The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-10-20

was uncomfortable, for there were ~
men looking out for signals on every
American warship at this time and no
one could believe that they had over
looked that well-known signal flashed
clear so close at hand.
The Porter shot close-so close that
every man on her felt that desperate
work was in hand and that now we
were in for it beyond recall. The New
York is perhaps the easiest of the
American ships to recognize, but so
dark was it that she was strange to
practiced eyes. Moreover, the direc-
ton from which she approach ed was
such that we had her masts and smoke
pipes in a confusing line.
Our blowers were making a loud,
droning noise. The movement of both
vessels through the water added to the
difficulty of hearing. Fremont's voice
rose so that I thought it must have
rung through the strange ship. But
the crew of the strange ship were
rushing to their guns.
"Stop those blowers!" Fremont said.
He was calm, even deliberate. His
eyes swept forward and then aft.
"Are the guns trained on her?" he
asked.
"Aye, aye, sir" came from both one
Founders. The torpedo, too, was
ready. It had been tested for pressure
but few hours earlier. At each gun
der bent against the rest, his eye on
the enemy. In such moments the eye
notices queer details. I remember
wondering that the jackie al the bow
gun could stand there SO quietly, ready
to fight that great ship which lowered
above US with that absurd one
FOUNDER.
AS jackie answered: AYE, aye, sir"
his commanders voice rang out again.
This time he was hailing and the infe c.
tion rising:
"What-ship-
No answer.
"Fire across her bowl"
Bang! went our bow gun, and the
metal ratified as the men showed an
other shell home and trained the piece
again.
"Show the night fleet signal" Free
mont said, and it flashed again-two
white lights above a red one. We
were under the strangers quarter
now, close aboard. For one of us there
was no escape. At that range tor
pedo must destroy the big ship in
evitably.
A second after our signal burned the
strangers signal mast. blazed and
there hung an answering signal, but
not the right one. Instead of two
white lights and red one there
burned two red ones and white one.
For moment it flashed through FIRE.
mont's mind that an enemy might be
attempting to use the American sig
mails. There was no time to think
about it.
| There was a flash from the stran-
gers forward fighting top and a shell
whistled over us. Some man in the
top had fired without orders, it seems,
but of that we knew nothing. We saw
only the flash of the gun and believed
that rifles and machine guns would be
Kidding us a second later. The big
guns could not be depressed enough to
bear On us, so close were we.
Fremont had been hailing at the
moment and his face had been turned
away from that top from which the
gun was fired.
''Did that shot come from herr" he
| shouted.
Eyes, SIR" said a jackie and I in the
same breath.
For second perhaps Lieut.. FIRE.
mont stood still and silent and his men
and those on the decks high above us
held their aim and their breath, and
waited for a word which would turn
loose torpedo from the Porter and a
hail Of fire from the flagship.
In that long second Fremont, hold
ing the great cruiser at his mercy,
even more than the cruiser held us at
hers, weighed the chances and gave
them one more chance. It was to be
their last. 7 read it in the sudden
Strengthening of his form and the
menacing hail which hear yet:
'What-ship-is- that?'
On the heels of that hail came an an
swer from the cruiser, and at the first
English word our men let go the
breath they had been holding in one
great sigh of relief, for the answer
rang clear and loud:
''This is the New York;
On the cruisers deck there was a
sound as of men shifting their feet,
and confused murmur as they fell
away from their guns.
The Porter's commander spoke
again and this time there was no
menace in his voice, but wonder only:
"Is that Capt. Chadwick"
"Yes," answered the New York's
captain. els that the Porter?"
Eyes, sir"
''Why didn't you show the night fleet
signal?"
eve did, sir, twice. There was no
answer the first time. The second
time-just now-the New York dis
played the wrong signal"
Capt. Chadwick thought that could
not be so, but everyone on the torpedo
boat knew it was, and after some more
explanation the Porter swung away
from the flagship and elided off into
the night.
AS was customary, several captains
met the adm3ral's cabin ON the flag
| ship in the morning, and 1 was told
| afterward thar the night encounter