The Portland daily press., 1898-05-09
'itksburg and Morrill, Have Narrow
Escapes,
SHOT AND SHELL sHOWERED
ABOUT THEM WITHOUT EFFECT.

Key West. Fla, May s.-Only poor
marksmanship on the part Of the Spanish
gunners, saved the Vicksburg and the
cutter Morrill, from destruction of
Havana yesterday morning. Hor ever
half an hour they were under the fire of
tbs guns of the Santa Clara water bat
teries, but both escaped without material
injury. although shrapnel shells from
eight inch guns exploded all about them
and both now show pitted scars Of the
Spanish bullets.
The willy Spaniards have arranged a
trap to send couple of our ships to tho
bottom. They baited it as man would
bait rat trap. A small schooner was
sent out from Havana harbor shortly be-
fore daylight yesterday morning to draw
some of the Americans into the ambus-
cade. The ruse worked like a charm,
The Vicksburg and the Morrill, in the
heat Of the chase and in their contempt
for Spanish gunnery walked straight into
the trap that had been set for him. Had
the Spaniards possessed their souls in
patience but five minutes longer, not even
the bad gun practice would have saved
our ships and this morning two more Of
our vesss1s would lie at the bottom with.
in 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 fired upon by the big guns of
the Cojimar batteries. Two shots wers
fred at the Vicksburg and one at the
Morrill,. Both fell short and both vessels,
range. 1t would have been folly to have
done otherwise. The schooner they had
sent out before daylight, ran of to the
eastward, hugging the shore with the
wind on her starboard quarter. About
three miles east of the entrance of the
harbor she came about on the port tack.
A light haze fringsd the horizon and she
shore, when the Mayfower made her out
and signalled the Vicksburg and Morrill,
Captain Smith of the Morrill, and Com
mander Lilly of the Vicksburg, immedi.
ately clapped on ali steam and started in
pursuit.
The schooner Immediately put about
and ran for Morro Castle before the wind.
On doing so, she would according to the
we'll conceived Spanish plot lead the two
American warships directly under the
gun Of the Santa Clara batteries These
works are q short mile west of MORO.
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 ofsthe rocky eminence which is Just
out into the waters of the gulf at the
point. Tho upper battery mounts modern
ten and twelve inch Krupp guns behind
@ six foot stone parapet in front of which
are twenty feet of earthwork and belt
ing of railroad iron. This battery Is con-
sidered the most formidable of Havanas
defences except Moro Castle. 1t is
masked and has not been absolutely
located by the American warships. 1t Is
probably due to the fact that the Span
iards did not desire to expose it's position
that the Vicksburg and Morrill, are now
ahoat. The Morrill, and the Vicksburg
were about six miles from the schooner
when the chase began. They steamed
after her at all, the Morrill, leading
until within mile and half of the
Santa Clara batteries. Commander Smith
OF the Vicksburg was the first to realize