The age-herald., 1898-05-21
Wm. O'Hearn Gives an Account
 of the Engagement.
BRAVE BOYS OF THE HUDSON
Worked for an Hour Under Terrific Fire From the Batteries to Keep the Little Wlnsow From Being Sent
 to the Bottom.

form of a naval seaman sat weariiy against Q great bale of cordage looking out past the harbor and the distant keys towards the gulf He was William O'Hearn, of Brooklyn, one of the survivors of the torpedo boat Wnslow, which passed through the terrible storm of shot and shell that poured in from the Spanish bat teries in the bay of Cardenas. He was going home on afurlough for rest. Beside him in bright tin cage was the Winslow parrot, which made himself famaus on the day of the battle by shrieking and chat gagement
 By degrees and after much questioning o'Hearn told the whole story of the bat tle and no doubt his account of the en- gament is the most correct in detail of any given yet
 From the very beginning" he said T think every man on the boat believed that we could not escape being sunk, and that is what would have happened had it not been for the bravery of the boys on the Hudson, who worked for over an hour under the most terrific fire to get us out of range"
 Were you ordered to go ain there?" he was asked
 ''Yes, before we were fired upon the or der was given from the Wilmington"
 Was it signal order?"
 Not Signal Order
 'No; we were near enough to the Will mngton, that they shouted it to us from the deck through the metaphone." Do you remember the words of the com mand and who gave them?"
 "I don't know who shouted the order, but the words, as I remember them, were: MT. Bagley, go in there and see what gum boats those are.' We started at once to- ward the Cardenas dock, and the firing be- gan soon after"
 "What was the first you saw of the nr- ing?"
 "The first thing I saw was a shot fired from a window door in the second story of the storehouse, just back of the dock where the Spanish gunboats were lying. I saw the flash and the smoke, and the same instant a shell went hissing over our heads. Then the firing began from the gunboats very soon after from the shore. I don't think any man can forget the sound and the effect of shell and heavy shot the first time he is under fire. It is something terrible. When shell passes close to you, you feel it, something like the effect of lightning when it strikes near by. You feel as though it had taken your head off First you hear that awful hug zing or whizzing it. is hard to describe and then something seems to strike you in the face and head. I noticed that day that when the shells first began to ny about us that the boys threw their hands to their heads every time shell went over But they soon came so fast and so close that 1t was a roaring, shrieking, crashing hell. I can describe 1t no other way"
 ''Where was your position?"
 Everybody on Deck q am the water tender" he said, 'and my place was below, but everybody went m deck when the battle began. John Var yares the oiler, and John Meek, the fire man, were on watch with me, and had they remained below they would probably not have been killed. After the nrlns l went below again to attend to the poiiers' and A few minutes later shot came crashing through the side of the boat ana into the boiler where it exploded and de- stroyed seventy of the boiler tubes. Al first it stunned me When the shell burst in the boiler 1t threw both the furnace ooors open, and the fuse from the shell came out of the door, and I am taking them nome with me as souvenirs of the war. It was n terrible crash and report together, ana the boiler room was filled with dust ana steam. stunned and my ears rang so I could hear nothing. I went upon the deck to report to Captain Bernadon.
 .'Wl1at did you say to him?
 ..I saw him near the forecastle gun limp ing about with towel bound around ms leg He was shouting and the noise or all inc guns was like continuous thunder .Captain' I shouted, the forward poiler is disabled. A shell has gone through her. Get out that hose he said, and turned to the gun again. I went back into the boiler room and in few minutes went pp on the deck again and the fighting had grown hotter than ever. Several or them were missing and looked around. Lying all in heap on the after deck in the star
 
 tower saw five of our men where they wilted down after the shell had struck them In other places were men lyins groaning or dragging themselves apout wounded and covered with blood. ne deck had blood on it, and It was streWh yv,th fragments and splinters. I went over where the five men were lying in a heap and saw that they were not all dead. John Meek could speak and move one or ms hands slightly. went up to him and l put my face down close to his
 Then He Was Dead
 ss'can I do anything for you, John? l asked, and he replied, No, Jack, ' am dying. Good-byer and he asked me to grasp his hand. Go help there, he whis- nered. gazing with fixed eyes where Cap tain Bernadou was still firing the forward gun. The next minute he was dead. He was my friend '-and there was pause ip O'Hearn's story. Ensign Bagley,' he con IL bottom badly torn to pieces and the bodies of the other three were on top of his. The colored cook was lying little apart from the others badly mangled andin a cramped position.
 I've supposed he was dead and covered him up the same as the others. Nearly half an hour after that we heard him call- ing and making slight movement under Rhe cloth. We went to him and he said: sOh, boys, for Gods sake move am lying over the boiler and burning up It was time, the deck was very hot and his flesh had almost roasted. He also complained that his neck was cramped. but did not seem to feel his terrible wounds. We moved him into an easier position and gave him some water.
 "'Thank you sir he said. and in five seconds he was dead"
 Then O'Hearn told of the brave conduct of the gunboat Hudsons crew in getting the Winslow out of her perilous situation. That story was fnl'v told on the day after the battle.