Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-14
FIERCE TO THE END
The San Francisco Struck BY
a Spanish She'll Friday
It PLUNGED THROUGH HER STERN,
Tore a Big Hole, and Smashed the
Cummod0Tes Bookcase,
THIS HAPPENED AT HABANA.
The Shot Came from Grim Old
MORO Castle.
THE BRAVE SAILORS UNHUHr.
The Monitor Miantonomnh and the
Yacht sylvia I'm Danger, Too-Ah
Had ventured Too Near shore-Fire
Was Not Returned.
Was Not Returned.

KEY WEST, FLA, August Is, p. NJ
The flagship San Francisco, the monitor
Miantonomah, and the auxiliary yacht
Sylvia were fired upon by the Haoaha
batteries shortly before o'clock yester-
dav morning One 10 or Pinch she'll
struck the San Francisco's stern as she
turned to get out Of range, and tore
hole about a foot in diameter, completely
wrecking Commodore HowelPs quarters
and smashing his bookcase to fragments.
Nobody was injured, and, being under
orders not to attack the batteries the
ships sailed as fast as their engines would
carry them. The flagship and Sylvia lay
naralle, TO the shore nearly a mile from
MORO Castle and separated from eacn
other by distance of between three
eiobths and one-quarter of mile.
WITHIN EASY RANGER.
The Miantonomah lay about three-quar-
tore NJ n mile 10 the rear Of the others
All were within range OF the Spanish
batteries and the temptation was 100
strong to be resisted. ,so
While the ships Of the HaDana Dlochhuo
squadron have been keeping at distance
If elk miles or more during daylight theS
have been accustomed to draw III ihuon
closer at night. MORO castle nghl mas
burned steadily throughout, serving as
good beacon for the American shps'
Thursday evening the warships VI .i.o
.,,aSro, ;nmediately off Habana were
the SAN Francisco, Sylvia, and the Man
,onomah and with nightfall they Ore"
~ closer TO the shore than ever before
ma took positions as before stated.
SCREAMING SHELLS.
All night the ships rolled at their s "a
tions with lights out, ACCORDING 10 ,no
blockade regulations. Announcer I"ei ,,,,
hours of dreary duty had passed WIN
tho same unyarying monotony, and what
bannened soon afterwards was as uneN-
,aectod as II was unwelcome. the hrst
a,in,mar Of dawn was breaking through
the eastern skies, when, without an III
etant's warning, the lookout on the mas
shin saw n let of smoke pun from one
Of Morro's big guns. Almost before ne
could null himself together sulncieh'iy 70
make a report of the incident ~ anu y
inch shells were screaming all arouhu ths
shin. The Spaniards had the range anu
onnarentlv were grimly in earnest In their
mighty enemy. 1t was however, almost
as futile an effort as in every preceding
struggle. Shells fell between the san
Francisco and Sylvia, some fell snort
n few went over them, and stlll others
fell short The flagship signalled the
Sylvia. to get out of range without delay
and both ships swung round and made
for the sea. 1t was then that the sheli
struck the San Francisco's stern ana
Ito tha n
wrecking Commodore HowelPs library.
The Commodore was on deck with Cap
tain Leary when the shell struck.
THEY COUNTED THE MISSILES.
The Miantonomah was in less danger
than the other two ships, being tarther
out 10 sea, but when the firing COM
menced they all moved out about three
miles Here the men on the flagship were
speedily put to work patching the rag
ged hole which a shell had torn in the
San Franchises stern. The damage was
found TO be trifling. All the shells fired
at the vessels were from 10 or Finch
guns. and there were exactly twenty
two in number. AS they fell around the
ships one of the Sylvia's men stood
calmly on the deck of the yacht watch
ing and counted them. MORO Castle
fired several Of the missiles, but how
many is not known. The others came
from two sand batteries east Of MORO.
The firing lasted twenty minutes. No
attempt was made 10 return the FIRE,
the blockading squadron being under spe-
cific orders not 10 make any sort OF
demonstration against Habana partakng
of the nature of an attack. Even If
such had not been the case, ii would have
been almost suicidal for the three ships
ono of them a yacht-to have faced .gch
odds as the land batteries offered.
COULD HAVE TALKED BACK.
The big turret guns OF the Iiantono-
nah and the San Francisco's main bat
terry of 6-inch guns could have done
much damage; but the Spaniards had
the range, and to attempt 10 combat
the almost impregnable fortihcations Of
Habana would nave been almost hope
less. The one-sided engagement mad
scarcely ended when Captain Boilers was
given a packet OF private documents,
which he was ordered to take into Ha-
bana under a flag OF truce. This was
done without incident. the Sylvia dehv-
ering them 10 the officer of the Spanish
gunboat Martin Y. Pinzon.
The big Spanish transatlantic liner
Montserrat is still bottled up in Matanzas
harbor.