The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-06-15
Ter :hst could handle the ship sncu.d
20 upon The MaGr;nac.

THE LEADER or HEROES.
Al Ciiicsr IL til the line ws3 chosen
10 iaaG, ana 0Ge who 6aG devoted his
. .shnTs naval career to the building oi
! shiDS, GCt tc s2llicE them. g man o.
| tweu-y eight, RjchCord p. HoEson,
| rom Alabama, an assistant DavaI coz
strUctoT visa TIE rank ci junior lieu.
!! !ta4a8t. wbo has won hizh distinction
!tor scientific AroTitdge. He was ii.
!; ted ~ bis tr2ioiag 20 pace the hulk
iia tie BIOS. 3a1geroas position Ubere
il won Z oostfIc The cnanGai.
! Ho - we're young C1icaTs II lie
| N8e; 40 wept because taa honor OF
leading that expedition was denied
them. Besides him nan 10 stand al
the wheel, men to ran the engines
and . kzep up steam @sTe all lh&;
were 4eaded-
L7te Oh Thursday afternoon and
during the night tae gr2a:er part OF
the coal remaining in the Merrimac
was Piaced OF board the wayshlps.
IComm2udar J. n. Miller, Eaginsec
f. K, Crank and ths crew OF fOEty
ieIt he collier and Lieu. Iiobsoa and
MS seven went On board.
His orders ware simple Ee vas 70
rd1 into the eaaunel 70 a certain
point, il the Acrrimac was no! sunk
IN the meantime, then blow Up the
lship and take the chances OF escape.
| When Lieut.. Hobson and the seven
bade their comrades goodby those who
ls!ayed behind and those who went on
never expected to see each other again
And the four thousand envisd the
eish., who jokad about their good
fortune.
UNDER FIRE OF BIG GUNS.
The start was made at 3 4. II. Fri
day morning. Tne Merriuac lum-
oereI along under her owo steam.
Ine Dig American warships drew
nearer to protect the c5lli9r from the
lSpauish ira as bas. they could.
Every light was hidden, aud the
collier moved along. Sac slipped By
the scouts guarding the entrance to
! the haroor. It was !. u. wien she
entered the channel.
Then the guns Of Fort Moro dis.
!covered the Merrinsc ploughing
ishead, bent oa proceeding as Gac as
IpossioIa betore she sank, feArfuI OF
;running aground before al adyAata
gecuS pIace was reached. Tne guas
from Socspa fort and from the bate
irieS along shore opened fire.
(! The gunnars had the range to foot.
! It was fair for them to suppose that
The Merrimac was big warship aud
| that she was leading the way for the
Iothers, that the whole feat was try
ling to force an entrance to the harbor.
II they sank her no other ship could
;pass.
The slot fell upoa The collier Ike
rain n a tropical storm. Sac had a
path of $50 feet wide. She mus. keep
ia i. Oa either .iie, be:or9 and Os
hind, the great guns boomed and
iroa1ei. As the collier moved along
The Rama Mercedes, tas Spanish flag
shiq,guaboats and torpedo boats opea,
led tire upon her.
Tee Merrinac WAS no wA1slio with
protected sides, with great guns-no
IightIng ship She vas but q lner2b.
ia1tman taat hal be3a Condemned,
whose thin she'll could nc more stop
! the gcea! pr3jsc!IIes TIA. 50 mUcn
Ipapec.
And the men sboacd could no: ight
| back. They had no arms. They could
Iuo. know the exhiIaratioa a1d excite
imant oi c2mc2: T2ey c2uIi only
! withstand th9 rain OF sao5 as b.a:
Itbey could, n2r7aling each se:o2d
tina. they ware still alive.
H0BSoN or TIE BRIDGE.
Upon the bridge s.ood L;eus. Eoo
:so2. Now aad Lnan his brother ctti
ic3rs could catcl glimpse o. his 6g.
lure by means ci ih5T powerful glass
les. They knew he was measuring MS
icharc2s quietly AID cool(y IS ne
!ca3o MS calculations over MS draw
5i0g tao-e IL navy yard.
! DoWl IL tae waist Q: the snip wer:
sla5 Strohers &Hj engineers They
3could hear the roar OF tle guns TIA,
lreyeroar~!eJ o3.wea2 TIE ellis. Iaev
ico2Id w1rz, 01. taey kneg 5aAs j
3aEything Rap2enei 10 ll9 saiQ nc
mower on earth coQid saya taen
There Was Lofty, suoiims courage IL
; the stroke-hole o. Inc M9rrln2c thai
ImcrRing.
The ship was approaching the frs
ibad OF torpadces, those submarine
Smines GlIad with the mos! powerful
iexk 1si7es, each one Of which could
| blow The M3rrimac to atoms.
| There Was no inspiration OF proba
;bls victory 10 exaiIarate these men
Isucn as Farragu: felt a! Mobile. Il
Ethey were blown up their death would
Eshow the exact position and power Of
i:he mines and the hulk would block
1.-THE channel.
| But the Merriuac passed over the
| frs! bed of mines. TIE snip did no:
rise up under them. Tne Merrimac
moved further IN toward the city.
The fire OF the Spaniar3s grew hot.
| ter and hotter. There could not have
been better target. The Marrinac is
1880 feet long and she stood high ou!
OF the water because she WAS nearly
Eeup.y. Sae was ridjled ike sieve.
| TIE whole Spanish ire was concen'
Itrated u oon her. Still she sailed on.
! There were American sailors aboard
that ship. The water Kissed and bill,
led with the lasaing OF shot. Tae YES
SCI was 3 mass OF spliaterS.
! The man 81 tde Wlael WAS !nJured.
! Another spra1g 10 take his place.
There is certain turn n the clan-
Incl where Ljeu.. Hoosoa had deter,
mined to sink her should fortune IA
vor bim-a place whers il is narrow,
lest AID navigation most difficult.
Nearer and nearer the ship drew TO il.
Lieut.. Bo5son was waiting The msn
;s:r2iaed tneir ears for tie order. Il
icame at last, TIE order that marked
the ED OF lae enterprise, &c let 50 the
lanchor,
49,. :.,., eI;,,,J 50, 40 coo . :,