The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-09
Two of Our Warships Had a Close
Call.
INCIDENT OF BLOCKADE
SPANISH DECoY SENT OUT FROM
HAVANA.
Wicksburg and Morrill, Gave Chase
and Were Led Under the Guns Of
Santa Clara Battery-Both Mar
rowly Escaped Destruction-Bad
Gunnery of the Spaniards.

Key West, Fla, May s.-(Copyrighted.
1898, by the Associated Press -Only poor
craftsmanship on the part of the Span
iards saved the Vicksburg and the cutter
Morrill, from destruction in Havana har-
Dor 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 from eight-inch guns
exploded all about them and both now
show the scars of the Spanish bullets.
The willy Spaniards had arranged trap
to send couple of our ships to the bot
tom. They baited it as man would bait
a trap. small schooner was sent out
from Havana harbor shortly before day
light yesterday morning to draw some OF
the Americans into the ambuscade. The
ruse worked like a charm. The Vicks-
burg and the Morrill, in the heat of the
chase and their contempt for Spanish
gunnery, walked straight into the trap
that had been set for them. Had the
Spaniards possessed their souls in pa
thence but five minutes longer. not even
the bad gun practice would have saved
| our ships, and this morning two more of
our vessels would lie at the bottom. with
| in two lengths OF the wreck of the Maine
| The schooner that the SpaniardS sent
| out before daylight ran off to the east
ward hugging the shore with the wind
| on her starboard quarter About three
miles east of the entrance of the harbor
| she came over on the port tack. light
1
discovered until three miles OFF shore:
when the Mayfiower made her out and
signalled the Morrill, and Vicksburg.
THE SPANIARDS' SCHEME.
Captain Smith of the Morrill, and Com
mander lilly of the Vicksburg. imrne-
diately slapped on all steam and started
| in pursuit.
The schooner instantly put about and
ran for MORO castle before the wind. On
doing so she would, according to the We'll
conceived Spanish plot, lead the two
| American warshipS directly under the
| guns of the Santa Clara batteries. These
works are a short mile west of MORO
| and are part of the defenSeS of the har-
Dor. There are two batteries. one at the
shore, which has been recently thrown
| up of sand and mortar. with wide en-
| brasures for eight-inch guns, and the
other on the crest of the rocky eminence
which juts out into the gulf at the point
! The upper battery mounts modern ten
| inch and Pinch Krupp guns behind
| six-fOot stone parapet, in front of which
are 20 feet of earthwork and betting of
railroad iron. This battery is considered
the most formidable of Havana's de-
and has not been absolutely located by
| the American warships. 1t is probably
due TO the fact that the Spaniards did
not desire to expose its position that the
Vicksburg and Morrill, are now afioat.
The Morrill, and Vicksburg were about
six miles from n, the schooner e when n the
1 full speed, the Morrill, leading until with
! in a mile and half of the Santa Clara
Vicksburg was the first to realize the
danger into which the reckless pursuit
had led them He concluded it was time
| to halt and sent shot across the bow
| of the schooner.
a CLOSE CALL.
The Spanish skipper instantly brought
his vessel about, but while she was still
rolling in the trough of the sea, with her
sails Tapping. an eight-ineh shrapnel
shell came hurting through The air from
the water battery a mile and half away.
1t passed over the Morrill, between the
pilot house and the smokestack and eX-
ploded less than 30 feet on the port quar-
ter. The small shot ratified against her
side. Il was close call. Two more shots
followed in quick succession, both shrap-
mel. One burst close under the Gtarboard
quarter, filling the engine room with the
, smoke of the explosion of the shell, and
the other like the first, passed over and
exploded just beyond.
The Spanish gunners had the range
and their fuses were accurately set. The
crews of both ships were at their guns.
Lieutenant Craig, who was in charge Of
the bow four-inch raDid-tire gun of the
sion to return the fire AT the first shot
the Vicksburg, which was in the wake
of the Morrill,. slightly in shore. sheered
off and passed to windward under the
Morrilrs stern
MORRILL'S NARROW ESCAPE.
In the meantime Captain Smith also
put his helm TO port, and was none too
soon for. as the Morrill, stood off, q solid
S-inch shot graZed her starboard quarter
and kicked Up tons OF water as II struck
a wave 100 yards beyond. Captain Smith
said afterward that this was undoubtedly
an S-inch armor-Diercing projectile and
that it would have passed through the
Morrill's boilers had he not changed her
course.
now at work One of them cut the
Jacobs ladder of the Vicksburg adrift
and another carried away a portion of
the rigging. AS the Morrill, and the
Vicksburs steamed away their aft guns
were used. but only a few shots were
fired. The MOrrill's 6-inch gun was ele-
waited for 1900 yards and struck the
earthworkS repeatedly. The VickSburg
fired repeatedly shots from her 6-pounder.
The Spaniards continued to ire shot and
shell Tor 70 minutes, but the shotS were
ineffective Some of them were so wild
that they aroused the American jacAies
the SDaniards only ceased firing when
the Morrill, and Vicksburg were com
Dletel-r out of range. II all the Spanish
gunners had been suffering from strabiS-
mus, their practice could not have been
worse.
and Vicksburg frankly admit their own
recklessness and the narrow escape Of
their vessels from destruction They are
firmly convinced that the pursuit OF the
schooner was neatly-planned trick
which almost proved successful If any
one of the shots mad struck the thin skin
OF either vessel it would nave o1ered no
more resistance than piece OF paper to
a rifle ball.
The accurate range of the first few
shots is accounted for by the fact that
the Spanish officers had ample time to
make observations. The bearings of the
two vessels were probably taken with a
range-finder at the Santa Clara battery
and as this battery is probably con-
nected by wire with MORO, they were
enabled 10 take bearings from both
points and by laboriOus calculations they
fixed the positions of the vessels pretty
accurately. With such opportunity for
observation it would have been no great
trick for an American gunner TO drop
shell down the smokestack of vessel
LOST THE RANGE.
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 i've min
utes longer before opening ire Captain
Smith says it would have been well
nigh impossible TO have missed the
target
the Spanish schooner ESpana, bound tor
Havana and towed the prize to Key
West -,
frieate Dubourdieu. carrying 30 guns in
ali entered the harbor of Havana She
was stopped by the Morrill, and two
saIutes were fired by the Annapolis be-
fore she showed her flag.
yellow Jaund3ce Cured
suffering humanity should be sup
nlied with every means possible for it's
relief 1t is with pleasure we publish
the following: This is to certify that