The age-herald., 1898-06-11
Spanish Torpedo Boat Destroyer
 Terror Was Not Sunk.
SHIPS FIRE ON EACH OTHER
The Bad Aim of the Gunners on the Texas Was All That Saved the Marblehead and Vixon From Des-
 tuction.

Copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press9 On Board the Associated Press Dispatch Boat Dauntless, off Santiago de Cuba, Sum day, June 5.-2 p. m.-(Via Kingston, Ja- maica, June 6, 9:55 a. m.)-Friday night it was believed that night attack on the American fleet by one or both torpedo boat destroyers with the Spanish fleet had been frustrated by the vigilance of the New Orleans, and that the destroyers had been Tepulsed and driven back into the harbor by the hot fire poured into them by the New Orleans, New York and Massachu- setts. It was this heavy firing which led to the report which reached Port Antonio Saturday that the Spanish destroyer Terror had been surrounded and sunk on Friday night as she was trying to slip into San tiago harbor.
 The latter report is now known to have had no foundation; and there is a conflict of opinion among the officers of the fleet as to whether the New Orleans had in real ity met torpedo boat. When the firing was begun on Friday night it was dark and the object at which the guns on our ships were directed seemed to be moving close in shore A railroad line connects Santiago with Cave Point at a distance of fifteen miles, the site of iron manufactures The track runs along the waters edge and the trains which carry supplies and probably war material are only run at night and without lights.
 Fast Moving Train
 It is possible that in the darkness fast moving train may have been mistaken, as one was last week, for a torpedo boat. But the discovery by the Porter of two tor pedoes on Saturday afternoon floating In the water two miles from shore tended to strengthen the theory of those who insisted that torpedo attack had been attempted. The torpedoes were of the Schwartzkopf pattern, which arc not used by our ships. If they were discharged at one of our ships by the destroyers the Spaniards must have had n bad case of nervous fright, as one had only a practice head, blank cartridge.
 This fact leads to the belief that the torpedoes picked up by the Porter were fired Friday morning at the Merrimac, when she was discovered entering the neck of the harbor, probably by the cruis- CT Retna Mercedes, which now lies a dis mantled wreck off Smith Cay, where the harbor neck broadens. After being fired they may have drifted out with the tide.
 If this theory is confirmed the momen- tary panic caused by the sudden appear ance of our ships and the belief which probably prevailed that the whole Ameri- fleet was attempting to force an en- trance might account for premature dis charge of a torpedo before the warhead was affixed.
 With deliberate preparations for a tor pedo boat attack 1t would hardly be likely for any of the warheads not to be ad- justed Of course, 1t is possible there may have been a torpedo boat attack on Friday night, and that one of the reserve torpedoes got adrft, or, if one of the boats was sunk as some hold the torpedo may have got loose from it's moorngs the ship plunged and went down. The torpedoes were evidently set afloat after being dis charged.
 The Fate of the Maine
 In our navy all torpedoes are set to sink when they have run their course. The Spaniards may have reckoned on keep ing them af1oat in the hope that one of our ships would stumble on it in the dark and share the fate of the Maine. King Chuen, one of the Chinese ships at the battle of the Yalu, is supposed by some naval ex- perts to have been sunk by floating tor pedo discharged earlier in the action by one of her sister ships.
 sharp lookout is maintained by the blockading squadron in guarding against night torpedo attacks; and it has already led to firing by our ships upon each other on at least two occasions. During The last week the battleship Texas fired upon the Marblehead and the Vixen, and both the latter vessels had narrow escapes. Only the flash of their signal lights and on the occasion in quest ton, the fortunate bad aim of the gunners of the Texas saved them. Several of the newspaper dispatch boats have also had rather stirring experiences of a similar character. It should be said that on board the New York and the New Orleans they are quite confident a torpedo attack was repulsed on Friday night.