Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-20
THE TORPEDO BOAT PORTER
Returns to New York Unmarked by Missiles
of War.
She Has Not Discharged Any of Her
TorpedOes Since She Went
Into Action.


fresh from her trial tests. She sailed away
with Lieut.. ]. c. Fremont In command,
and she returned with the same hand
the wheel and unmarked by any missile Of
war. The little craft came back worn as
to her paint and parts, but with record of
good service and some renown-
The small vessel was sighted off Sandy
Hook at 3:17 o'clock in the afternoon. ira
versed the thirteen miles to the quarantine
station in fifty minutes, and finally tied up
at the Brooklyn navy yard.
Lieut.. Fremont soon turned over the care
of his craft to Ensign Gillis, and made his
way from the navy yard to his hcrne in
Staten Island. The crew, not one of whom
is sick ailing, were at once busted in
putting the ship In shape, and friendly Ia
val officers and seamen came down TO take
a look at the craft whose name is now so
well known in our navy.
Having gotten things moving and I'm
trim. Ensign Gillis had time to go ever his
charge with a visitor interested in the rec
crd and condition Of the craft. 1t CHANGED
that the same visitor. one year ago last
June, few days previous to the Porter's
speed trials had sailed down the harbor
and around Scotland lightshp and back
again with her commander in the remark
able time of an hour and fifty minutes. She
then was fresh from dock, and every fit
ting and every appointment in pink of con-
dition. Then she was freshly painted.
brightly polished. and everywhere about
i4r pTeNa1leO tfdt ScTupUlOuS neatnpSS
which characteriZes naval craft.
Now her lean sides show the wear of the
waters, her metal work is furnished with
spray and usage. the rubber mating of
her deck has been trodden and torn, her
machinery, though In order shows
vice. and the three 1-pounder guns on
deck bear evidence that they had been
put to the purposes for which they were
constructed.
Has Not Fired Any TOrpedoes.
A year ago the Porter had in her tor
pedo tubes three Whitehead projectiles
and a reserve. Today she had the
same number and the same ones Through
all her experiences since the beginning of
war with Spain the Porter has not dis
charged any torpedoes. She has. however,
acquired a new one. In addition to the
four Whitehead torpedoes with which she
| went out she brought home as a relic the
1S-foot $1,000 torpedo of German construc-
ton which the men of the Porter recov-
cred from the sea off the south coast of
Cuba some fourteen miles east of Santiago
on June lest
1t was made by Schwartzkopf and was
fired by either the Reina Mercedes or by
the Spanish torpedo boat Pluton at the
Merrimac while Hobson was taking her
into Santiago harbor. The Mercedes and
| tho Pluton each discharged a torpedo at
the Merrimac and they were borne by the
| tide eastward along the coast until the
Porter. sighting them, hauled one on board
| but lost the other, which sank during the
| efforts of the men to get it on deck. The
relic on the deck of the Porter weighs 100
pounds and its range is about 800 Yards
We left Santiago" said Ensign Gillis
| ION July 9, sailed from Key West north
ward on July IA and from Savannah three
Gays later, arriving home in New York ten
days out from Santiago.
"A torpedo boat" continued the ensign,
lis not as steady in the heavy seas as a
| battle ship with grim smle), but the
a yn1 in
gency and in all weather a stanch, swift
and at all times capable boat. Our water
| tube boilers have given our speed when
| ever wanted. but we came up here now for
a little professional attention-much less
| however, than might be expected when a
vessel has been long in service without.
docking or overhauling.
Were Mt San Juan.
I'VE were at San Juan, yes. No, there
was never evident aboard the Porter the
slightest evidence or apprehension of fear.
On the contrary, the men. from the captain
down, were anxious and eager for action.
! 1t is true that we were warned away at
San Juan, and 1t came about this way.
The long neck of land which reaches out
to make the harbor of San Juan was the
most inoffenSVa stretch of territory that
could be imagined, and feeling thoroughly
safe even with our one-tenth of an inch
thickness of outer skin. we made I'D with
in six hundred yards of the beach.
a little later we learned that the land
Scape nearest the shore was not so guile
less as it appeared. When we had gotten
within what seemed to be tempting proX-
unity it seened as though the entire ridge
opened fire or us at once. When it is con-
sidereG that a bullet from a Mauser rifle
would if properly directed. go clean
through our hull, the effect OF shell of
any size striking may be easily imag-
ined. We Immediately opened fire how
ever, with our one-pounders, and are
I f.F,tN Il hat hos-
ceedingly uncomfortable and much less
valuable by the attentions of the Porter
we were signaled to retire to safer quar-
tiers, however, and made our way out at
cnce. While retiring, however, there seem
ed to be one gunner in one battery who
ranged us fairly we'll / sat here on this
step (pcinting to one of the two short steps
on the upper structure forwsrd) when this
particular gunner lot go six-pounder.
saw the shot coming and remarked, quiet
| y, that it looked though that would
| land. at the time this shot was fired We
were in position bow on to this battery.
Aimed Trife Too High.
THE Shot came true and sure as to its
direction, but it was aimed a tribe too
| high. 1t passed about three feet above my
heai and fell into the water astern scarce
| ly clearing the after portion OF the Porter.
We speedily moved, as to avoid the
range, which WAS getting straight at us
over our heads by only ! little
You were not n time tn see the destl uc-
ton Of Cervera : fieet?" was asked
No we were forty miles away, in Guam
tanamo Bay, when Capt Allen came out
and notified Capt. McCHila that the Spanish
fleet had escaped. We were much graft
fed, however, by ire INSTRUMENTATION which
he brought THAI they were sailing cast
ward. This is our chllce, remarked Can't
Fremont as he headed for open sea and
put the Porter to her PAGES at once. We
got up to the scene of activity, how, yer
that afternoon AMI were III time to get n
clear notion of what had been happening
by observation of The riddied milks of what
lad been Sp1nish squadron. We were in
the neighborhood Of Santiago when that
Austrian warJh p came sailing up from The
southeast, AMI t was interesting 10 see the
great hotilla of transport ships. mistakiny
the flag of Austria for that of Spain go
scurrying off wnere the Iowa was lying,
behind which they huddled like IL brood of
chickens seeking shelter"
WHAT CUBANS RESENT