The record-union., 1898-05-09

stone pdrdpel, IN 'front.' Oh WHICH dtc
twenty feet of earthwork and a belt
ing of railroad iron. This battery IS
considered the most formidable of Ha-
vana's defense, except MORO Castle. 1t
is masked, and has not been absolutely
located by the American ships. 1t is
probably due to the fact that the Span
iards did not desire to expose its posi-
ton that the Vicksburg and Morrill, are
now affoat The Morrill, and VickSburg
were about six miles from the schooner
when the chase began. They steamed
after her at full speed the Morrill, lead
ing until within a mile and half OF
the Santa Clara batteries. Commander
Smith of the Nicksburg was the first
to realize the danger into which the
reckless pursuit had led them. He con-
Guided il was time to halt, 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 Tapping, an S-mch
shrapnel shell came hurting through the
air from the water battery, mile ana
half away. II passed over the Nor
rill between the pilOt-house and the
smokestack, and exploded less than
fifty feet on the port quarter. Inc
small shot ratified against her side. IL
was a close call. Two more shots fol-
lowed in quick succession, both shrap-
mel. One burst close under the star
board 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.
ish
and their time fuses were accurately
set. The crews of both ships We're at
their guns. Lieutenant Craig, who was
in charge of the bow 4-inch rapid fire
gun of the Morrill,, asked for and OBJ
tanned permission to return the fire. Al
the first shot the Vicksburg, which was
in the wake of the Morrill,, slightly IN
shire, sheered off and passed to wind
ward under the Morrilfs stern. In the
meantime Captain Smith also put MS
helm to port and was none to soon, Tor
as the Morrill, stood off, solid S-lnch
shot grazed her starbOard quarter ana
kicked up tons of water as it struck
wave one hundred yards beyond. Cap
tain Smith said afterWard that this was
undoubtedly an S-inch armor piercing
projectile and that it would have passed
through the Morrills boilers had she
not changed her course.
All the guns of the water battery
We're now at work. One of them cut the
Jacobs ladder of the Vicksburg adr1tt
and another carried away portion OF
the rigging. AS the Morrill, and the
Vicksburg steamed away, their aft guns
were used, but only a few shots were
fired. The Morrills 6-inch gun was ele-
waited for 1000 yards and struck the
earthworks repeatedly. The Vicksburg
fired repeatedly shots from her t.
FOUNDER The Spaniards continued to
fire shot and shell for twenty minutes,
but the shots were Ineffective. Some
of them were so wild that they aroused
the American sailors to jeers.
The Spaniards only ceased firing when
the Morrill, and Vicksburg We're COM
pletely out of range. If all the Spanish
gunners had been suffering from stra-
bismus, their practice could not have
been worse.
But the officers of both the Morrill,
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 a neatly planned
trick which almost proved successful.
If anyone of the shots had struck the
thin skin of either vessel it would have
offered no more resistance than a 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 We're
enabled to take bearings from both
points and by laborious calculations
they fixed the positions of the vessels
pretty accurately. With such oppOr-
tUnity for observation it would have
been no great trick for an American
gunner to drop a shell down the smoke
stack of vessel As soon as the ships
sheered off, after the first fire the Span
ish gunners lost the range and their
practice became ludicrous. If they had
waited five minutes longer before open
ing fire Captain Smith says it would
have been we'll nigh impossible to have
missed the target
Later in the day the Morrill, captured
the Spanish schooner Espana, bound
for Havana, and towed the prize to Key
West.
On Friday the French school ship
Frigetten Duboudieu, carrying thirty
guns, entered the harbor of Havana.
! She was stopped by the Morrill, and two
| salutes were fired by the Annapolis be-
fore she showed her flag.
OUTBREAK AT CIENFUEGOS.