The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-06
Defed MORO Castle Guns While Lin
Eering Near VainIy Hoping to Pick
Up the Golfers Men.
PLAN OF THE UNDERTAKING
DETAILS FROM HOBsON HIMSELF ON
THE DESPERATE VENTURE.
Courage and Skill OF the Lieutenant
Wins the Highest Praise-COm-
ments of Foreign Press.

Copyright, 1898. by the Associated Press)
ON BOARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DISPATCH BOAT DAUNTLESS, OFF
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, June 8, Z a. m.-Via
Port Antonio, Jamaica, June 4 delayed in
Enthusiastically one of the most brilliant
exploits in naval annals the cork has been
driven into the bottle of Santiago de Cuba
and the Spanish feet could not be more Sc
cure were the entrance to that harbor
doored, barred and double locked and the
key dropped in the depths of the sea. Lieut..
Richmond p. Hobson, of the flagship New
York, with volunteer crew of seven men.
under cover Of the darkness after the moon
had Set shortly after 3 o'clock this morn
ing, ran the big collier Merrimac into the
throat of the harbor, swung her broadside
across the channel and then exploded and
sank her. He succeeded in this desperate
enterprise under the fire of the batteries
and forts which guard the entrance, with
out support from the fleet.
Ensign Powell, of the New York, with
steam launch, crept close under the guns of
MORO Castle to take off the heroes of the
Merrimac and remained there pluckily until
daylight discovered his position, without
seeing trace of the Merrimacs daring
crew. To have remained longer would have
been sheer madness. AS it was he returned
under heavy fire from the Mauser rifles
and the heavy guns of the batteries. Lieu
tenant Hobson and his men are now Span
ish prisoners, as flag of truce announces,
and will be exchanged in due course of
time, but that their mission was successful
admits of no doubt. Ensign Powell dis
tinctly saw the spar of the wrecked ship
in the middle of the channel. Lieutenant
Hobson planted her at the very point he had
calculated.
CuShingS memorable feat in blowing up
the Confederate ram Albemarle is over
matched by Hobson's act, for Cushing's men
crept up Albemarle sound at midnight and
fell an unsuspecting foe. Hobson took
his ship over 800 feet long into the focus cf
the battery with the enemy at the guns,
and blew her up. Discovery at the end of
his journey was inevitable and death was
almost certain. No name, therefore, can be
written higher on the temple of fame than
his. Like Cushing's deed, Hobson's desper-
ate undertaking was conceived by him whom
executed it.
When Rear Admiral Sampson joined Com
modore Schley on Wednesday, the latter al
ready ascertained that it would be impossi-
bic for the fleet to crawl into the rathole
in which the Spanish fleet had taken refuge.
The mines across the entrance and the bat
teries which commanded it made the mere
contemplation of it an act of folly. The
commodore was inclined to think the dyna-
mite cruiser Vesuvius might be able to coun-
termine, but the ships would have to go in
single, and if one were sunk in the channel
the progress of the others would be blocked.
1t was then that Lieutenant Hobson con-
ceved the scheme of sinking a big collier
across the harbor entrance and asked to be
allowed to execute it himself. 1t seemed
certain death and almost certain failure as
the odds were Overwhelmingly against
reaching the entrance before discovery, but
Hobson so enthusiastic that his conf
dence was infectious, and the admiral fin
Any reluctantly gave his consent.
UNDER NO FALSE FLAG.
Lieutenant Hobson's anxiety was that in
the dark he might miss the narrow gut and
run on to the shoals at the west of the en-
trance. To prevent the possibility of this
the plan of allowing the Merrimac to run
in under the Spanish flag with the fleet in
feigned pursuit firing blank cartridges and
blazing the path to the harbor entrance
with searchlights was considered, but aban-
doned, because, among other reasons, Lieut..
Hobson and his volunteer crew did not want
to die, if their lives should be sacrificed
under false .colors. They wanted to go down
with the stars and stripes floating proudly
from the Merrimac.
When the admirals consent was obtained
Lieutenant Hobson became impatient of all
delay, and that very night "wednesday
after the moon went down, he set the time
for the attempt. Volunteers were called for
on all the ships of the fleet, and of the en-
tire American navy but few fiinched Whole
cheering crews stepped forward at the
summons for the extra hazardous duty
About three hundred on board the New
York. some $50 on board the Iowa, and
like proportion on the other ships volun-
teered, but Lieutenant Hobson decided to
risk as few lives as possible. He picked
three men from the New York for the Mer-
rimac. The latter were green, but they
knew the ship. Six other men were selected
from various ships. with Ensign Powell to
command the launch which was to lie at
the harbor mouth and take off those who
escaped.
The Merrimac was made ready. Six tor
pedoes were strung along her port SIDE |
with wire connections to the bridge. Her
anchors were dashed at the bow and stern |
Her cargo of coal was shifted and her cargo
ports We're open SO that she would more
readily fill when the time came to cut her
anchor lashings. open the sea cocks and
torpedo her bulkheads. The work was not