Connecticut western news., 1898-07-14

guns of Morro Castle" said Lieutenant Hobson when questioned regarding his now historic exploit. The stiffness of death prevailed. It was so dark that we could scarcely see the headlana. We had planned to drop our starboard an- chor at a certain point to the right of the channel. reverse our engines and then swing the Merrimac around, sink ing her directly across the channel.
 This plan was adhered to. but cir cumstances rendered its execution im- possible. When the Merrimac poked her nose into the channel, our troubles commenced. The deadly silence was broken by the wash of a small boat ap- preaching us from the shore. I made her out to be d picket boat.
 "She ran close up under the stern of the Merrimac and fired several shots from what seemed to. be pounder guns. The Merrimac's rudder was car ried away by this fire. That is why the collier was not sunk across the chan nel.
 We did not discover the loss of the rudder until Murphy cast anchor. We then found that the Merrimac would not answer to the helm and were compelled to make the best of the situation.
 The run up the channel was very ex- citing. The picket boat had given the alarm, and in a moment the guns of the Vizcaya, the Almirante oquendo and of the shore batteries were turned upon us.
 Submarine Mines Exploded.
 Submarine mines and torpedoes also were exploded all about us, adding to the excitement. The mines did no dam- age. although we could hear rumbling and could feel the ship tremble.
 fnx with 1fprn only the darkness saved us from utter destruction. When the ship was in the desired position and we found that the rudder was gone I called the men on deck. While they were launching the catamaran touched off the explosives.
 At the same moment two torpedoes fired by the Reina Mercedes struck the Merrimac amidships. I cannot say whether our own explosives or the Spanish torpedoes did the work. but the Merrimac was lifted out of the water and almost rent asunder.
 AS she settled down we scrambled overheard and cut away the catamaran. A great cheer went up from the forts and warships as the hull of the collier foundered, the Spaniards thinking that the Merrimac was an American war ship.
 
 bor in the catamaran, but a strong tide was running. and daylight found us still struggling in the water. Then for the first time the SDaniards saw us. and a boat from the Reina Mercedes picked us E.. It was then shortly after 5 o'clock in the morning, and we had been in the water more than an hour We were taken aboard the Reina Mer- cedes and later were sent to Morro Castle"
 Lieutenant Hobson is sure there are only about 4,O00 soldiers in Santiago. They are, he says, dispirited and will De glad to quit.
 Their officers, however, are bound to fight on in order to satisfy Madrid. Hobson prophecies that a few days of fierce resistance is the limit, even of the officers, and that they, too, will soon be willing to give it up.
 Hobson believes the American fleet gan go into the harbor without great danger. He instances the fact that the Merrimac ran nearly all of the defanses without injury.
 There is that in his conversation that indicates that he would rather have an assignment to take in a battleship than any other service that the country could ask of him.