The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-05-12

Key West, May 1O-Only poor marks
mapship on the part of the Spanish
gunners saved the Vicksburg and the
cruiser Morrill, from destruction off
Havana yesterday morning. For over
half an hour they were under the fire
of the guns Of the Santa Clara water
batteries, but both escaped without
material injury, although shrapnel
shots from eight-inch guns exploded
all about them and both now show the
,pitted scars Of the Spanish bullets.
The willy Spaniards had arranged a
trap to" send a couple Of our ships to
'the bottom. They baited it as a man
would bait a trap. A small schooner
was sent out from Havana harbor
shortly before daylight to draw some
of the Americans into the ambuscade.
The ruse worked like q charm. The
of the chase and in their contempt for
Spanish gunnery, walked straight into
the trap that had been set for them.
Had the Spaniards possessed their
';souls in patience but five minutes
longer not even the bad gun practice
would have saved our ships, and by
this time our vessels would lie at the
bottom within two lengths of the
wreck of the Inflated Maine. Friday
evening the Vicksburg and the Nor
rill, cruising to the west of Moro castle,
were fired on by the big guns of the
~Cojimar batteries. Two shots were
fired at the Vicksburg and one at the
Morrill,. Both fell short and both YES
sells, without returning the fire,
steamed out Of range. 1t would have
been folly to have done otherwise, but
Saturday morning the
Spaniards Had Better Luck.
The schooner they had sent out before
daylight ran off to the eastward, hug
ging the shore with the wind on her
starboard quarter. About three miles
8 off the entrance of the harbor she
..came over on the front tack. A light
haze fringed the horizon and the ship
was not discovered until three miles
roff shore, when the Mayfower made
e her out and signalled the Vicksburg
and Morrill,. Capt. Lilly, Of the Vicks-
burg, Immediately slapped on all
/ steam and started in pursuit. The
schooner instantly put about and ran
doing so she would, according to the
well conceived Spanish plot, lead the
two American warships directly under
the guns of the Santa Clara batteries.
The Morrill, and Vicksburg We're about
six miles from the schooner when the
chase began. They steamed after her
lat full speed, the Morrill, leading until
within mile and half of the Santa
Clara batteries. Commander Smith, Of
the Vicksburg, was, the first to realize
the danger into which the reckless
pursuit had led them. He concluded it
was time to haul off and sent a shot
across the bow of the schooner The
Spanish skipper instantly brought his
vessel about, but while she was still
rolling in the trough of the sea, with
her sails f1ayying, an eight-inch shrap-
mel shell came hurting through the air
from the water battery a mile and a
half away. 1t passed over the Morrill,
smokestack, and exploded less than tif-
ty feet on the port quarter. The small
shot ratified against her side. 1t was a
close call. Two more shots followed in
quick succession by shrapnell. One
burst close under the board quarter,
Filling the Engine Room
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shell, and the other, like the first,
passed oyer and exploded just beyond.
The Spanish gunners had the range
and their time fuses were accurately
set. The crews Of both ships were at
their guns, Lieut.. Craig, who was in
charge Of the bow four-inch rapid fire
guns of the Morrill, asked for and OBJ
tanned permission to return the fire.
At the first shot, the Vicksburg, which
was in the wake of the Morrill, slight
ly in shore, sheered off and passed to
the Windward under the Morrilps stern.
In the meantime Capt. Smith also put
his helm to port, and was none too
soon, for the Morrill, stood off q solid
reight-inch shot, grazed her starboard
quarter and kicked up some water as
it struck a wave hundred yards be-
yond. Capt. Smith afterward said that
this was undoubtedly an eight-inch
armor-piercing projectile, and that it
would have passed through the Nor
rilPs boilers had he not changed her
course in the nick-of-time ALI the
guns OF the water battery were now at
work. On of them cut the Jacobs lad
der Of the Vicksburg adrift and anoth-
er carried away portion of the rig
ging. AS the Morrill, and the Weeks
burg steamed away their aft guns
were used, but only a few shots were
fired. The Morrilrs six-inch gun was
elevated for 1000 yards and struck the
searthworks repeatedly. The Vicks-
burg fired but three shots from her
.siX-pounder. "A
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