Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-05-12
UNDER ENEMY'S FIRE.


Key West, May B.--Only poor MARKS
manship ON the part Of the spanish
gunners saved the Vickshurg and the
cutter Morrill, from destruction on lia-
vana Saturday. For over half an hour
they were under the fire Of the guns OF
the Santa Clara water batteries, hut
both escaped without material injury,
although shrapnel shells from inch
guns exploded all about them and both
now show the pitted scars of the Span
ish bullets.
The Willy Spaniards had arranged a
neat trap to send couple OF our ships
to the bottom. They baited II as u man
would bait a rat trap. A small schooner
was sent out from Havana harbor
shortly before daylight Saturday MORN
Ing to draw some Of the Americans into
the ambuscade. The ruse worked like a
charm. The Vicksburg and the Morrill,
in the heat Of the chase and In their
contempt for Spanish gunnery walked
straight into the trap that had been set
for them. Had the Spanards possessed
their souls in patience but fve min
utes longer, not even the bad gun prac-
tice would have saved our ships and
this morning two more of our vessels
would lie at the bottom. within two
lengths OF the wreck Of the i'll starred
Maine.
Friday evening the Vicksburg and the
Morrill,, cruising to the west Of MORO
castle, were fired upon by the big guns
OF the Cojma batteries Two shots were
fired at the Nirkshurg and one at the
Morrill,. Both fell short, and both yes
sells, without returning the fire, steamed
out of range II would have been folly
to have done otherwise. But Saturday
morning the Spaniards had better luck
The schooner they had sent out before
daylight ran off 10 the eastward, hug
ginE the shore with tho wind on her
starboard quarter About three miles
east Of the entrance OF the harbor she
came over on the port tack. A light
haze fringed the horizon, and she was
not discovered until three miles OF
shore when the Mayfower made her
out and signaled the Morrill, and Vicks-
burg.
The morrill, In Pursuit,
Captain Smith of the Morrill, and
Commander Lilly nf the Vlcksburg i'm
medlately clapped on all steam and
started in pursuit. The schooner in
stantly put about and ran for MORO
castle before the wind. on doing so she
would, according To the well conceived
Spanish plot, lead the two American
warshins directly under the guns Of the
Santa Clara batteries, The Morrill, and
Nlcksburg were about six miles from
the schooner when the chase began.
They steamed after her at full speed,
the Morrill, leading until within a mile
and half of the Santa Clara batteries.
Commander Smith OF the Vicksburg
was the first to realize the danger into
which the reckless pursuit had led them.
He concluded 1t was time to haul off
and sent shot across the bow of the
schooner The Spanish skipper Instant
ly brought his vessel about but while
she was still rolling in the trough Of the
sea with her sails Tapping an S inch
shrapnel shell came hurting through
the air from the water battery 1h miles
away. 1t passed over the Morrill, be-
tween the pilot house and the smoke
stack and exploded less than SO feet on
the port quarter, The small shot rat
tied against her side. 1t was a close
call. Two more shots followed in quick
range, and their time fuses were ac-
ourately set.
The crews of both ships were at their
guns. Lieutenant Craig, who was in
charge of the bow inch rapid fire gun
of the Morrill,, asked for and obtained
permission 10 return the fire. At the
first shot the Vicksburg, which was in
the wake of the Morrill, slightly in
shore, sheened off and passed to wind
ward under the Morrill's stern.
Shot Grazed starboard Quarter.
In the meantime, Captain Smith also
put his helm TO port and was none too
soon, for as the Morrill, stood on a solid
inch shot grazed her starboard quar-
ter and kicked up tons of water as II
struck wave 100 yards beyond Cap
tain Smith said afterward that this was
undoubtedly an inch armor piercing
proJectile and that 1t would have passed
through the Morrill's boilers had he not
changed her course in the nick OF time.
All the guns of the water battery were
now at work. One of them cut the
Jacobs ladder of the Vicksburg adrift
ana another carried away a portion OF
the rigging. As the Morrill, and the
Vicksburs steamed away their aft guns
were used, but only n few ghots were
fired. The Morrill's inch gun was elc-
waited for 1000 yards and struck the
earthworks repeatedly. The Vicksburg
fired but three shots from her pound.
er, The Spaniards continued to fire shot
and shell for 20 minutes, but none of the
latter shots came within 100 yards. Some
OF them were so wild that they aroused
the American tackles" to jeers, Tho
Spaniards only ceased firing when the
Morrill, and Vieksburg were completely
out of range. If any one of the shota
had struck the thin skin OF either ves-
sci, it would have offered no mora re-
sistance than q piece of paper to n rife |
ball
The accurate range OF the FIRST few
shots Is accounted for by the fact TINT
the Spanish officers had ample time To |
make observations. The bearings of tho |
TWO vessels were probably taken with n |
range Under at the Santa Clara battery |
and as this battery Is probably con. |
nected by wire with MORO they were
enabled to take bearings from both
points. and by laborious calculations |
they liked the position of the vessels |
pretty accurately. With such oppor-
tunity for observation IL would he No
great trick for an American gunner 10
drop shell down the smokestack of a
vessel .
As soon as the ships sheered off after
the hrst fire, the Spanish glinners lost
the range and their practice became
ludicrous II they had waited five min.
utes longer before opening fire, CAPTAIN
Smith says. it would have been we'll
nigh impossible to have missed the tar'
get. Both Captain Smith and Com
mander Lilly believe the Spanish re-.
Trained from using the upper batteries
in order set to expose their exact 1oca-
ton.
Charged with Highway Robberx
In tho Office OF Magistrate Kallav
Saturday MORNING Roheyt u c,,i.Ly