The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-21
M'cALL AS A COMMANDER.
Rigid Discipline Maintained on Mar
blehead in War Times.

cruiser Newark, is often thought of and
spoken of as a disciplinarian of such
! rigid ideas that he is likely to use Sc
verify where firmness would be suffi-
cient That where Capt. McCalla is
there is discipline, is as true saying as
it is a needless one. But everybody who
became familiar with conditions on the
Marblehead during her ceaseless activ-
tiles of last summer commented on the
apparent freedom from arbitrary for
malities that characterized the ship.
There was no suggestion of the marti-
net which her captain had been repre-
sented to be- Everything was done that
was required to be done and was done
on time; everybody was busy, yet with
time to be courteous, and everybody
was manifestly contented to much
greater degree than appeared to be the
case on some of the ships after months
in the tropics. The spirit of one man
pervaded the ship, which in unconscious
recognition of this was as often called,
and by her own men as well as others,
the McCalla as the Marblehead. 1t was
just a bit curious at first to hear men
who were supposed to be secretly chat
ing under the requirements of sharp
disciplinarian, requesting friends ana
chance acquaintance to spread the
custom Of calling their ship after their
commander and to give his name TO
Guantanamo Bay.
An unpublished incident of the cam
paign in that bay throws up into strong
light the aggressive nature of the Mar
blehead's commander, and his quick de-
lection of salient facts and his equal
readiness to reprove or commend, show,
perhaps, one of the secrets both of the
efficiency of the ship and the popular
ity of the man directing her. 1t was one
morning after the warships, golfers,
TRANSPORTS and supply ships, lying in
the harbor during the night, had found
themselves under the Mauser fire of
Spanish guerillas who had come down
the western shore of the bay from
Caimanera, in the darkness, and from
points of the land comparatively near to
the ships had sent shower OF the bull
lets with their quick sharp ping-g!
ping-g pingg! across the decks. SINH
lar performances had marked more
than one night, and the Americans were
tired of them, 50 it was determined to
rake the woods and bush of that shore
on that June morning pretty thorough
ly.
Most of the small fire had come from
a neninsula with a broad end jutting
out from the main western shore, call
ed Hicacal Point, and frorD a point
Just to the north Of the peninsula, from
which 1t is separated by the main cham
mel of the harbor leading up to Ceima-
nera. The ST. Louis took position at
the southerly end ok the peninsula to
rake it northward, The Suwanee ran
up into the shallow water eastward or
the upper point to attend to the null
sances there. The Marblehead from
her station well down the harbor
steamed slowly up to gain favorable
position whence her fire should cross
that of the st. Louis (only the st. Lou
is couldn't shoot that morning, and
sent most of her shots away over into
the channel beyond, and once imperil-
led the Suwanee.)
whats the range, navigator?
Commander McCalla asked as the ship
neared the position he intended her to
take.
Nineteen hundred yards"
''Iet them have one from the forward
gun there at 1000 yards. Have you got
it? Fire"
The shot from the six-pounder fell
into the water not far from the shore.
20. you'll have to do better than that
for us, navigator. Increase your range
Ito the gunner) 125 yards and let go
again.
The shell struck the sands Just out
side the line of trees The ship until
then had not quite come to a stop
What now do you make the range
navigator"
"Twenty-one hundred yards"
Make the range 2200 yards and make
those woods hot"
Other guns of the ship began to speak.
The ST. Louis was sending her wild
shots over into the channel The
transport Panther was barking down
near the st. Louis. The Suwanee was
roaring with her 5-inch broadsideS, as
it seemed, so quickly she was firing.
Signal the ST. Louis her shots are
going over. Who fired that last gun
aft? Amend your range and fire into
the brush there. twenty-five hundred
yards and a little to the northward."
The Marblehead was using her port
guns as she lay headed up the bay.
Commander McCalla stood on the port
side of the bridge, his glass at his eyes
one moment as he scanned the shore
and at his side the next as he watched
his gunners on the deck below at either
side of him. The guns kept on speak
ing.
THAT midships gun has 1t right. Put
another one right there. Signal Su-
vance he'll be aground if he runs down
that shore any further. Who is firing
that after gun? What do you mean?
Send that man up here!
The commanders tone suggested a
sentence of instant death. A strapping
young fellow, with the arms of black
smith, came upon the bridge.
"Are you firing that gun? What atls
you? Go back and be careful. Put the
shots where 1 tell you"
From Just over the crest of low
hill at bend of the shore north and
eastward of the Suwanee there came
suddenly volleys Of musketry fire d.
rected upon that active little ship.
ASK Capt. Delehanty If he wants us
to attend to those fellows. Lovely!"
This last exclamation upon swinging
his glass just in time to see the last
shot from that troublesome after gun.
Put another one right there. Good.
The man at that gun stand out. Splen-
did, That's what we wanti"
This was said, be it remembered, to
the same man who few moments be-
fore had been called to the bridge for
reproof and, like the reproof, the com
mendation was hearty and public.
cut a shrapnel at $500 yards and let
those fellows who are bothering SUI
vance have it,"
Such was McCalla on the bridge. The
next afternoon the circling vultures
over the peninsula woods and above
Hicacal showed that that mornings
work had not been in vain. Cubans
later taken up by the Suwanee con-
hrmed the indications of the buzzards.
New York Sun.