The record-union., 1898-11-12
TORPEDO BOAT SERVICE.
A Dramatic Incident Between the
Porter and the WinsIow.


Frequently, in the anxiety to discover
whether the strange craft were friend
or foe without betraying her own pres
ence, torpedo boat was fired on by
her own friends. The blockading SQUAD
ron were taking no chances of any kind
of approaching dark little craft. and
used the Western method of shooting
first and inquiring afterward. In the
excitement consequent on the signal
''Enemy's torpedo boat sighted" even
torpedo boats engaged each other. This
happened one of the first nights off
Havana. The moment the signal was
made, all the scouting vessels in that
vicinity converged at full speed toward
the point where the signal stars had
been seem Suddenly out of the gloom
of night, and right across the bows Of
the Porter, rushed a dark object, the
sparks from its tunnels and the dim
outline marking it distinctly as a tor
pedo boat. No questions were asked
by the Porter, for we knew no other
torpedo boat of ours was on that Sec
tion of the blockade There was a
heavy sea, and dense clouds of black
smoke were sweeping down between us
from our low tunnels. This fortunate
ly caused the first shots to go wild, and
| Instantly, in answer to our fire, the
night signal was shown. It was one of
our own boats that had come from Car
denas with dispatches, and she was
looking for the flag ship. A Joking
apology and a hearty laugh from us
all ended our little encounter, and the
two boats parted, not to meet again for
weeks-not until the Porter, returning
to Key West from her cruise to Porto
Rico, found the Winslow battle SCARED
and torn by the enemy's shell, her Cap
tain wounded and her executive and
five Of her crew dead. It was no laugh
ing matter this time.
About 2 o'clock one morning a steam
er was reported running toward Ha-
vana. 1t was an ideal night for tor
pedo attack, dark, with strong wind
blowing and occasional light rain
squalls. She was allowed to pass, but
nothing definite could be made out, and
as the Porter was well off to the east
ward of Havana, the supposition was
that 1t could not be one of the block
aders.
Dropping into her wake, our speed
was increased, all hands were called to
their stations, and every preparation
made for attack. The Porter was now
closing rapidly in, and through the
smoke We could make out that the YES
sci ahead was a man-of-war, and a
large one At this time the whereabouts
of the Spanish armored cruisers was
unknown, and from what we then could
see Of the vessel ahead, she answered
their description perfectly. More steam
was put on, and the Porter rushed UP
close on the quarter of the chase, we'll
within torpedo distance and still undis-
covered. Being now SO close that, even
if discovered, we could not be stopped
before the torpedo was discharged. and
wishing to make no mistake, the night
signal was made for an instant and
then turned off. It brought no an
SWer
Excitement on the Porter was at fe-
yer heat, and the enforced silence and
the nervous tension were hard to bear.
That we had found the enemy, and
that we had him all to ourselves, and
had him where there was no possibility
of his getting away, was such an un-
hoped-for opportunity that nothing short
of firing and cheering would express
what We felt, and the effort to repress
these was most difficult. To make as
surance doubly sure, the night signal
was again made, and the forward gun
fired, Immediately followed by a Sec
ond. That we We're now discovered was
evident, and in a moment signal lights
We're shown, and gun fired at us. The
signal lights shown were the wrong
ones for that night, and only served to
strengthen our conviction that the
chase was an enemy. Full speed was
rung on the Porter, and the final rush
to torpedo was made, when, just in the
nick Of time, the identity Of the ship
was recognized, and amidst shouting of
orders to cease firing, and halls through
the megaphone demanding explanations
the vessels were brought to a standstill
within 100 yards Of each other, and mu-
tual explanations made
This incident is given to illustrate
the fact that the torpedo boat, acting
under the conditions for which she was
built, Is a most dangerous weapon
Lieutenant j. c. Fremont, u. S. NJ, in
Harper'S MAGAZINE