The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-10-14

! A SUPREME MOMENT.
THIS is the story, never before told

Oh the mOSt aBOnlZlnS uOultnt oI
the Spanish-Ame erican war-a moment
which controlled the fate of 500 Amer
lean jackies and officers, a pause but
for which the torpedo boat Porter
would have blown the flagship New
York to bits.
The story is told now by E. w. Nc
Cready, correspondent of the New
York Herald, who was on board the
Porter and who was pledged to Sc
crecy so long as active operations
against the Spanish continued. But
now that the war is over he has been
released from his promise and tells
for the first time the story of an epi-
sode which is still spoken of only in
whispers in naval circles.
The New York and the Porter met
one night during the blockade of Ha-
vana under strange circumstances
which would have justified either in
destroying the other, and for a few
seconds the lives Of 500 men were in
the hands Of one. The torpedo boat
lay SO close under the cruisers side
that one could have tossed a biscuit
against it. /
But, inviting death while he waited,
Lieut.. John c. Fremont, of the Porter.
hailed once more-a lions voice ring
ing clear above the churning screws
and humming blowers-and that final
hail averted the catastrophe.
1t is memorable that duty scarcely
demanded this last warming.
There are some things about 1t
which have never been explained. 1t
appears that the New York was some
distance from her blockading station.
For the rest the feet was displaying
no lights except an occasional electric
signal. The night was dark. Ger
vera's fleet was not accounted for, ard
his cruisers and destroyers were ex-
pected at any moment. The Porter
was on scout duty, and, more impor-
tant yet, the usually infallible night
fignal apparatus of the New York
played Sampson false for once and
brought him and all who sailed with
him nearer to death than they had
been before or since.
1t was the Porter's business to pre-
vent any Spanish vessel from Green
ing up on the blockading squadron un-
awares. The American ships at all
hazards must be apprised of the ap-
proach of an enemy. The Ardois sys-
TEN of signal lights includes a signal
which, flashed for secosd in the dark
ness, means "enemy's vessel in sight !"
That might be used ii the scout were
within signal distance of Sampson's
tx-ha ha
craft. But as fog and darkness are
preeminently the conditions favorable
Tor torpedo work, the Porter's bust
ness was to investigate the character
OF every strange ship, and if satisfied
that she was Spanish, to blow her up
On that dark blockade the Ameri-
can ships recognized one another in
two ways-one being the position in
which a vessel appeared, which should
be her night blockading station. and
the other being an Ardois signal.
which was changed from night to
night. So if, for instance, the New
York, cruising slowly westward. sight
ed another ship running without
nights and not occupying one of the
plockadlng stations, she would flash.
let us say, two red lights above one
white one. If the stranger answered
properly and promptly, the New York
could go about her business. Other
wise the batteries would be manned
signal warning all vessels within sip-
nal distance would be set, and the fl o.
ship would close in and get the stran-
gers range.
"A light on the port bow" the look
out announced.
The lieutenant looked at it for a
moment and spoke to the man in the
. coming tower. We were going along
gently, making only five knots an
hour.
'How's your head?" he asked.
"Nor-west by west-half-west," was
the reply.
We crulsed westward. Ilay down on
deck near a ne-pounder-too near.
Lieut.. Fremont went below for nan.
Ensign Gillis-it was he who picked