The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-02
SIGSBEE GOT REVENGE
THE ST. PAUL ARRIVES WITH STORY
OF THE SAN JUAN FIGHT.
The Spanish Torpedo Boat Terror So
Badly Injured She Had to Be Light
cred to Keep Her AhOnt.

NEW YORK, July 1.-The ST. Paul ar
rived in port tonight and anchored off
Tompkinsvile. She left Mole ST. Nicholas
early last Tuesday and has come here for
coal, ammunition and stores, also to have
some slight repairs to her starboard en-
CINE
Captain Sigsbee and the officers were alb
solutely inaccessible to press representa-
tives Considerable information was OBJ
tanned, nevertheless, from copy of the ST.
Pauls war budget, the oracle of the ship
which was obtained. The St. Paul's great
exploit on her last trip was the disabling
of the Spanish torpedo boat Terror off the
harbor of San Juan, Porto Rico, and being
regarded so by the crew, the account of it
occupies the first place on the first page.
When the cruiser Isabel ii came out of the
harbOr of San Juan at about noon on June
%, covering from sight the Terror, which
was with her, the Spaniard thought it was
the st. Louis, which had been there a short
time before, and was known to have a
small armament, and not the st. Paul,
which was going to be met. In the eXpec-
tation of seeing a fine prize brought into
port the Spaniards gathered in great crowds
along the harbor wall to see it. The en-
gagement lasted a little over a half hour.
during which the St. Paul fired about 1870
shots, three of them hitting the Terror,
smashing one OF her engines, killing the
chief engineer and another man, taking off
the legs of a third and wOunding five 9TH
ers. So badly was the Terror injured that
the small vessels were dashed to her sides
to prevent her from sinking, while a tug
boat towed her in The Budget says:
I'VE came off the port On the ed. The
weather was fair, the trade wind blowing
fresh from the eastward and raising some
what of a sea- AT about 1910 the third
class cruiser Isabel II came out and, steam
ing under the MORO until she was abreast
of the batteries, commenced edging out to-
wards us, firing at such long range that
her shots were ineffective. AS her purpose
evidently was to put us within fire of the
batteries we took but little notice of her,
lying still and occasionally sending in our
largest she'll at her to try the range Soon
afterwards she dropped to the westward
and the torpedo boat destroyer Terror, or
it may have been her sister ship the Furor,
was sighted steaming along shore under the
batteries.
Captain Sigsbee watched her for a while
and worked along with her in order to
separate her from the cruiser and keep her
in the trough of the sea if she came for
She then headed for us. firing straight
as far as direction went. but her shots fell
short. When within range of our guns the
signal commence firing was made and for
several minutes we let fly our starboard
battery at her from $500 to 5000 yards, the
shells striking all around her. This stopped
her and she turned her broadside TO us and
her fire soon ceased. She then headed in
shore. to the southwark and westward, go
ing slow and it was evident to all on board
that she was crippled. drifting well leeWard
of the main harbor entrance. off the Nor
70 she flashed some signals to the shore
and afterwards a tug came out and towed
her into the harbor.
'All this time the cruiser was firing at
us and some of her shots fell pretty close.
The cruiser followed the Terror back to-
wards the port and soon afterwards was
joined by a gunboat and the two steamed
under the batteries to the eastward. But
when the ST. Paul, making an inshore turn.
seemed to be going for them they returned
to the harbor and we saw no more of
them"