The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-24

tons as to their duties. Everything
was made ready below. The reieI
crew and myself were sent aboard the
Texas. The ship was steaming in to-
ward the entrance at dead slow speed.
so as to enable the launch to go over 10
the Texas and then catch her. lhis
was about 2:30 a. m.
At 3:I5 a. m. the first shot was nred.
coming from one OF the guns on the NIL
to the left of the entrance. The shot
was seen to splash from tne
Merrimac. having passed over her. Inc
firing became general very soon aitef,
ward, being especially fierce and rapid
from the batteries inside on he LETT on
the harbor. probably from batteries on
Cayo Smith. The flashes ana reports
were apparently those of rapid-hre guns
ranging from small automatic guns to
four-inch or larger. For Is minutes q
perfect fusillade was Kept up. Then
the fire s~lackened. and at $3.50 had al
most ceased. A close watch was kept
on the mouth of the harbor in order to
pick up the steam launch. There was a
little desultory firing until about 3:45
o'clock. when all became quiet. Daylight
came about 5 o'clock. At about 5:l5 the
launch vas seen steaming from east
to west near or across he mouth or the
harbor. She steamed back from east
to west and then began skirting the
coast to the west Of the entrance.
Mr.. Powell came alongside the Texas
and reported that no one had come out
OF the entrance of the harbor." His
words sounded like the deathknell OF all
who had gone in on the Merrimac. 1t
seemed incredible. almost impossible,
that any of them could have lived
through the awful fire that was directed
at the ship. There was probably no
in the fleet who did not think that all
seven of the men had persisted. In the
afternoon, much to the surprise OF every
one, a tug flying a flag of truce, was
seen coming out OF the entrance. The
Vixen, flying a white cloth to the fore,
went TO meet the tug. when a Spanish
officer went board the Vixen from the
tug and was taken aboard the flagship.
Not a sign or word was ~signaled.
About 4 o'clock another signal was
made from the flagship: Golfers crew
prisoners of war. Two slightly wound
ed. All WELL"
1t can be easily imagined what relief
this signal brought to all hands who
had been mourning the death of all the
men.
The Spanish officer said also that the
prisoners were confined in MORO cas-
tie. He aid further that Admiral Ger
vera considered the attempt to run and
sink the Merrimac across he channel as
an act of such bravery and desperate
udTlnB that ne liOuSHt II Ohly PioPci
that our admiral should be notified OF
the safety of these men Whatever the
motive for sending out he tug with the
flag of truce. the act was a most grace
full one and one Of the most chivalrous
courtesy. The Spanish officer is report
ed to ave said:
You have made it more difficult, but
we can still get out"
From bearings on the Merrimac 1t
80, sLat n fa yin with haT how
to seward just above Estrella point,
with her stern swung around until she
is almost parallel to the channel. From
the fact that she is completely sub
merged, except her masts n smoke
pipes, II would seem that she is sunk
some little distance from the right bank.
However, she is not lying across the
channel So far as ~blockading the
channel is concerned, the attempt can
net be said TO be successful. 1t is prob
able that the anchor on the starboard
! quarter carried away the shoppers on
the chain and also the bits, which were
not very securely fastened, and the
chain must have cut through the rail
as far as the midship section of the ship.
This would have permitted the stern to
swing around until the ship lay down
the channel.
According to the Spanish reports of
the affair sent to Madrid. one of the big
American liners attempted to force the
entrance of the harbor and had been
sunk in the channel by the batteries,
and that only sever Of her crew escaped
Whether failure or successful, the at
tempt of the Merrimac will undoubtedly
go down to posteTity as one OF the
bravest and most daring deeds in naval
annals.
Mr.. Hobson and the men under him
were fully alive to the desperate char
acter of the expedition and their small
chances of escape from death. There
was no shrinking. On the contrary,
there was the greatest OF eagerness to be
allowed to go with the ship. The re-
fusal Of Mr.. Hobson to ave more on
board han was absolutely indispensable
for the bare discharge of the duties re-
CURED shows how well he appreciated
the dangers. He declined to grant the
persistent and earnest entreaties of a
number of young officers who begged
permission to go. II seems well now
that he went alone and that all the
honor and praise are his.