Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-08
CORK IN THB BOTTLE.
Americans Sink a Ship In
Santiago Channel.
HEROIC DEED OF LIEUTENANT HOBSON.

The fleet of Admiral Cervera is now
effectually blocked in the channel oi
Santiago harbor. So thinks Admiral
Sampson, and there seems to be but
little probability that the admiral is
mistaken.
The story is one of self-sacri6cing.
heroic courage, the like of which has
made glorious the history of the
American navy, and it adds other he
roes to the long list which already illu-
inmates the records.
Sampson having joined Schley, it
was decided that, under the circum-
stances, the best thing to be done was
to block up the entrance to Santiago
harbor so as to prevent Admiral Ger
vera from coming out, and the most
practicable means to this end was to
sink in the channel an old ship.
This agreed upon, and the ship, the
iron collier Merrimac, having been Sc
lected, the next thing was to secure
crew for the perilous undertaking. A
call for volunteers was promptly res
ponded to by all the sailors Of the
fleet who were apprised of the propo-
posed undertaking. On account OF his
expert knowledge and especial fitness
for such an enterprise, Admiral Samp.
son selected Lieutenant Richmond Z.
Hobson as commander of the expedi-
ton, and to 90 with him six other men,
Daniel Montague, George Charette, j..
E. Murphy, Oscar Deignan, j. T. Phil
lips and John Kelly, non-commissioned
officers and enlisted men, were chosen.
Everything having been gotten in
readiness at 8 o'clock Friday morning,
the Merrimac started toward the en-
trance to the channel. She was ac-
compahied close up by steam launch
in charge of Naval Cadet Powell. 1t
was the purpose of Hobson to take in
the Merrimac, sink her, and then, with
his crew, row back in small boat and
be picked up by Powell with the
steam launch. AS Hobson bade Pow
ell good bye, he said to him: "Watch
us as we come out of the harbor !;
We'll be cracks-rowing 80 strokes to
the minute"
When the Merrimac got within
about 200 yards of the entrance to
the channel, the batteries of MORO
opened fire at a rapid rate. The
Merrimac had no guns, and, of course,
could not reply. That was not her
business. She went on at full speed
in the face of the rain of shells, and
darted into the channel. She was
riddled with shot and shell, but to
this no attention was paid. Proceed
ing on up the channel until she came
to point that appeared to be suitable,
she turned around lengthwise, and a
few moments aHerward there was a
terrific explosion, following which she
almost instantly began to settle to the
bottom. When all was over there
was sticking above the surface only
the tops of her smokestacks and her
maSts.
Just how is not known; but the
boat that was to have been used as a
means Of escape had disappeared after
the explosion, and Lieutenant Hobson
and his men repaired to an old cata-
maran, or raft, that happened te be
handy and drifted to shore. TO get
out of the channel back into the open
sea, was impracticable, and there was
no other way for it than that they
should be picked up and made prison
ers by the Spaniards.
The first reports of the affair were
to the effect that the Merrimac had
been blown up by submarine mine
in the channel-one of the Spanish
mines-but this afterward turned out
TO be mistake. The boat was de
liberately sunk by the Americans
themselves, and by the explosion OF
a torpedo on the inside of her.
Cadet Powell remained outside the
entrance of the channel, waiting on
Lieutenant Hobson, until after day
light. When the Spanish gunners
discovered his launch they opened
fire on it, and he had to do some
skillful manoeuvring to get out of the
way.
Up to this time Powell was ignorant
of the fate of Lieutenant Hobson and
his gallant companions, aud, indeed,
so was the whole American fleet, until
later in the day, when Captain Oviedo,
Admiral Cervera's chief of staff, board
ed the New York under flag of
truce, and informed Admiral Sampson
that he had been sent by Admiral
Cervera to say that all the Merrimac's 5
men were prisoners of war. Only
two were slightly injured. Lieutenant
Hobson was not hurt. Captain Oviedo
went on to say that Admiral Cervera
would exchange the prisoners for some
of the naval prisoners now being held
at Fort Mcpherson, Atlanta.
When Captain Oviedo returned to
the harbor, he carried with him sum
of money and a quantity of provisions
sent by Admiral Sampson for the use
of Lieutenant Hobson and his men.
The Merrimac was $50 feet long and
40 feet beam. Lying as she does
across the channel, she forms an eflec-
tual barrier, and it is not believed
that the Spaniards can get rid of her
OF course it is possible to blow the
wreck out of the way with dynamite
but even this will be rather difficult
operation, and as it is believed that
the obstruction is in full view of the
American ships, they will likely make
anv interference with it an unhealthy
piece of business.
There are several reasons why il
was desirable to obstruct the channel
One of the principal reasons is the