The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-06


morning, but with the sky paling in the
east Lieutenant Hobson started on his des-
perate mission. AS the Merrimac steamed
forward Rear Admiral Sampson. pacing the
deck of the flagship, looked at his watch
and at the streaks in the east and decided
that the Merrimac could not reach the en-
trance before daylight Consequently, the
torpedo boat Porter, which was alongside,
was dispatched to recall the officer Lieut.
Hobson sent back a protest, with a re-
quest for permission to proceed. but the
admiral declined to allow him to take the
risk, and slowly the Merrimac swung about
During the day Lieutenant Hobsor. went
aboard tho flagship His clothes were cirty,
his old fatigue coat was unbuttoned and his
begrimed face deep furrowed by tense.
drawn lines, but resolution still shone in his
eyes. So absorbed was he in the task ahead
of him that, unmindful of his appearance,
Of all ceremony and naval etiquette, he told
the admiral in a tone of command that he
must not again be interfered with.
NO MORE INTERFERENCE.
II can carry this thing through said he,
'but there must be no more recalls My
men have been keyed up for twenty-four
hours and under tremendous strain Iron
will break at last"
Such was the indomitable will and cour-
age with which he faced death and glory.
When Hobson left the ship and his ship
mates more than one Of the latter turned
hastily to hide the unbidden tear But the
lieutenant waved them adieu with a smile
on his handsome face. This morning the
Merrimac started in shortly after 3 o'clock.
The full moon had disappeared behind a
black cloudbank in the west, leaving only
gray mark of heaving waters, and the
dim outline of the Cuban hills showing
against the unstarred sky TO the watchers
on board the ships of the fleet. 1t was that
calm hour before dawn when life is at its
lowest ebb and the tide runs out, carrying
the lives of mortals with it. Slowly the
seconds of fate licked on as for an hour
5000 strained eyes strove 10 pierce the deep
veil of night.
Suddenly several red tongues Of flame
shot down from the rocky eminence on
which Moro Castle is situated They were
followed by jets and streams of fire from
the batteries opposite. The Merrimac had
reached the entrance of the harbor. She
must have passed so close that a stone
loosened from the frowning parapet of the
castle would have fallen on her deck. Into
the murderous hail showered down on her
the Merrimac passed and moved on a full
quarter of a mile enfiaded from sides,
rear and front with plunging fire from the
batteries that surrounded her. 1t seems al
most miracle that her apparently riddled
hull could have reached the goal. After
five minutes the firing ceased and all be-
came dark again. Then among the watch
ers of the fleet arose the question of the
safety of the heroes. Mother wife, sister
or sweetheart may have been dreaming of
her loved one all unconscious of the fact
that the object OF her dream was earning
fame, perhaps with his life.
During the next half hour, while the fleet
silently waited in suspense for the coming
of the day, many fingers itched at the Ian
yards of the guns, and many gunner's
mate besought permission to fire. But moth
ing could be done. An ill-directed shot
might kill our men, possible struggling in
the water toward the open sea. In this
latitude dawn is very brief and day comes
like a flare in the east. When the curtain
of the night was at last lifted the light dis
closed tiny steam launch riding the waves
at the very throat of the harbor. In an in
stant the guns of the shore batteries were
turned on her, and with a last lingering
vain look for the crew of the Merrimac En-
sign Powell headed his launch close along
shore to the westward. In this lay saliva
ton. The guns of the batteries to the west
ward could not be depressed enough to hit
the little launch and the guns on Morro
Castle would not bear on her.
But the Spaniards nevertheless, fired
wildly overshooting the launch until the
latter was fully two miles up the coast.
Then some of the shells began to drop fair
ly close and one of them threw a cloud of
spray on board the small craft. In the
meantime the ships of the fleet had drawn
in until the New York Massachusetts,
Texas and Marblehead were barely three
miles off MORO Castle. The fire of the
great guns continued, but the gunnery
seemed to grow worse until the Spaniards
became tired. They were not rash enough,
except in two instances, to fire at the fleet,
fearing, probably, to provoke an antagonist
with the strength of Admiral Sampson. Up
to the time the Associated Press dispatch
boat left the fleet this morning the admiral
had not given any orders for the lombard
ment of Santiago de Cuba forts, but the
spirit of revenge seemed to hang over the
fleet, and by this time Morro Castle and the
Spanish batteries may be in ruins
The American sailors would think it retri-
button or justice If part of the score owed
by Spain was wiped out at Santiago de
Cuba, where, twenty-seven years ago, the
thirty-nine Americans of the Virginius were
shot to death.
-A