Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-06-06

Guitars, Mandolins and Banjos at
lowest prices.
turned when all hope of taking on
| board the crew Of the Merrimac had to
| be abandoned
! Cadet Powell also reported that he
! mad clearly seen the Marrimac's masts
| sticking up just where HObson hoped
to sink her, nortci Of the Estrada bat
terry, and well past the guns OF Moro
| Castle. But of the heroes who had
penned the SDaniards in there was not
A sc UND CIR A SIGN.
Rear Admiral Sampson said: 81 am
| pretty sure the attempt was quite sue
1 cessful. | hope all those brave fellows
are not captured"
! Cadet Powell believes the torpedoes
! previously fixed about tie Merrimac
were exploded as planned, as Lieut..
Hobson was well up the harbor before
the Spaniards opened fire on the Mer-
rimac
What actually happened on beard the
Merrimac can best be judged from what
, Lieut.. Hobson said just before leaving
the fags1ip. Sitting in his chair, his
! face Drowned by the sun and his eyes
| flashing with excitement, he remarked:
I Il shall 90 right into the 1arbor until
/ about four hundred yards past the
! Estrada battery which is behind Moro
! Castle. | do not think they can sink
me before | reach somewhere near t1at
point The Merrimac has seven thous-
and tons buOyancy and | shall keep
her full speed ahead. She can make
| about ten knots. When the narroWest
! part of the channel is reached l shall
put helm hard aport, stop the engines,
4 drop the anchors, open the sea cOnnec-
tons, touch off the torpedoes and
LEAVE THE MERRIAIAC A WRECK,
lying athwart the channel, witch is not
as broad as the Merrimac is long.
There are ten G-inch improvised torpe-
does below the water line on the Mer-
rimac's port side They are placed on
I her side against the bulk heads and
/ vital spots, connected Wits each other
by wire under the ships keel. Each
| torpedo contains eighty-two pounds of
gun powder. Each torpedo is also con-
nected with the bridge. and they should
do their work in a minute, and it will
be quick work even if done in a min
ute and a quarter.
''On deck there will be four men and
myself. In the engine room there will
| be two other men. This is the total
crew, and al Of us will be in our under
clothing with revOlvers and ammuni-
tiOn in water tight packing, strapped
around our waists. Forward there will
be man On deck and around his waist
will be a line, the other end of the
/ line being made fast to tie bridge on
which | will stand. By that mans side
will be an axe. When | stop the engine
l shall jerk this cord and he will thus
get the signal to cut the lashing which
will be holding the forward anchor. He
will then jump overheard and swim to
the four cared dingy which we shall
| tow astern. The dingy Is fall of life
buoys and is unsuitable. In it are
rifles. 1t is to be held by two ropes,
one made fast at her bow and one at
her stern. The frst man to reach her
will put in the tow line and pull the
| dingy cut to starboard. The next to
| leave the slip are the rest of the crew.
| The quartermaster at the wheel Will
not leave until after having put it hard
aport and dashed it SO: he will then
| JUMP OVERHEARD.
Down below, the man at the re-
versing gear will stop the engines,
scramble upon deck and get over the
side as quickly as possible.
The man in the engine room will
break open the sea connections with a
sledge hammer and will follow his
leader into the water. This last step
insures the sinking Of the Merrimac
whether the torpedoes work or not.
by t1is time | calculate the six men
will be in the dingy and the Merrimac
will have swung athwart the channel,
to the full length Of her three hundred
yards of cable, which will have been
paid out before TIE anchors were cut
loose. Then all that is left for me is
tn touch the button. / shall stand on
+he starboard side of the bridge The
explosion will throw the Merrimac on
, her .starb0ard side. Nothing on this
side OF New York city will be able to
raise her after that
and you expect to come out OF this
alivp?" asked companion of the Lieu
tenant
"Ah. that is another thing" said the
lieutenant. He was 50 interested IN
the m6cla0lcal u6tdllS " ZIG SNHSlhS
that he hardly stopped to
TALK OF LIFE AND DEATH.
But in reply to frequent questions,
Hobson said:
q suppose the Estrella battery will
open fire down on us bit; but the
ships will throw their searchlights in
gunners faces and they won't see much
of us. Then if we are torpedoed we
should even then be able to make the
desired position in the channel. 1t
won't be SO easy to hit us and | think
the men should be able to swim to the
dingy. | may jump before | am blown
up. But, | don't see that it makes much
difference what | do. | have far
chance of life either way. If our dingy
gets shot to pieces we shall then try to
swim for the beach right under Moro
Castle. We shall keep together at all
hazards. Then we may be able to make
cur way alongside and perhaps get back
~ +ba shin We shall fight the sentrieS