Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1898-05-14
RAN INTO SPANISH JAMS.
TWO AMERICAN WAR VESSELS.
The Vicksburg and the Cutter Nor
rill Lured by n Cunning Bait---
Shore Batteries Found the Range
and Nearly Sunk the Bold Ships
---Spania rds Sent Out a Small
Schooner.

Key West, Fla, May S.-Only poo
craftsmanship on the part of the Span
iards saved the Vicksburg and the cut
ter Morrill, from destruction in Havana
ha1bor yesterday morning. For ovel
half an hour they We're under the fire o
the guns of the Santa Clara water bat
teries but both escaped without mater
ial injury, although shrapnel from
eight-inch guns exploded all about then
and both now show the sears of the
Spanish bullets. The willy Spaniard,
had arranged a trap to send Il couple o
our ships to the bottom. They baited
it as Il man would bait a trap.
A small schooner was sent out from
Havana harbor shortly before daylight
yesterday morning to draw some of the
Americans into the ambuscade. The ruse
worked like a charm. The Vicksburg
and the Morrill,. in the heat of the chase
and in their contempt for Spanish gun
nery walked straight into the trap that
had been set for them. Had the Span
iards 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 vessels
would lie at the bottom within two
lengths of the Maine
Lured the Warships In.
Friday evening the Nicksburg and
Morrill,, cruising to the west of Moro
castle, were fired upon by the big guns
of the Coimar batteries. Two shots
were fired at the Nicksburg and one at
the Morrill,. Both vessels, without re
turning the fire. steamed out of range
But yesterday morning the Spaniard>
had better luck. The schooner they had
sent out before daylight ran Off to the
eastward, hugging the shore and with
the wind on her starboard quarter. -Abou'
three miles east OF the entrance of the
harbor she came over on the port tack
\ haze fringed the horizon and she wa>
not discovered until three miles off
shore, when the MayloWer made her out
and signalled the Morrill, and Nicksbulrg
Captain Smith Of the Morrill, and Com
mander Tilly of the Nicksburg immedi
ately slapped on all steam and started in
pursuit The schooner instantly put
about and ran for Moro castle before
the wind. In doing so she would, ac
cording to the wellconceived Spanisl.
plot lead the two American walships di
rectly under the guns of the Santa Cla
la battery These works are Il short
mile west of Moro and are a part o.
the harbor defenses. There are two bat
teres, one at the shore. which has been
recently thrown up, of sand and mortar
with wide embrasures for eight-incft
guns; the other is ON a rocky eminence
which juts out into the gulf at thi>
point. The upper battery mounts mod
ern l0-inch' and l2-inch krupp guns be
hind six-foot stone parapet, i'll front
of which are 20 feet of earthworks and
betting of railroad iron. This battery
is considered the most formida BILE of Ha-
vana's defenses except Moro castle. 1t
is masked and has not been absolutely 10
Gated by the American warships. 1t is
probably due to the fact that the Span
iards did not desire to expose its posi-
ton that the Nicksb.rg and Morrill, are
now atiOat.
Into the Hnrbor After Her.
The Morrill, and Nicksburg were about
chase began. They steamed after her
at full speed, the Morrill, leading until
within mile and half of the Santa
Clara batteries. Commander Smith of
the Vicksburg was the first to realize
the danger into which the reckless pur
time to halt and sent shot across the
bow of the schooner. The Spaniard in
stantly brought his vessel about, but
while she was still rolling in the trough
of the sea with her sails Tapping, an
eight-inch shrapnel she'll came hurting
through the air from the water battery.
a mile and half away.
it passed over the Morrill, between the
pilot house and smokestack and exploded
less than so feet on the port quarter
The small shot ratified against her side
1t was close call. Two more shots
followed in quick succession, both
One burst close under the
starboard quarter, filling the engine
room with the smoke of the explosion of
the she'll and the other, like the first
passed over and exploded just beyond
Spnniards Had the Range.
The Spanish gunners had the range
and their time fuses were accurately set.
The crews of both ships were at their
guns. Lieutenant Craig, who was in
charge of the bow fo,n-inch rapid fire
gun of the Morrill,. asked for and obtain
ed permission to return the fire. At the
first shot the N'icksburg. which was in
the wake of the Morrill,, slightly in shore
sheered off and passed to windward un
der the Morrill's stern. In the mean
time Captain Smith also put his helm to
port and was none too soon. for as the
Morrill, stood off solid eight Inch shot
grazed her starbard quarter and kicked
up tons of water as it struck a wave 100
yards beyond. Captain Smith said af
terwards that this was undoubtedly an
eight-inch almor- piercing projectiIe, and
that it would have passed through the
Morrillrs boilers had she not changed
her course.
All the guns of the water battery were
now at work. One of them cut the ja- |
cob ladder of the Nicksburg adrift and
another carried away a portion of the
rigging.
Fire Was Returned.
As the Morrill, and the Vicksburg
steamed away their aft guns were used
but only few shots were fired. The
Morrill's six-inch gun was elevated for
1000 yards and struck the earthworks
The Nicksburg fired repeat
edly shots from her siN-pounder. The
Spaniards continued to fire shot and shell
for 20 minutes. but the shots were inef
fective. Some of them were SO wild
that they aroused the American jackies
to jeers. The Spaniards only ceased fir
ing when the Morrill, and Vicksburg were
out of range. If all the Span
lard gunners had been suffering from