The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-09
HOW HE BECAME HERO
..
HObSOn Tells Of His Trip Into
the HarbOr.
FIRE OF THE FOE FURIOUS.
Escape Of the MsrrimaC's Men
Miraculous.

Lay Face Down on the Deck Hud-
dIed Together for Several Hours
During IA Furious BOmbnrdmcnt.
Bullets of Spanish soldiers ON Op-
posite Sides of the Bay Kill EHch
Othcr-Submnrine Mines Exploded
az the Doomed Vessel slowly
steamed Along.
Copyright 1898. by the Associated Press.
OFF Santiago de cuba, July T. by the As
sociated Press Dispatch Boat Dauntless,
via Port Antonio and Kingston. July 5.
9:l5 a. m.--The return Of Assistant Naval
Constructor Richmond p. Hobson of Mer-
rlmac fame, to his ship the flagship New
York. last night was marked by wild en-
thusiasm.
II was dark when shout was passed
along the ship that Lieut.. Hobson was
coming. On the superstructure clambered
the crew, ten deep and on the quarter deck
the officers clustered around the sea lad
der and a hundred hands were stretched
out to grasp Lieut. Hobson's. It was not
until he was safe once more on deck that
the crew Of the New York cheered. and
then they broke out into wild yell which
went up over and over again until the men
were hoarse.
Numbers of the crew rushed forward on
the quarter deck and a great group of men
struggled around the tall figures of the
men who had dared so much.
Behind Lieut. Hobson came Col John
Jacob Astor and the first thing Hobson
tried to do was to introduce him to the
officers, but Col. Astor got lost in the
crowd which surged around insisting on
| shaking Lieut.. Hobsons hand.
! The transports blew their whistles.
| Lieut. Hobson sat once more among
his messmates and told the story Of his
| experience, his marvellous escape and his
imprisonment in Moro Castle watching
the shells explode outside his cell.
"I did not miss the entrance to the har-
Dor" he said, "as Ensign Powell in the
| launch supposed. ! headed east until /
got my bearings and then made for 1t
| straight In. Then came the firing. II
was grand flashing out first from one side
of the harbor and then the other from
those big guns on the hill, the Vizcaya
lying inside the harbor joining in.
| Troops from Santiago had rushed down
! Wlen the news Oh NilG NiSt iliild NOiiiiia
was telegraphed and soldiers lined the foot
OF the cliffs firing wildly acr0ss and killins
! each other with the cross fire.
THE Merrimac's steering gear broke as
she got to Estreha point.
"Only three Of the torpedoes on her side
| exploded when / touched the button.
"A huge submarine mine caught her fun
amidships hurting the water high in the
air and tearing great rent in the Merri-
macs side.
Her stern ran upon Estrella Point.
Chiefly owing 10 the work done by the
mine she began to sink slowly.
cat that time she was across the chan
mel, but before she settled the tide drifted
her around
eve were all aft lying on the deck.
Shells and bullets Whstled around u.s. Six
inch shells from the Vizcaya came tearing
into the Merrimac, crashing into wood and
iron and passing clear through, while the
| plunging shots from the fort broke through
her decks.
Not a man must move" I said and It
was only owing to the splendid discipline
of the men that we were not all killed as
the shells sang over us and minutes be-
came hours of suspense. The mems
mouths grew parched, but we must lie
there till daylight, / told them. Now and
again one or the other men lying with his
face glued 10 the deck and wondering
whether the next shell would not come
our way, would say Hadn't we better
drop off, now, slr?" But L said wait
tiu daylight"
1T would have been Impossible to get
the catamaran anywhere but to the shore
where the soldiers stood shooting, and
hoped that by daylight we might be recog-
nized and saved
THE grand old Merrimac kept sinking
I wanted to go forward and see the dam
age done there where nearly all the fire
was directed but one man said that If
rose it would draw all the fire on the rest
so I lay modonless lt was splendid the
way these men behaved.
THE IRE Of the solu4ers the batteries
and the Vizcaya was awful.
when the water came upon the Merri-
macs decks tie catamaran hOatcd amid
the wreckage, but was still made'fast 10
the boom, and we caught hold Of the edge
and clung on, our heads being above
water.
"One man thought we were safer right
there; 1t was quite light; the firing had
ceased, except that directed al the New
| York launch, and / feared Ensign Powell
and his men had been killed"
"A Spanish launch came toward the
! Merrimac. We agreed 20 capitulate. Just
as she came close the Spanards saw US
and half dozen marines jumped up and
| pointed their rifles at our heads.
"Is there any officer in that boat TO re-
celve a surrender Of prisoners OF war?
| ] shouted.
"An old man leaned out under the avn
ing and waved his hand. 1t was Admiral
| Cervera.
'erhe marines lowered their rifles snd
we were helped into the launch.
",rhen we were put in cells IN Morro
! Castle. IT was a grand sight a few days
| later TO see the bombardment, the shells
| striking and bursting MORO.