Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1898-06-11
"And you expect to come out of this
alive!' asked Il companion of the lieu
tenant.


scarcely stopped to talk OF possible death.
In reply 10 frequent questions, Hobson
said:
Il suppose the Estrella battery will
fire down Oh us a bit, but the ships will
throw their searchIghts in the gunners'
faces and they won't see much OF us.
Then, if we are torpedoed, we should even
then be able to make the desired position
in the channel. 1t won't be easy to hit
us, and | think the men should be able
to swim to the dingy. | may jump before
| am blown up. But | don't see that it
makes much difference what | do. | have
Il fair chance of life either way. If our
dingy gets shot to pieces we shall then
try to swim for the beach right under
Moro castle. We shall keep together
at all hazards. Then we may be able
to get back to the ship. We shall fight
the scntrics OF Il squad until the fast,
and we shall only surrender to over
whelming numbers, and our surrender
will only take place as Il last and as a
most uncontcmplated emergency
Lieutenant IIobson might have been
lecturing to a class of cadets on the the
DRY Of how to build ships SO deliberate
was his manner lie was lately at Annap-
oils. in charge of the post graduate course
in naval construction, and IS accounted
one of the most able naval constructors i'll
the service, being entirely wrapped up Ill
his profession.
The preliminary work of this desperate
undertaking was a strain upon the Of
ficcrs and men. On Wednesday morning,
directly after Rear Admiral Sampson ar
rival and as soon as he was certain the
Spanish fleet was in the harbor, the prep
alations to scuttle the Merrimac i'll the
channel were commenced. All day long
crews from the New York and Brooklyn
were on board the collier, never resting
i'll their efforts to prepare her. She lay
alongside the Massachusetts discharging
coal when the work was first begun. The
news of the intended expedition travelled
quickly through the fleet, and it soon
became known that volunteers were
needed for desperate undertaking.
Volunteers by Hundreds.
From the lowas signal yard quickly
huttered the announcement hat she had
no volunteers, and the other ships were
not far behind. On the New York the
enthusiasm was intense. Over 200 mem
bers of the crew volunteered to go into
that narrow harbor and face death. The
Junior officers literally jumped over each
other in their eagerness to get their
names on the volunteer list.
Commander Miller, who had charge OF
the Merrimac, pleaded with the admiral
to let him 90, but the latter thought he
had better not. When it was learned
that only six men and Lieutenant Hobson
wer to go there was considerable disap-
pointment on all sides and when the New
York's contingent went over the side lat
er on Wednesday night some OF those
who We're left We're almost ready, brayH
and strong as they were, to sit down and
cry.
All Wednesday night the crews worked
aboard the Merrimac which then lay close
to the New York, and the other ships as
they passed the collier before sundown
chcered her with the same spirit that
the British man of warsman cheered the
American sailors heroism at Samoa.
Lieutenant Hobson paid short visit to
the flagship shortly before midnight and
then returned to the Merrimac on board
of which craft he had been all day. AS
he started down the sea ladder there were
many hands stretched out to grasp his
and many quiet spoken earnest wishes for
his success. 1t was thought then Hob
son would take the MeIrimac in early in
the morning.
At 3 o'clock the admiral and Flag Lieu
tenant Staunton got into the launch to
make an inspection Of the Merrimac. The
working gangs were still on board Of her
and on board the New York the officers
of the flagship stood on the quarter deck,
their glasses focused on the big black
,hull that was to form an impossible OBJ
struction for Spain's best ships.
The minutes slipped by, the crews had
not completed their work on the Merri-
mac, but at last, boatload of men, black
and tired out came over to the flagship.
Last Of all at 80 o'clock came the ad
mi1al. He had been delayed by break
down of the steam launch.
First Attempt-CaIIed Back.
Dawn was breaking over Santiago de
Cuba and nearly everybody thought it
was too late for the attempt to be made
that morning. Then somebody cried:
'.She is going in!"
Surely enough, the seemingly deserted
collier was seen heading straight for Nor
70 castle The torpedo boat Porter was
lying in near the flagship and Admiral
Simpsons orderly, Lieutenant Staunton,
snatched up the megaphone and hailed
the Porter, saying: Porter, there; tell
the Merrimac to return Immediately"
Smoke was pouring from the Porter
smokestacLs and the dark little craft
darted toward the shore. By that time
darkness had quite disappeared and
quickly as the fast torpedo boat tore
through the water it seemed as if she
would never head off the Merrimac.
At last, when under the range of the
Spanards the Porter crossed the Merri;
macs bows and sigh of relief went up
from the eager watchers, for they thought
I that it was sure death for Hobson to
venture in at that hour. Sometime after
) o'clock the Porter came tearing back
and the Merrimac to every ones surprise,
4 kept her position. Admiral Sampson,
Captain Chadwick and Lieutenant Staun-
ton could not understand until Lieuten-
ant Fremont from the deck of the torpedo
boat shouted: "Lieutenant Hobson asks
permission to continue on his course. He
thinks he can make it,
I But in stern tones the admiral sent
Hobson a message to the effect that the
Merrimac must return at once and in
due course of time the doomed collier
slowly steamed back, her commander ev-
identity disappointed with the order re-