The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-05-18
BART TELLS IT
Graphically Describes Narrow
Escape of the Vicksburg.
Governor Barnes last night received

Governor Barnes last night received
the following;
on Havana, cuba. May no.. 1S9S.
My Dear Father since We have
been ON blockade / have heard nothing
from you although the newspaper boats
bring our mail out and take it into
Key West nearly every day You prob
ably noticed ON me back of the enve-
lope of he last letter ! sent you that
tne batteries had opened fire on us
twice since we have been here. The first
time about 6 o'clock one bright after
noon. These were apparently old style
guns ana did not reach us, the near
est falling ahom half "a mile short.
An the officers were assembled on the
qu1rter-deck laying around smoking
and watching the Spanish target % vac
tice. Tho firing that afternoon caused
none of us any concern. But on Wow
different the next morningl 7 had
be ~ sent in a boat from the Vicksburg
To- The MayioWeI In answer to q signal
when n schooner was sighted heading
for Havana ana about four miles from
u.s. There was delay Of about fifteen
minutes iu getting the boat back 90 the
ship with me and getting it hoisted.
Then we with the converted revenue
cutter Morrill, started fun speed In pur-
suit side 10y side When within three
miles uf the schoonernow rapidly near
ing the north coast of Havana en-
trance. a blank charge was fired from
one of our forward six-pounders,
which In military p1rlance means
"hcave to- or stop. As She gave no in
dic1tiun uf ubcyine the order ! was
sent below to nre "a solid shot from the
same gun with explicit orders 60 aim 1t
Vide of the schooner. This i'm the same
language means "hcavc to" with few
lines under it ANA in staccato tone of
voice The cunning little Spaniard
knowing that she was leading us right
under the guns Of IIavaua's most pow
crrul shore batteries. hauled down her
iig which is preparatory To- heaVing To-
but hauled before the wind and ran all
thc harder for The harbor. Then while
] was standing by the same iN-pound-
OPP waiting for the order 10 put a hole
through her, word was passed 10 Gre
the pivot f-pound gun at her. This shot
fel short of her some hundred yards
and J came on deck and a signal from
NII' hl''II 200 lll llts NfA l'.A iNN " Ft iitti l
| Gcer Then it was that iho whole wcs-
tern battery opened fire, not at the two
Of us in bunch. but picking each ship
and firing carefully aimed shots. As
against these land batteries we turned
against these sand batteries We turned
| tail and got out of range as quickly as
| possible of fire that would have de-
! struyod MS i'm short order had we re-
maincd and 10 which We were unable
to reply Turning around brought my
| poop 4-pound gun To- bear on the
schooner now nearly in the harbor.
obtained the captains permission to
! try "a shot at her at which fell about
tAo hundred yards short with sights
set o. $500 yards, but the range was
| splendid. / had one more try which
! r,ll Just ahead of her and we We're soon
out of range The batteries fired siS
or more shots at us all of which fel
| very near. As we could not return IN,
Gre the only thing To do was To- watch
them fall We would see a puff OF
smoke jump out OF The ground thcr
| wait for about seven seconds Gt seem
ed as long as a whole mid watchJ O..
spe 10 drop. one shell.a sharpnel, burs
right over our fprcCastle ana as thcr,
Wcr. at least tWent men there an,
four officers ON the bridge, one of whom
/ Was AN unprotected. II was Godl
providence that many were not killed
Neother the Morrill, nor ourselves SUI
farod much damage. No loss OF life
We had some rigging carried away,
strand Of which ] win send you as
souvenir of The first shot that strucl
Neither the Morrill, nor ourselves suf
feeling To- be fired at when you canno
return it, but oncers and men bar
themselves honorably I'm a momen
where a stout heart was needed. w
have captured as prizes two fshin
schouncrs loaded with fish, worth prob
ably together twenty-five hundred dol
lars The nights are getting dark nov
which necessltates a more vigllan
lookout during night watches. w
have five lookouts about the decks a
night stationed at intervals all owe
the ship; no sign of light shows an
mo- noise whatever disturbs the mid
night stiffness. The powerful search
. light on Moro Castle swings from ON
horizon 60 the other but fails To dis
0 unguish any of our mud colored shlr
% from the surrounding stations w
have a private signal Of three light
which Is changed every night alWay
p ready to hoist which IL answered prov,
e a yess,. to be friendly and unansWere