The evening times., 1898-06-09

| - .-s 81
Kingston. jamaica, June s.-Even mor'
picturesque and bold than the defiance Of
the big Confederate Merrimac by Erics
sons little Monitor was the exploit which
resulted in the sinking Of the Spanish tor
pedo boat destroyer Terror.
Audacious as was the little craft thai
made Ericsson famous. the small Terror
was much more so In boldly attempting to
run the gantlet of the powerful American
fleet assembled about the entrance to San
| tiago harbor. Unlike the Monitor, the
Terror failed to catch the enemy mapping,
and the American fleet demolished the lit
tie stranger as quickly as EricssOn's 4
Cheese box disposed of her more for
midable looking enemy at Hampton Roads.
Not a sign of the Spanish boat or the
sixty men comprising her crew has been
seen since a 13-inch shell fired by the bat
| tleship Oregon struck her amidships. This
| shot made an American victory OF an ex-
| citing hours work, and thwarted the nrst
attempt of the Spanish to send naval re-
endorsements to Admiral Cervera.
The Terror succeeded in getting within
a mile of the entrance to Santiago har-
the New Orleans frustrated her bold dash
| to join Cervera's fleet.
Rear Admiral Sampson had been un-
able to determine definitely the identity
of the vessel sunk by the Oregon's thou
| sand pound she'll There is little Ques-
! Terror.
| 1t is unlikely that either of the torpedo
| boats with Admiral Cervera's warships in
| Santiago harbor renewed the attempt to
! attack the American fleet by night. even
| If these small craft were able to pass the
! wreck of the Merrimac. The moon was
high, fact that undoubtedly would have
deterred5Cervera from risking the loss Of
either of his torpedo boats.
The vessel which the Oregon sunk was
approaching Santiago harbor from the
eastward, and her course was the one she
would follow in coming from San Juan to
rejoin the Spanish fleet. The Terror was
last heard from at Porto Rico on May g.
1t was said then that the destroyer was
disabled and had gone to San Juan for
repairs.
An officer of the New Orleans, which
ship was on guard on Monday night at
the eastern line of the American feet, de-
tected a speedy vessel trying to creep in
to the harbor of Santiago under cover OF
the shadows from the cliffs. 1t was 1890
o'clock and the moon. which had been OBJ
scured by clouds for two hours again
lighted the entire coast. The searchlights
of the New Orleans were directed inland,
and a small BOAT was revealed hugging the
shore. She passed out of view in a few
moments. making rapidly in the direction
of Morro Castle. Repeatedly the search
lights were trained up and down the shore.
| but the shadow of the cliffs protected the
strange craft from view.
Signals were given to the flagship New
York. which. with the Marblehead, lay
\ near the New Orleans. In a short time
| the powerful searchlights of all three ves-
sels were sweeping the coast in an effort
| to locate the mysterious vessel.
Officers and men were convinced that
| the Spaniards had made another attempt
! to send a torpedo boat into one of the
American warships. In and out of the
| lights range the little vessel passed, and
| the guns on the warships, trained as best
they could be on the fleeing enemy. be-
gan pouring great quantities of shot to-
ward shore. In a few minutes the Brook
lyn and the Oregon Joined in the chase.
1t became apparent that the enemy's
boat intended to make a bold dash for
the entrance of the harbor, then little
more than a mile distant. Owing to the
difficulty of keeping the searchlights on
the enemy signal burning above the
flagship ordered the flanking vessels to
close in, firing as they steamed, while
the New York herself raced in shore at
full speed to head off the little craft.
Escape for the Spaniard clearly was i'm
possible, but the destroyer only hugged
the dark shore closer and steamed the
faster. She had gone unscathed through
nearly an hours hail of shot and shell
from the five American vessels, and was
now within a mile of the entrance of the
harbor
There had been no miscalculations
aboard the New York. and the flagship
lay full across the destroyers path when
the Oregon got into the fight at close
range. Only two hundred yards sepa-
rated the Spaniard and the New York
when the men on the Oregon. after re-
peated efforts. got the range and used her
big guns. An eleven-hundred pound shell
striking the stranger full on the deck
amidships ended the chase as suddenly
as it had been begun.
The broad beam searchlights disclosed
only black water under the lowering hills.
No sign of the enemy five vessels had
been pursuing for nearly an hour could
be seen. Presently the ironclads, the
midnight tragedy being finished. moved
back through the brilliant moonlight to
their old positions.
Amazement then replaced the surprise
the Americans felt when the New Orleans
flashed the news of its discovery to the
fleet. In the moonlight the American
could be plainly seen. From a point a
mile TO the west of Moro Castle. where
Commodore Schley was lying with the
Brooklyn. the line of vessels extended a
mile to the east of the harbor, where the
New Orleans held the right The big st.
Louis swept in a wide circle to seaward,
guarding the rear, while the torpedo boat
Porter was on outside scout duty. In
the vicinity was the Three Friends. the
only dispatch boat to witness this most
tragic and picturesque incident.
Light as the sea was where the fleet
lay. deep fringe of shadow rested under
the coast range. and the destroyer's COM
mander evidently preferred to take the
desperate risk OF following Its cover into
harbor rather than to turn back. So
black was the water inshore that the pro-
ject gave fair promise OF success but this
was speedily dissipated after the discov-
cry of the enemy by the New Orleans and
the beginning of the chase.
When the destroyer had reached a point
within mile of the harbor one chance of
escape seemed open to It. One wondered
II the Spaniard4 could dodge searchlghts
and shells long enough to send a torpedo
into the New York. II she could do that
she might win. Apparently this was out
of the question for the destroyer's COM
mander kept directly toward the rift in
the hills which marks the harbor. II was
a desperate chance. but 1t was his only
one. He took 1t, and lost.
The Norfolk and Washington Steamboat |
COmpany annOunca fha jno,,e,,roxt., Il