The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-16

man behind the gun" The writer, Gun
ner Evans, of the cruiser Boston, just
arrived in San Francisco, was the man
who on that memorable day fired the g.
inch projectile which crashed through the
Spanish flag snip Reina Christina. pene-
trating her stern, dismantling her engines
| and setting the ship on fire. Gunner
Evans story is the first description oft
hat famous battle told by an active par
! ticipant:
GUNNER EVANS STORY.
San Francisco, Cal. June l0.-From )
o'clock in the morning till u at noon,
seven long hours under a most terrific
rain of shot and shell. and surrounded at
every moment by a thousand dangers, not
knowing at what moment a submarine
mine or torpedo would hurl one skyward,
it was almost enough to turn gray the
hair o fan ordinary mortal. But it was a
| glorious victory, and 1 believe that every
man in that battle feels proud that he was
there.
Imagine if you can most terrific thun-
der storm with its brilliant streaks of
lightning, and multiply that by the num-
Der of ships which participated in that
| battle. and you can have a slight idea Of
what surrounded US for hours at a stretch
on that eventful morning.
1t is quite Impossible to describe in words
or to give a vivid picture that Will con-
vey a correct idea of that terrible and
peculiar sensation and recoiI of big gun.
The time of my sea service had ex-
i, ~,
was near at hand and wanted to be in
it, and therefore I remained with the fleet
until after the fight was over
Every experienced gunner and gun room
crew soon learns by intuition that at the
| moment of the discharge of a gun the
proper thing to do is TO throw ones weight
forward on the toes and stand tiptoe I'M
til the recoil is over.
Long before the battle was over the
| feeling in ones head was as though there
was al least quart Of water in each ear
During the afternoon of Saturday,
April 80, the Boston, the ship I was on,
| together with the Concord, Petrol and
| Baltimore, were recommending in Subig
! Bay, and all the while we were making
active preparations in clearing the ships
/ for action.
! During that day every ship in the feet
/ had done the same. Boats We're covered
! with canvas, and nettngs were sprred
| to prevent splinters from flying. the ca>
| in partitions removed and every NOV
| able thing stored below. Magazines had
been thoroughly inspected, ammunition
was a hand. and every bit of machinery
! carefully tested. I patted my gun on the
| breech and mentally swore to ''Remem-
Der the Maine" at the first opportunity.
and I'll bet every gunner in the fleet did
the same thing mentally if not audibly.
How they well kept their word and prom
Use the Spanish best knew by noon the
next day.
AT o'clock on Saturday evening the
| captains We're summoned to council on the
flag ship Olympia The council was
short one, and when the captains return
ed TO their respective ships il wal not long
before the information by some means or
other reached the men that the orders
We're "to run by the Corregidor forts at
midnight
Ammunition HOSTS and buffet shields
had been put up. and every man. be-
leve really longed for midnight to come.
We steamed slowly toward Corregidor
island. which splits the entrance to Mantle
Bay the channel being r. mile wide on
one side Of the island and five miles across
at the other.
There are forts on the island and a
whole line on the mainland opposite, and
from somewhere. I don't know where. the
report had come that the forts were al
most impregnable and armed with the
very latest guns. Most of the evening
was spent by the men discussing not what
we would do. but conjectures as to the
strength of the Spanish forts. Every one
was in 4 cheerful mood, and I don't be-
Ieve in the whole fleet there was one
man who wished himself ont OF it.
Just little after midnight We were
steamiug through Brea Grande, the
southern entrance to Manila bay. the
squadron formation being column al dis
tace" The only light burned anywhere
on the ships was one a the setcrr Of
each vessel which was hooded 10 show
directly asteru. These lights were 70
guide the ships in following the flagship.
The single formation was as follows:
Olympia. Baltimore, Raleigh Concord.
Petrol Boston. McCuloCh Narstan and
Zafro.
We were steaminE - about six knots
an hour. snd part Of the tire only four
I must admit that I was a little bit ner-
yous; perhaps a little does not express L.
I was not so much afraid OF the forts or
shore batteries or what the Spanish feet
might do but we had understood that the
channel was closely planted with sub
marine mines and all sorts of explosives.
AS We had very little definite inf7rma-
ton on the matter. our imaeinations had
fun PLAY and It is surprising the number
OF dangers man thinks are surrounding
him when ne is not fully informed on the
subject. I, was this channel that was
afraid Of. and those hours Of suspense
were something awful
Sometimes I wished that something
would happen to relieve the strain. had
laid my plans in case the Boston should he
blown up. did not propose taking any
chances Of falling into the hands Of The
Spaniards. In such an event preferred
death.
A. every moment I kept within reach
% my navy revolver, and had fully de-
termined that the moment that fsIt the
decks 81 the Boston rising under me 20
end the matter, so FAR as 7 Was concerned
by bullet in the brain had chosen The
msner Of shooting. and had intended 10
put the revolver to ny right temple. and