The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-08-25
HOBSON TELLS HIS STORY
MERRIMAC HERO PRAISES THE
"JACKIES."
Graphic Picture of the Dashing Incl
dent Given by the Principal Actor
in the Scene.

]
Lieutenant Richmond p. Hobson,
United States navy, who immortalized
himself by the sinking of the Merri-
mac at the mouth of the harbor of
Santiago was the magnet that drew
thousands to the Metropolitan opera
house in New York City recently.
After giving some of the incidents
of his early life and having paid a
tribute to Jackie" the gallant lieu
tenant gave a graphic account of the
Merrimac incident He said:
! 1t is known that when the call was
made for the volunteers to go on the
Merrimac literally the men fell over
each other in their eagerness to vol
unteer. The list on the New York ran
! above a hundred and the Iowa sent
over word that 40 would volunteer,
! before the order was passed that no
more volunteers were needed. When
| the few out of this number had been
assigned to stations on the Merrimac,
! the direction was given to them to lie
! fiat on their faces alongside the par
| ticular piece of duty they had to per-
/ form. Two were stationed by the an
! Choir gear. and two others by the tor
| pedoes. while two were in the engine
| room The directions were that no
man should pay any attention to the
| fire of the enemy. II was agreed and
understood by all that they should
not even look up over their shoulders
! to see where the firing came from;
| that as the shots fell, they should pay
no attention to them. If man was
wounded he was to pay no attention
| to it but place himself in a sitting
| kneeling posture, in a posture so
! that when the signal was given each
man. if wounded, could perform his
simple duty; and, friends, they lay
there. each man at his post, until the
| little duty of each was performed.
And | may tell you that five out of
! the seven torpedoes that were attach
ed to the ship had been shot away,
and the proiectiles that were being
| hurled at us came more as contin
uous stream than as individual pro-
| iectiles. Yet those "Jackies" lay
there without moving. each one ready
to do his duty as he had been instruc-
ted Then again when the duty was
done, and the boys had assembled at
the rendezvous on the quarterback
when the vessel began to sink slowly,
| because there were only two remain
! ing torpedoes of the seven, the other
five and the starboard quarter anchor
having been shot away, to be exploded
to sink the Ship. the sailors remained
there without stirring For ten min
utes the group stood there, amid
! perfect rain of horizontal fire from
the enemy vessels in the harbor and
from the batteries, when it was only
question of death in the next pro-
| iectile. or the next. or the next, or
| else of being struck with some of the
fragments. They stood quietly on the
deck grinding underneath them.
The single order was given: mo
man move until further orders" If
! there was ever moment when the
order, Every man for himself, jump
overheard, get away from this" was
| Unsuitable, it was at this time, but not
q man budged. \ few minutes later
when this same group was in the wa
ter. clnging, with their heads just
| above water, to the catamaran, when
the enemies picket boats came peer
ing around with their lanterns, in the
endeavor to find something living,
when the impulse was strong to give
up and swim to the bank, the same or
| der was given: mo man move until
further orders" and there for nearly
an hour these men stayed-every one.
When that afternoon, the same af-
ternoon of the sinking of the Merri-
mac, by the kindness of the gallant
commander in chief of the Spanish
forces, Cervera, the effects of the sal
lors were brought off from their ship
| by a boat that went out under a flag
of truce to tell of their safety, one of
| the men in distributing these effects
was allowed to come over to my cell.
This man-Charette was his name,
was the spokesman of the others, and
after referring to what they had been
through during the night, he said,
eve would do it over again tonight,
sir" Next day, when it seemed that
perhaps a remnant of the inquisition
was to be applied to get information
from the prisoners, to ascertain what
was the name of the ship that had
been sunk, whether it was battle
ship with a crew of 500 or 600, imper-
tinent questions were put to the pris-
oners, and soldiers coming along by
us would make significant signs, like
this (here the lieutenant drew his
hand across his throat), at which our
seamen merely laughed. That was a
fact. Charlotte, who speaks French,
was the spokesman for our party, and
he was asked by the major who had
charge of us: "What was the object
of your coming in here?" Charlotte
drew himself up and replied: "In the
United States it is not the custom for
the sailors to know or to ask to know
the object of his superior officers"
Now, friends, if you will draw the
proper deduction and regard the men
as simple types of the whole fleet; if
you will properly look upon this lit
tie incident of the Merrimac as sim
pie indication of the material in the
fleet, whose whole personnel was will
ling and ready, and is always willing
and ready to do any work or duty,
whatever be its end, when you make