The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-05-09
RUSHED INTO DANGER
Two Of Our War Vessels Narrowly
Escape Destruction.
LURED INTO AN AMBUsOADB.

and the Cutter Morrill, Were Under
the Fire of the Guns of the santa
CLARA Water Batteries.
Key West, May 9.-Only poor marks
manship on the part of the Spanish
gunners saved the Vicksburg and the
cutter Morrill, Srom destruction off
Havana Saturday For over half an
hour they were under the fire of the
guns Of the Santa Clara water batter
les, but both escaped without material
injury, although shrapnel shells from
eight inch guns exploded all about
them, and both now show the pitted
scars of the Spanish bullets.
The willy Spaniards had arranged
trap to send a couple of our ships to
the bottom. They baited it as a man
would bait a rat trap. A small
schooner was sent out from Havana
harbor to draw some Of the Americans
into the ambuscade. The rase worked
like a charm. The vicksburg and the
Morrill,, in the heat Of the CHASE and
in their contempt for Spanish gunnery,
walked straight into the trap that had
been set for them. Had the Spaniards
possessed their souls in patience but
gun practice would have saved our
ships, and today two more Of our YES
sells would lie at the bottom within two
lengths Of the i'll starred Maine.
Friday evening the Vicksburg and
the Morrill, cruising to the west of
Moro Castle, were fired upon by the
big guns of the Cojimar batteries. Two
shots were fired at the Vicksburg and
uf hn faI1
both vessels, without returning the
fire, steamed out Of the range. But
on Saturday the Spaniards had better
luck. The schooner they had sent out
ran off to the eastward, hugging the
shore. About three miles east of the
entrance of the harbor she came over
on the port tack. A light haze fringed
the horizon, and she was not discov-
cred until three miles off the shore,
when the Mayfower made her out and
signaled the Morrill, and Vicksburg
Captain Smith, of the Morrill,, and
Commander Lilly, of the Vicksburg,
Immediately clapped on all steam and
started in pursuit.
The schooner instantly put about
and ran for Moro Castle before the
wind. In doing so she would accord
two American warships directly under
the guns of the Santa Clara batteries.
These works are a short mile west of
Moro, and are a part Of the defenses
of the harbor There are two batteries,
one of which mounts modern ten inch
and 12 inch Krupp guns behind a six
foot stone parapet, in front of which
are 20 feet of earthwork and a betting
Of ,{- hot fe
sidered the most formidable of Ha-
vana's defenses, except Morro Castle.
The Morril and vicksburg were about
six miles from the schooner when the
chase began. They steamed after her
at full speed, the Morrill, leading until
within a mile and a half of the Santa
Clara batteries. Commander Smith, Of
the Vicksburg, was the first to realize
the danger into which the reckless pur-
suit had led them. He concluded it
was time to haul off, and sent a shot
across the bow of the schooner. The
Spanish skipper instantly brought his
vessel about, but while she was still
rolling in the trough of the sea, with
her sails tapping an eight inch shrap-
mel shell came hurting through the air
from the water battery, mile and a
and exploded less than so feet on the
port quarter Two more shots followed
in quick succession, both shrapnel.
The crews of both ships were at their
guns. Lieutenant Craig obtained per-
mission to return the fire. At the first
shot the Vicksburg, which was in the
wake of the Morrill,, slightly in shore,
sheered off and passed to the windward
under the Morrills' stern.
In the meantime Captain Smith also
put his helm to port, and was none
too soon, for as the Morrill, stood off
a solid eight inch shot grazed her star
board quarter and kicked up tons of
water as it struck a wave 100 yards
beyond. Captain Smith said afterward
that this was undoubtedly an eight
inch armor piercing projectile, and that
it would have passed through the Nor
rilrs boilers had he not changed her
course in the nick of time.
All the guns of the water battery
were now at work. One of them cut
the Jacobs ladder of the Vicksburg
adrift, and another carried away a por-
tion of the rigging. AS the Morrill, and
the Vicksburg steamed away their aft
guns were used, but only a few shots
were fired.
The Spaniards continued to fire shot
and shell for 20 minutes, but the shots
were ineffective. Some of them were
so wild that they aroused the American
"jackies" to jeers. The Spaniards only
ceased firing when the Morrill, and
Vicksburg were completely out of
range.
The officers Of both the Morrill, and
Vicksburg frankly admit their own
and the narrow ESCAPE of
their vessels from destruction.