The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-29
THE SEA FIGHTERS.
Letter From Executive officer Wilkes
of the Yosemite.

Gilbert Wilkes, son of Major and Mrs.
Edmund Wilkes, is back in the navy.
He is a Salt Lake Boy, and, it will be
remembered. graduated from Annapo-
lis with honor, and served in the navy
for some time with distinction 'He
made a speciality of electrical devices,
etc, and finally resigned from the navy
to go into the electrical business IN De
troit where he has large establish
ment. On the outbreak of the war he
volunteered with the Michigan naval
militia, which was accepted in body,
and has ever since been executive Oil
Ger of the United States ship Yosemite.
His mother yesterday received from
him the following letter, dated off San
Juan de Porto Rico, July s:
I'VE are steaming in circle in front
of this harbor, as we have been doing
for two weeks, day after tomorrow,
when the St Paul left us Immediately
after our arrival, saying that she Wous
have help sent us at once. She aad
been attacked by a torpedo boat de.
stroyer a couple of days before, ana
while victorious. Captain Sigsbee dld
not seem to relish the experience.
1.-The following day we held up
small sclEoner, which the captain re-
leased. Then, on Tuesday morning, We
were all called out early by quarters,
and found a. large steamer trying to
get in. We headed her off, when she
drove for the beach, hosting the span
ish flag and opening fire in return She
has since proved to be the Antonio Lo-
pez. with a cargo of arms, ammunl-
ton and two big guns as freight, COM
missioned as a sort of auxiliary by the
Spanish government. All of her shots
fell short. as we fired at from 5000 10
1000 yards, the captain being afraid OF
reefs.
1.-TWO gunboats and a destroyer came
out to drive us off (proDably the same
destroyer thai had gone after the ot.
PauD, but we hammered away at the
grounded steamer until a boom tod
us that the Moro had Joined in, ard
a flop in the water very near us told US
that the fort had our range, s;gnaled,
we learned afterward, from a signal
station opposite us. Then came an
other and another big shell from the
fort, missing us only Few yards,
while the shells from the gunboats
wc:e-' -:ear us.
s'Once dropped on my hunkies as
shell passed very near and lit just oe-
yond, but I found every one near me
in the same attitude All laughed and
stood ~. Then came a most welcome
rain, which hid us from the fort long
enough to let US get beyond the range
OF Its Dig guns, WHICH were AIielhlhS Sti-
tirely too good practice.
1.-The wreck had been struck seVeral
times, was hard and Fast on reet.
and on fire slightly, and we abandoned
the job to go to breakfast, which We
started eating under an occasional long
range shot from one of the gunboats.
which had two guns larger and lo2ger
range THAI ours.
After breakfast we found the three
1x~s,,
and out by the wreck, but under the
guns of MORO castle every fortified
Spanish narbor seems to have a Dria-
cioal tort of this name). This was
the reception we steamed into, nrlnS
at al three of the warships and pour
ing forth a perfect rain of 5-lnch shells
and driving all three of them into the
harbor and until the fort could again
reach us Then we stopped, having
wrecked a valuable prize Cthe large
cannon cannot be gotten out, we have
learned from vessels coming out) and
having driven in three war vessels,
which-if they only knew 1t, ought TO
be able to thrash us any day they WISH.
This ship is $50 feet long. The wreck
is. about the same. For the next TOUR
DAYS we scared around near the wreck
ike ? vu.ture, making sure that the
ship could not get off, while the three
Spaniards oaraded up and down under
the forts, never coming from under
their protection. Then they withdrew
to the inner harbor, while we-a Cos
yerted merchantman-block the
port, turning away some steamers (neu-
trails, destroying one Spanish schooner
unnecessary and disgraceful bring
ing OF he horrors of war to the Door
defenseless ones) and chasing others
that have gotten in, simply because we
cannot be in two places at once.
After the action. everyone felt that
we were all here simply through the
goodness of God. Shells struck all
around Us. but none hit us. though it
seemed impossible that they should not.
We have no information how the other
side Jared.
Now we are all very anxious. Here
we are alone, really blockading a SUI
perior force. on the go day and night.
and any small accident or a chance
shot from the enemy may put us into