The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-06-11
miral. He had been delayed by break
down OF the steam launch.
First Attempt-CaIled Back.

miTal. He had been delayed by break
down OF the steam launch.
First Attempt-CaIled Back.
Dawn was breaking over Santiago lie
Cuba and nearly everybody thought it
was too late for the attempt to be made
that morning. Then somebody cried:
"She is going I'M"
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's
smokestacks 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
Spaniards the Porter crossed the Merri-
macs bows and a sigh of relief went up
from the eager watchers, for they thought
that it was sure death for Hobson to
venture in at that hour. Sometime after
D o'clock the Porter came tearing back
and the Merrimac to every ones surprise,
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
- %
thinks he can make it."
But in stern tones the admiral sent
Hobson a message to the effect that the
A1errimac 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-
ceived from the admiral through the COM
mander of the Porter, Hobson's figure
standing out wildly on the lonely bridge
of the Merrimac
All day yesterday the collier lay near
the flagship and more elaborate prepare
lions were made to carry out the mission
of the Merrimac successfully. During
these preparations Hobson was tireless,
cool and confident, supervising personally
every little detail When finally Hobson
went on board the Merrimac last night
he had been without sleep since Vednes-
day morning. His uniform was begrim-
ed, his hands We're black and he looked
like man who had been hard at work
in an engine room for a long time.
AS he said good bye, the lieutenant
remarked that his only regret was that
all of the New York's volunteers could
not go with him.
Two Men Who Disobeyed Orders.
When the Aerimac started yesterday
morning ON the trip for which she was
recalled she had on board of her two
men who had no right to be there.
They We're Assistant Engineer Crank of
the Meninac and Boatswain Aullin of
the New York, who had been working
ON the collier all day. These two men
refused to leave the ship and as their dis
obedience was of the nature which pro-
duced the Cushings and Fauaguts OF the
American navy it was not officially rec
ognized.
The spirit shown by the men and offic
ers of the fleet in connection with the
MerIimac expedition is really grand and
beyond being merely expressed in words.
Under these circumstances one can i'm
agine the immense feeling of satisfaction
experienced when it became known that
Hobson and the crew of the Merrimac
were safe.
News of Their safety.
Later in the day boat with white
flag put out from the harbor and Cap
tain Oviedo the chief of staff of Admiral
Cervera, boarded the New York and in
formed the admiral that the whole of the
party had ben captured and that only
two of them had been injured. Lieutenant
Hobson had not been injured.
1t appears that the Spanish admiral
was so struck with the courage of the
Merrimac's crew that he decided to in
form Admiral Sampson that they had
not lost their lives but were prisoners of
war and could be exchanged. The dingy
portion of the program does not appear
to have been carried out which leads to
the belief that She may have been smash
ed by shot, for Hobson's men drifted
ashore on an old catamaran which had
been slung over the Merimac's side at the
last moment as an extra precaution. They
were captured and sent to Santiago under
guard previous to being transferred to
Moro castle, where they are now under
stood to be confined.