Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1898-08-26

the 1eAaS WnlIe she was Sllen-
cling shore batteries during the army
lanGing ut Eaiquiri says:
"ihe ~pro;ectile val u steel six-inch
shell fired, it is believed, from one of
the high-power ships guns that have
been mourted on the Notifications
since A0i ii Cervera's fleet was
blockade, Il Santiago barber. 1t
struck the Texas on the port bow. be-
tween the gun deck and the spar deck.
bursting in the forward cImEurtment.
there are six ~siN-pounder guns.
three Oh :+"er side. The crew OF all
these guri re CT quarters and there
were besides 4 nur.her OF other men
in the compartment at the time.
ut is miraculous that only one man
was killed and eight wounded. The
part of the ship hit is outside the CEN
trail citadel and above the protected
deck. The sides of the ship at the
point of impact consisted of n steel
plate ~ inches thick. The shell
pierced this like so much paper. hit n
metal stanchion amidships and en-
ploded about seven feet from the plat
ing on the starboard side. a note
worthy feature of the steel plating
was that it afforded no splinters or
debris to carry inboard. 1t was orr
into ribbons and folded back in Il
way that gave the impression that the
tough metal had been half melted by
the impact and passage of the ro-
j~ectile. The shock. however. was not
sufficient to explode the shell. and
had it missed the %s;anchion it would
have passed thrcu~h the starbcarI
side and possibly exploded outside Il"
ship. Unfortunately, the s~:2rchinr
was directly in the rath OF III" shell.
and h heavy metal column offered
enough resistance TO eX~lCdc it. The
effect a. terrific. ALTHOUGH the
shell was only n small ono. six inches
in diameter, and. therefore. set weigh
ing moro than 70 rounds. il PRACTICAL
~ wrecked the EiG compartment in
which it burst, while the smoke from,
it forced itself down the c~rrTunition
hoists and into the forward compart-
ments of the ship: so that for n few
minutes the crew were almost suffo-
Gated. The stanchion was .shivercd
into atoms for two feet of its length.
n the fragments OF tho burst shell.
flying forward against the starboard
side, bnlged the stout steel rIates ut
ward to Il depth of three irches. Just
at this point one of the big double
headed angle irons of the ships frame
was situated. This great rib of steel,
nearly twice as thick and heavy as n
railroad rail. vas cut through in two
pieces as If it had been made of cheese,
n nearly two feet Of it was carried
away bodily in minute pieces.
1.-THE base of the shell Clowed a fur
row down the steel deck Just as n
plow would cut through the soft soil
Of n fallow field. 1t hit and broke an
other rib Of the ship. and. breaking it.
self in two. both pieces lodged in n
cable reel standing close to the star
board side. The core Of this reel was
n prism of oak over two feet in cir
conference. and there was wound on
it at the time n coil of hemp hawser
that made n cylinder about four feet
In diameter. The hemp rope was cut
through to the wood and the stout
oaken prism was shivered to splinters.
This n fact alone would be sufi-
cient to give an idea of the appalling
energy of a modern proiectile. Show
ers Of steel splinters, resulting from
the exploded shell itself ard the torn
stanchion and angle irons; sweep along
the starboard side for about 30 feet,
cutting off heads Of bolts, breaking
gunfittings and stripping off the paint
rs If a score of men had worked for
hours with steel chisels.
Every man in it's path was wounded.
One gunner vas hit with no fewer
than IS pieces Of steel. each about the
size Of n hazel nut. At the moment
the shell exploded one man was stand
ing right in it's path. lie was literally
blown to fragments. lie was talking
to n comrade, and. strange as it may
seem. the latter. although less than
arms length away. was unhurt. save
for being knocked down by the shock
Of the explosion. Others of the mer.
30 feet from the fatal shot, had dozcr
pieces of the steel plunged into their
bodies. A remarkable feature OF the
, explosion was the smallness of the
| nionou infn 1yhioh tho chell I,,r,4 -