Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-07
Heroic Hobson and the merrimac.


collier Merrimac at break of day into
the narrow harbor channel, by the
deadly fire of forts, into the face of a
large Spanish fleet over mine fields
and having swung her around so that
her $50 feet of length totally closed the
channel. he deliberately sunk his YES
sci there. This is the simple and elo-
quent story of the exploit which was
first given to the world, through Span
ish sources, as the sinking of an
American warship by Spanish torpe-
does as it tried to force the harbor.
The huge steel collier Merrinlac now
lies at the bottom Of Santiago bay be
cause she was deliberately placed there
by American valor and intelligence.
1t is the cork in the bottle which con5
tains Cervera and his squadron. The
whose name will be honored through
all time and whose deed will rank as
the most brilliant individual exploit of
the war. The work of Hobson and his
men in torpcdong their ship and sink
ing her lightweight, immovable wall
athWart the narrow channel, recalls
most wildly the fame of young Cush-
ing and the Albemarle, but it really
has no exact precedent or parallel.
The thought itself was an inspiration;
| the execution of it a faultlcss piece of
! workmanship. The ingenuity With
| which the project was planned is
scarcely less astonishing than the in
| trepidity With which the unprotected
hulk was carried into the bay through
a deadly, ralling fire which an armor-
! clad was not expected to survive.
swung across the channel and sunk by
her own internal mechanism
This deed With its eight heroes has
electrified the world as did the victory
of Manila with its 1900. Young Hobson
and his men went to what looked like
certain death. 1t was Il miracle that
they all escaped destruction in the fury
of shot and shell that was hurled nj
them by Spanish ships and forts. 1t
is not strange that the Spanish officers
forgot all about their hatred for their
foes in a spontaneous burst of admira-
ton for their daring and promptly
sent a flag Of truce 10 the fleet Offering
to exchange the prisoners who thus fell
into their hands. The heroism Of the
Americans was thus matched by the
generosity and chivalry of the span
iards
The young man who thus made his
name immortal among naval heroes.
Richmond Pearson H0bson. is not a
fighter, though he comes of fighting
blood, but a naval architect, a brainy
member of the construction corps. He
generations his family has been promi-
nent in war and peace in that section
wore the gray all through the war, but
he, like his heroic son, is now a red hot
Yankee. Lieut.. Hobson is IS years old,
and graduated at Annapolis in 80, first
in his class The seven men who were Sc
lacted from the hundreds who Volun-
teered to follow him into the jaws of
death We're Daniel Montague, Geo.
Charette, J. c. Murphy, Osborn Deig-
nan, Geo. F. Phillips. Francis Kelly,
ana Randolph Clausen, all but one ma
tive Americans, and four Of the seven
natives Of Massachusetts.
There is no doubt that the sinking
of the 1Ierrimac effectively accom-
plishts it's purpose of closing the har-
bor Such an immense steel ship. to-
! tally submerged, is there to stay and
there is no power nearer than the New
York Wrecking companies which can
clear the channel The Spaniards are
welcome to use their dynamite. Their
fleet is bottled up beyond escape and
also beyond the reach of our fleet.
This however, was all duly consid-
erred before the collier was sent in on
| her hazardous errand. Commodore
| Schley's bombardmcnt had dcvel-
opcd the fact that the Spanish forti-
| fication5 at the mouth of the harbor
were we'll manned and well armed
with modern artillery of heavy cal
ibrc. This fact and the known pres
cncc of large fields of mines and
| torpcdocs in the narrow channel made
it sheer madness for tho American
| fleet to force the passage, when one
ship struck ana sunk would prevent
he vessels behind her from getting in
| and those ahead of her from returning
SO the plan OF an attack had been
definitely abandoned before Construc-
tor Hobson prevailed upon the admiral
TO sanction the obstruction of the port
by the 800 foot hulk of the Merrmac. So