The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-09
POOR G(NN[RY ALL
THAT SAVED THEM.
Continued from page /.

Lieut.. Craig, who was in charge of the
bow four-inch -ap.d-fire guns of the Nor
rni asked for and obtained permission
TO return the fire. Al the frs, shot the
Nicksburg. which was in the wake OF the
Morrill,, slightly inshors. sheered on and
passed 10 windward under the Morrilrs
stern. In the meantime Can't, Smith also
put his helm TO port and was none too
soon. for as the Morrill, stood OF solid
eignt-inch shot grazed her starboara quar-
Ter end kicked up tons OF water as il
struck a wave 100 yards beyond. Cant
smith ssid afterward that this was nm
douotediy an eight-inch armor piercing
proJecine. and that it would have passed
through the Morriifs boilers had he no.
changed her course.
All the guns at the water battery were
now at work. One of them cut the
Jacobs ladder of the vicksburs adrift and
another carried away portion OF the rig
slng AS the Morrill, and the vicksburg
steamed away their aft guns were used.
but only few shots were fred. The Nor
riiFs six-inch gun was elevated for 4eo0
yards and struck the earthworks repeat-
eddy. The Vicksburg fired repeated shots
from her six-pounder. The Spaniards con-
tinued to fire shot and shell for twenty
minutes. but the shots were Ineffective.
Some of them were so wild that they
aroused the American jackies to jeers.
The Spaniards only ceased firing when
the Morrill, and vicsshurg were completely
out of range. Ii all the Spanish gunners
had been suffering from strabismus their
practice could not have been worse.
But the officers of both the Morrill, and
Vicksburg frankly admit their own reck-
lessness and the narrow escape of thsir
vessels from destruction. They are firm
iy convinced that the pursuit OF the
schooner was neatly planned trick which
almost proved successful. II any one OF
the shots had struck the thin skin of either
vessel it would have offered no more re-
sistance than piece of paper to a rifle
ball.
The accurate range of the first shots
is accounted for by the facs that the Span
ish officers had ample time to make OBJ
servations. The bearings of the two yes
sells were probably taken with range
finder at the Santa Clara battery. and as
the battery is probably connected by wire
with Moro. they were enabled to take
bearings from both points and by laborious
calculations they fixed the positions Of the
vessels pretty accurately. With such op-
portunity for observation it would have
been no great trick for an American gun
ner to drop shell down the smokestack
of a vessel.
AS soon as the ships sheered Off. after
the first fire. the Spanish gunners lost the
range and their practice became ludicrous
If they had waited five minutes longer be-
fore opening fire Capt. Smith says 1t
would have been well nigh impossible to
have missed the target.
Later in the day the Morrill, captured the
Spanish schooner Espana. bound for Ha-
yana, and lowed the prize 10 Key West.
On Friday the French school ship Du-
boirdeau. carrying thirty guns in all. en-
tered the harbor Of Havana. She was
stopped by the Morrill, and two saiutes
were fired by the Annapolis before she
showed her flag