torpedo gunboat, showing
that the offensive power of this last named
craft has been very much overrated.
The torpedo gunbcat was an untried quail
ity in naval warfare up to this time. Swift
er than a torpedo boat, seaWorthy and pos
sesseG of the armament of which the tor
pedo boat is void. the torpedo gunboat has
been terror in Imagination to all naval
men. The presence of such Spanish gun
beat, the Temerario, in the River Platt in
the pathway of the Oregon on her cruise
around South America was for several
weeks a cause for great anxiety at the
Navy Department.
Now Captain Sigsbee has shown that with
an unarmored cruiser armed with only five
inch guns the torpedo gunboats are not to
be feared, at least not in daylight
The Terror is of English build. having
been turned out at Clydebank in 1896. She
is a low-lying, steel craft, with steel fun
nels, of $40 tons, 22O feet long. - feet beam
and feet inches draft. The boat is filled
with engines and boilers, her horse power
being near 5000, capable of driving her at
speed of % knots While the ordinary
torpedo boat carries only a little one
FOUNDER gun, this torpedo gunboat is armed
with a formidable battery for vessel of
her size, consisting of two fourteen pound
ers two six-pounders and two one-pound-
ers, all -quick-firing, and having two Iour-
teen-inch torpedo tubes on deck.
The other Spanish cruiser, referred to by
Captain Sigsbee in his report as Joining in
the attack upon the st. Paul, is supposed
here to be the Alfonso XII, an iron bark
rugged cruiser, built in 1887, of 5000 or $3.50
tons. While an old vessel, she has a pretty
good battery, made up of fourteen Hon
toria guns of various caiber five machine
guns and two torpedo tubes.
AS soon as Captain Sigsbee's report came
to hand the officials of the Navy Depart
ment Immediately recalled the fact that
the Spanards had last week sent out a bull
letin describing the flight of an American
cruiser before the two Spanish vessels off
San Juan, and that particular engagement
was identified as the same referred to by
Captain Sigsbee.