The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-29
WITH SIMPSONS MEN
THE DARING FEAT OF A YOUNG ex-
ECUTWE OFFICER.
How GiIiis of the Porter Saved His Yes
sci From "a Spanish Torpedo-what the
War Has Taught-A Lesson About Coal
ing Stations and Coal Vessels.

sci From "A Spanish Torpedo-what the
War Has Taught-A Lesson About Coal
ing Stations and Coal Vessels.
The New York Posts correspondent
with Admiral SIMPSONS feet off Santi-
ago, writing under the date of June
IA, says:
Among the uncelebrated acts of cour-
age in the naval campaign, one perform
ed by the young executive officer of the
torpedo boat Porter, who is the son of
Admiral ellis, takes my fancy One
dark night as you have heard, Admiral
Cervera sent a destroyer out from the
harbor of Santiago to torpedo two or
three of our ships of war. Whether the
destroyer ever got back to Cervera is
not certainly known, but next morning
some of the German torpedoes were still
floating around aimlessly among the
American fleet.
Nosing along under steam for three
knots, rolling in the sea like cork
cigar, the Porter sighted one Of these
much feared engines, and lit was COM
ing straight for my little brute" says
Captain Fremont in telling the story.
" We must capture that, said to
Gillis, pressing the indicator for more
steam.
+" Yes, sir, he answered. 'I'll get it
for you.
"Do you know ellis? Hasn't any
head at all-nothing in his composition
but plain nerve have to watch him
all the time or I'd lose him and the
Porter and myself, too, and l don't
want to do that because / like him, and
I'm responsible for the preservation of
the Porter, and, Furthermore, / have a
happy home. But this time he was too
quick for Inc. The torpedo was coming
slowly. If it touched our side, there
would be nothing more for any of us
except bed under water.
''He had his shoes off before knew
it, and his coat, and / said: Don't do
it, ellis. She's got her war nose on
"'I'll unscrew it, sir, said the boy,
| and over the side he went, threw his
arms around the torpedo, headed it
| away from us, and then began feeling
| for it's business end.
1t happened that this torpedo had no
business end, no tip containing the
| Illuminating charge Ca fact which shows
how careless Spaniards are and why
| they are ineffective in war;, and the
| aircock opening just then the torpedo
| dived from ellis arms TO tic bottom.
| Not many minutes afterward the look
| out reported another torpedo, and this
one, alive, war nose and all, was "pow-
er buckled, or sl1idded, aboard, under
the captains directions, and IL now lies
by the port rail of the torpedo boat Por
ter, most interesting prize, and worth
to officers and crew just So, 600 Of the
governments money.
This war has been disappointing thus
far to those curious patriots who de
manded it for the sake Of what it woult
teach about modern armor plates, pro
jectiles, the respective values Of heavy
and light armament, about sand ant
concrete compared with masonry, anC
dynamite cruisers and war balloons
and box kites. Yesterday the Vesuviu
succeeded in throwing dynamite int
Santiago harbor from those fixed gum
of hers that are aimed by the ship
helm, and aside from the interest thi
feat no doubt excited Sin the states
she surprised herself by making the dy
Mantle explode She is likely now Il
take up the plan of mapping the chan
mel and whenever submarine mine i
anchored drop dynamite shell there t.
destroy it. Except one other successful
experiment made in actual service thi
has been the novelty Of the campaign.
The other successful experiment is tn
practicability of coaling warships a
sea. AS write, collier has arrives
from Pensacola, and in swelling SCI
that tips dishes from our table, she ha
steamed alongside the Iowa. put enor
nous tenders between, tied up and |
now transferring coal to the battleship'
bunkers with as much facility as if sh
were coal wharf. Three days ago tn
flagship New Work, in heavy weather
coaled from a vessel alongside at tn
rate of $50 tons a day, managing
without the slightest mishap by easin
OH the DOWilues anu heepihS poth shil
moving ahead. At Guantanamo bay W
have seen it demonstrated that the pos
session of islands for coaling stations
not everywhere imperative. OF wha
: use was Key West, 700 miles away
, when all warships were needed all til
/ time on their stations? The thing to d
} was to seize from the enemy nava
/ base nearer to hand. one already SUI
piled with coal, if possible, but if not
a harbor or small bay where our owl
Golfers could deliver their cargoes