The herald., 1898-05-09
COULDN'T HIT VESSELS UNDER
THEIR NOSES
TWO CAPTAINS OF CRUISERS
Bite at the Bait Set by Blanco but
Make Their Escape Without
Harm
Associated Press Special Wire

and the cutter Morrill, from destruction in
Havana harbor yesterday morning. For
over hall ais hour they were under the fire
of the guns of the Santa Clara water bat
teries, but both escaped without material
anjury, although shrapnel from S-inch guns
exploded all about them, and both now
show the scars of the Spanish bullets. The
willy Spaniards had arranged trap to send
that couple of our ships to the bottom. A
small schooner was sent out from Havana
harbor shortly before daylight yesterday
morning to draw some of the Americans
into the ambush, and the ruse worked like
charm. The Vicksburg and the Morrill,,
in the heat of the chase, and in their con-
tempt for Spanish guns, walked straight
into the trap that had been set for them.
Had the Spaniards possessed their souls
In patience but five minutes longer, no gun
practice would have saved our ships, and
this morning two more of our vessels
would lie at the bottom, within two cable
lengths of the wreck of the 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 were
fired at the Vicksburg and one at the Nor
rill. Both fell short, and both vessels,
"
range. 1t would have been folly to have
done otherwise. But yesterday morning
the Spaniards had better luck. The
schooner they had sent out before day
light ran off to the eastward, hugging the
shore with the wind on her starboard quar-
ter.
About three miles east of the entrance of
the harbor she came over on the port tack.
A light haze fringed the horizonI and she
was not discovered until three miles off
shore, when the Mayflower made her out
and signalled the Morrill, and Vicksburg.
Captain Smith of the Morrill, and Com
mander Lilly of the vicksburg Immediately
put 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, according to the well
- conceived Spanish plot, lead the two
American warships directly under the
guns of the Santa Clara batteries. These
works are short mile west of MORO, and
hre part of the defenses of the harbor.
There are two batteries, one at the shore,
which has been recently thrown up, of
sand and mortar, with wide embrasures
for S-inch guns, and the other on the crest
of the rocky eminence which juts out into
mounts modern 1O-inch and 12-inch guns
behind six-foot stone parapet, in front of
which are twenty feet of earthworks and
a betting of railroad iron. This battery is
considered the most formidable of Havana S
defenses, except Moro Castle 1t is
masked and has not been absolutely To-
Gated by the American ships. 1t is prob
ably due to the fact that thd Spanish did
not desire to expose it's position that the
Vicksburg and Morrill, are now af1oat. The
Morrill, and Vicksburg were about six
miles from the scene when the chase began.
They steamed after the schooner at full
speed, the Morrill, leading, until within a
mile and a half of the Santa Clara batteries
Commander Smith of the Vicksburg was
the first to realize the danger into which
the reckless pursuit had led them. He
concluded it was time to halt, and sent
shot across the bow of the schooner. The
Vicksburg's commander instantly brought
his vessel about, and while she was still
rolling in the trough of sea, with her sails
Tapping. an 8-inch shrapnel shot came
hurtling through the air from the water
battery, mile and half away. 1t passed
over the Morrill, and exploded lessJ than
fifty feet on the port side. The small shot
ratified against her side. 1t was a close
call. Two more shots followed in quick
succession, both shrapnels. One burst
close under the starboard quarter, filling
the engine room with the smoke of the ex-
plosion of the shell, and the other, like the
first. passed over and exploded just be-
yond. 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 finch rapid-fire guns of
the Morriall, asked for and obtained per-
mission to return the fire. At the first
shot the Vicksburg, which was in the
wake of the Morrill,, slightly in shore,
sheered off and passed to windward under
the Morrill's stern. In the meantime, Cap
tain Smith also put his helm to port, and
was none too soon, for as the Morrill, stood
off, solid S-inch shot grazed her star
board quarter and kicked UP tons of water
as 1t struck a wave a hundred yards be-
yond. Captain Smith said afterward that
this was undoubtedly an S-inch armor
piercing projectile, and that it would have
passed through the Morrilrs bottom had
she not changed her course All the guns
of the water battery were now at work.
One Of them cut the Jacobs ladder of the
Vicksburg adrift, and another carried
away portion of their rigging.
AS the Morrill, and the Vicksburg steamed
away their aft guns were used, and few
shots were fired. The Morrill's 6-inch gun
was elevated for 800 yards and the earth
works fired at. The Vicksburg fired re-
peatedly shots from her 6-pounder. The
Spaniards continued to fire shot and shell
for twenty minutes. but the shots were in
effectual. Some OF them were so wild that
they reused the contempt of the American
sailors. The Spaniards, only ceased firing
when the Morrill, and vicksburg were
completely out of range. If all the Span
ish gunners had been suffering from strab-
ismus their practice could not have been
worse
But the officers of both the Morrill, and
Vicksburg frankly admit their own reck-
lessness and the narrow escape of their
vessels from destruction. They are firm
ly convinced that the pursuit of the
schooner was neatly planned trick, which
almost proved successful. II any one of