The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-06-16
am. Love and best wishes to all.
Write often to Key West.

Brooklyn, MASSACHUSETTS, New VI
leans, Iowa, Texas, Yale, Marblehead,
Vixen and two golfers. The Commo-
dore and his staff came aboard a few
minutes ago aDd soon, perhaps after
dinner, the Massachusetts, Iowa and
New Orleans, will run up and open
fire on the enemy, think. Every one
is full of excitement. We will have a
good chance to see what our guns and
all our target practice are worth. Love
/ to all and may God be with US all AND
F.! keep us. Your loving David.
Will write more after the scrap.
I Oregon is safe n Key West We
expect her soon. Scorpion is q
May 3lst.
| 1t isnow about 10 p. m. and we are
safe and sound. Shortly after dinner
! today, as | said, the three ships started
ont and ran past the entrance, headed
east. Our range was about $500 yards
but some reached 1000. On our ship
was the Commodore and his staff and
we lead the column. One of our s in
guns was the first to fire a shot and it
was a dandy, right for the " Christobol
| Colon" that was in the entrance only
| think it was little short. Then all
/ Che ships opened fire and the Spanish
ship and batteries returned. We fired
| five 13-inch she'll and 9 8-inch she'll
and think the Iowa and New Orleans
fred as many if not more. Many of
of our shots fell very close and they say
some hit the old Castle, but do not
think the ship was damaged much for
we did not succeed in getting the
proper range. The Spanish shots were
very wild at first but toward the last
they began to get near us. Two or
three shells wbistled over us out none
of the ships were struck.
After running past the entrance we
turned and ran to the westward, pass
ing the enemy again. We acc mplish
ed one good thing at least and that was
to get our hand in and to learn exact
ly the position of the batteries. After
firing on the westward run we discOn-
tinued, but the Spanish kept up fire
for some time after, although they hit
nothing.
When the Commodore left he said
that we will try it again later on. The
Spanish evidently do not intend to
come out and meet us. We think there
are about four ships in there at least.
RI =
over and we had secured and | had
gotten my wet clothes off and taken a
bath. We fired our first shot at 1:02 p.
N. and secured at about 2:40 p. N. |
and my crew were down there in our
handling room and after each shot was
fired we were soaked by the water
from washing out the gun above. We
| fred only 3 shots from our turret, but
those three cost the government in all
$2100 $500 a piece. We could hear
only the heavy guns go off and had to
wait patiently till all is over. 1t is
rather trying to be down in that safe,
but hot handling room, and requested
one of the S-inch turrets, but the first
| lieutenant said he considered the 13-
| inch turret much more important than
the s inch, for in our turTet everything
depends on those who supply the am
munition. | was soaked to the skin
when it was all over, but we were all
sorry to hear the order TO secure, for it
seemed as if we had not even begun.
There were paper tugs in the Vicin-
ity so | suppose YOU will have full
newspaper accounts of it all before this
reaches you. But perhaps I'll have
more to write about before | send this
so will close now for while. Dave.
June LIST.
This morning the New York, Oregon
and Mayfower came here. l think
very likely the Harvard will go to Key
West today with mail. We have here
at present in the vicinity (D The
enemy; (2) battleships Massachusetts,
Oregon, Iowa, Texas; 81 cruisers New
York, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Marble
head, Harvard; AZ Vixen, Mayfower;
GOLFERS Merrimac and Sterling, besides
several press tugs, which are very
bothersome. 1t was to get them away
that the Brooklyn sent the signals that
we were to go to Haiti and then to
Key West. But now that we have the
enemy cooped up and every one knows
that we are here it does not matter so
much The newspaper men read al
our ordinary wigwag signals, but OF
| course do not get our flag signal or
cipher (secret) codes. which require a
signal book and some times a secret
key to read them.
Rear Admiral SamHsoa will now
have command and very ilkeD7 we viii
, make some more effective advances
! soon. The Dagos fired several shots
this morning just for practice very
| likely as we are about Z miles off
Yesterday afternoon we had heavy
! trooical rain for about one hour and