Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1898-07-22

and the SHOCK OF explosion Ic
verbating and ringing in your
ears.
Awe-inspiring as a thunder
storm is, the rapid firing of
these big guns is even more SO,
and as you watch the dirt and
dust spreading out in a thick
cloud the force seems greater
than it really is.
AS only half the men on
the Texas were engaged at
the guns, her decks aft were
crowded with men; officers on
the bridge watched with
glasses the effect of the shots,
and Jackies no less interested
climbed up anywhere to get a
better view. The hose was
kept playing to cool the ship,
and stream of water was run
ming off the deck the entire
time We had the ship
slhouetted by her own smoke
most of the time, standing out
in bold relief against the smoke
and flame one instant and the
next enveloped in a thick
haze.
Except for few shots from
the fort in the early part of the
action, there was no reply to
all this; its fire was badly aim
ed, as usual, and as ours be
came hotter, no doubt the gar
rison skedaddled. The Mar
blehead fired a number of shots
into the barracks in the town,
and after an hour and quar-
ter the firing ceased and the
Texas withdrew. Having
been in close enough to stick
her nose in the mud, she left
trail of stirred.up water be-
hind her. The Marblehead,
in getting into position in the
midst of the work, fouled a
mine with her propeller blades
the ship was stopped, the wire
hauled on board, and Lieuten.
ant John Nickels, executive
, officer, calmly sawed off the
? connection. They afterwards
, pulled the thing on board, and
: we saw it on the poop-deck
5 when the ship got back to her
: anchorage-a small can-buoy
it looked, painted red, and
: with a lot of small barnacles
: sticking to it; it was dated
E, 1906. Lieutenant Noel took
: off the war-head and dissected
! it; inside was an iron can con
4 tanning one hundred pounds O.
s guncotton, and had the con
a tact been struck, it is probable
] that the Marblehead woule
: have been destroyed. The
J. launch tarried behind aftel
a the ships went back to thei1
e station, continued dragging fol
< mines. They found one afte1
s a while, and were getting i
4 up when lot of Spanish
d troops fired on them. The
Il bullets struck the launch ane
l. fell in the water, all about thu
e two boats. The one.poundel
: rapid-fire gun was quickly
t. turned on, and the men grab
y bed their rifles and returned
Il the fire vigorously. The one
It FOUNDER was banging away a
'. a great rate, when tn
d mounting got loose, and tn
J. gun jumped clean overheard
t, Hearing the firing the Suw
k anee hurried back, and bega
k Smelling the bushes with he
If siX-pounders, and turning tw
', Colt automatics loose on tn
II hidden enemy soon drove ther
t. off. The quick ping! ping
K ping! of the little automatic
in 'slead squirts," as the sailor
lie call them, has a mighty con
Up Portable sound when you a,
I'd behind them. The launC
T. got the mine and towed
k alongside the ship, from whe1
lg it was taken ashore.
h. Wednesday night and Thur
IS day passed uneventfully, Il
is war-ships turning their scare
lights on the shore at mig
er and keeping a close wat'
as for trouble. On Friday NOR