The Portland daily press., 1898-06-10
TORPEDO Boat ATTACK.
The New Orleans and New York Have
Narrow Escape.

Aboard the Flagship, off Santiago
de Cuba, Saturday, June 4-2 p. M,
via Kingston, JAM, Monday, June 4, 9
a. m.-The firing by the New York and
New Orleans briefly reported last night
was directed against a Spanish torpedo
boat destroyer, probably the Furor or
Pluton.
The character of the enemy was not
definitely known until this afternoon.
when the torpedo boat Porter found two
loaded tcrpedoes floating of shore. Neith-
er of them had been discharged. One
sank, but the other was hauled on board
the Porter.
1t exactly fitted the description of the
torpedoes carried by the Pluton or Furor.
1t is believed the torpedo boat destroyer
escaped. She was seen by the New Or
leans when too far away to do any dam
age and the heavy fire must have driven
her back.
The daring attempt of the Spaniards,
which was fortunately frustrated by the
vigilance of the New Orleans lookout.
is the first instance of it's kind since the
beginning of the war. 1t illustrated how
hard it is to hit small object at night.
AS seen from the flagship the scene
was brilliantly dramatic. The New York
was lying several miles to the east of
MORO castle. The New Orleans was on
her starboard hand, close inshore ready
to pounce upon any craft which might
attempt to steal out under the shadow
of the hill.
Shortly after 10 O'Clock the New Or
leans flashed her private signal. 1t was
answered by the flagship and in few
seconds colored lights sprang into the
darkness from the New Orleans deck.
They signifed that the enemy was in
sight.
A little later she burned another COL
ored light. This meant, that hostile
torpedo boat was approaching, although
later, Capt. Folger of the New Orleans
was not certain whether this was correct
Instantly the semi-circle of blockading
ship flashed night signals. For six or
seven miles east and west of the harbor,
they twinkled brilliantly in the darkness
and then went out simultaneously
flashes of fire shot from the New Orleans
side. On board the flagship, men and
officers had scrambled out Of their hunks
T and hammocks in response to the call
to general quarters. -
They stood in groups on deck around
the guns, disheyeled and anxious, watch
ing the short, sharp flames which showed
the activity of the New Orleans's rapid
fire battery.
The flagship was then too far away to
hear the sound of the firing or see it's
object. The New Orleans kept her bril-
liant search lights playing in all direc-
tions, and other ships near her did the
same.
On the decks Of the New York, the
marines were crouched down, peering
into the darkness with their rifles on
their knees, watching for the sailors most
dreaded enemy, the torpedo boat
The lookouts were in every conceivable
spot and guns were trained in the dires-
tion where the New Orleans seemed to
be firing. Every now and again sparks
and red fire fisw up in the distance mark
ing the explosion of shells.
Many persons there thought they were
exploding on torpedo boat, hut today
it is believed that they found their mark
on shore. The moon, which had been
hidden behind the clouds, came out about
II o'clock. The New York was then
steaming at full speed towards the shore
to head off if possible the retreat of the
enemy into the harbor.
The evolutions had to be carried on
with great care, to avoid getting within
line OF fire from the American ships.
At any rate no damage was done.
Capt Folger reported, that be had sight.
ed small steamer, perhaps a gunboat
that she lad failed TO answer the private
signal and that he had fired on her. He
believed she had escaped along the
beach, or had been destroyed, he could
not tell which.
That ended the night attack and the
first experience here with torpedo boats
in naval warfare.
Tt was not until the Porter this after.
noon, found the torpedoes, that the dan
ger OF last nights affair was fully real
ized. The Porter was steaming two miles
from shore and we'll to the Eastward of
MORO castle, when the two torpedoes
were seen floating on the water. Ensign
Gillis jumped overheard and swan
around them. He tried to unscrew the
war nose but the torpedo itself turned
too easily in the water. He returned to
the Porter and commander Fremont
finally got one OF the torpedoes safely on
board. The other sank as he WAS get
ting it in. Commander Fremont then
brought the torpedo alongside the New
York. 1t was l4-inch whitehead Of
modern make and worth about $780, 1t
was in perfect condition and had any
of our ships struck it while it floated
it would have exploded and perhaps sunk
the ship.
Therefore the find was not only yalu.
able, but fortunate.
A curious fact is that the torpedo which
sank had an exercise head on and had
no war nose. In other words it would
not have exploded This either means
that the Spaniards are terribly ignorant
or careless about torpedoes. unless the war
nose had been washed or shot overheard
Vigiiant precautions against a night
torpedo attack have been a distinguishing
feature Of Admiral Sampson's policy
ever since the commencement of the war
and last night proved the efficiency of the
arrangement. Everything moved just
as smoothly as if in the case Of a day
engagement. In spite of the difficulty
experienced in seeing the enemy, had a
torpedo boat come any way near the
range of the effective fire of the fleet, it
would have undoubtedly been shot to
pieces.
1t Is possible that there were two tor
pedo boats out last night, although only
one is believed to have approached our
ships. The ability of the Spanish tor
psdo boat destroyers to get out from the
harbor is not regarded as sign that the
Merrimao does not block the channel
tsading into 1t. Torpedo boat destroyers
draw so little water and have SO little
beam that it was scarcely expected the
sinking Of the Merrimac would prevent
them from coming out.
1t is pretty certain, however, that the
big ships could not follow suit, even
If they wished to. which is unlikely.
Ixun nn~in xniaf ofx