The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-05-17

men and the cook. The little boat
gasped and tnrobbed and rolled help
lessly from side to side. Lieut. Ber-
nadou did not stop for an examination.
He knew his boat was uncomfortable.
The Hudson was short distance
away, still pounding away with her
guns. She was hailed and asked to
take the Winslow in tow.
1t Was vital Moment.
Guns roared from shore and sea.
Lieut.. Scott, in charge of the Hudson's
gun, sat on box and smoked a
cigarette as he directed the fire. Capt.
Newton stood near Lieut.. Mead at the
forward gun and watched it's work
ings with unmOved interest Chief
Engineer Cutchin never missed his
bell. A group of sailors was making
ready to heaye line to the Winslow
and Ensign Bagley and his four men
stood on the port side of the latter YES
sci, waiting to receive it. A vicious
fire was singing about them. The
Spaniards seemed to have found the
exact range. There was momentary
delay in heaving the tow line, and En-
sign Bagley suggested that the Hud-
sons men hurry. 'Heaye her." he
called LET her come; it's getting
pretty warm here" The line was
thrown and grabbed by the Winslow's
men. Grim with sweat and powder,
they tugged at it and drew her nearer
foot by foot to the Hudson, Almost
at the same instant another four-inch
shell shrieked through the air and
burst directly under them. Five bodies
went hurting through the air. Two of
the group were dead when they fell,
Ensign Bagley and Fireman Daniel.
The young ensign was literally disem-
boWeled, and the lower portion of the
fireman's body was torn away. The
other three died within a few minutes.
A flying piece of shrapnel struck Lieut..
Bernadou in the thigh and cut an
ugly cash, but the lieutenant did not
know it then. With the explosion of
the shell the haWser parted and the
Winslow's helm went hard to star
board, and with her Stearing gear
smashed the torpedo boat floundered
about in the water at the
Mercy of the Enemy's Fire
which never relaxed. The fire Of the
Americans was of an unusually per-
sistent character The nerve of the
Winslow's starboard engine and steer
ing gear was wrecked the little boat
continued pouring shot into the Span
iards on shore until she was totally
disabled Meanwhile the Wilmington,
from her outlying station was busy
with her bigger guns, and sent shell
after shell from her four-inch guns
crashing into the works on shore, and
their execution must have been deadly.
Not fragment of shot or shell from
the enemy reached her. The Hudson
quickly threw another line to the Win
slow, and the helpless torpedo boat
was made fast and pulled out of the
Spaniard's exact range. The tug then
towed her to Pierdos island, twelve
miles off, near where the MachiaS lay
There she was anchored for temporary
repairs, while the Hudson brought her
CHASTITY cargo into Key West. with DIR.
Richards, of the Machias, attending
the wounded. The Hudson drew up
to the government dock shortly before
s o'clock in the morning. The flags at
half mast told the few loiterers on
shore that death had come to some
one. and the bunting spread on the
deck, with here and there a foot pro-
truding from beneath confirmed the
news Ambulances were called and
the wounded were quickly taken to
the army barracks hospital. The dead
were taken to the local undertakers
shop where they were laid on slabs,
the mutilated forms draped with flags.
The Winslow has a siX-inch hole in
her starboard beneath her starboard
engine, forward boiler, forward venti-
lator and steering gear are destroyed
and her port engines are slightly dam
aged.