Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-29

and kept right on up the bay as though
nothing had happened.
'Of course, we didn't know much of what
was going on up above. The battle matches
were all battered down and we were shut
in this little hole, the ventilating pipes be-
ing the only things left open.
Everybody had received orders to stand
by his post and do his best until the shoot
ing match was over. The temperature was
nearly up to 200 degrees at this time, and 1t
was so hot our hair singed There were
several leaks in the steam pipes, and the
kissing hot steam made things worse.
"The clatter of the engines and the roar
ing OF the furnaces made such din 1t
seemed ones head would burst When a
man could stand it no longer he would put
his head under the air pipe for moment
and try to cool off a little. The heat grew
so unbearably fierce at times our hands ana
wrists would seem on fire, and we had to
plunge them in water. All the water We
had was in an old pork barrel, and it tasted
more like hot brine than water. But bad
as it was 1t would at least moisten our
throats. About 4:3O that morning we were
ordered on deck to get breath Of air and
q cup of coffee. We were given to under
stand when we dived down into our furnace
again that the battle was going to begin at
once
1--WE knew that might mean that this was
the last glimpse we would ever get of the
deck and we went down prepared to go to
tho bottom of Manila bay. Battened down
the way we we're in the bottom of the ship,
had we been sunk there would not have
been the slightest chance of escape.
I'VE could tell when our guns opened fire
by the way the ship shook; we could scarcely
stand on our feet the vibration was so great.
Just at that moment l glanced at the CLOCK
hanging on the wall and saw it was $3.50
o'clock.
From that time on the din was something
horrible. Every once in a while one OF the
apprentice boys would come to our ventilat-
ing pipe and shout down from the deck what
was going on. That was the only way We
could tell how the battle was going. We
kept on working all the time as hard as We
could. The ship shook fearfully that the
eoot and cinders poured down on us in
clouds. Now and then big drop of scald-
ing water would fall on our bare heads ana
the pain was intense.
lone by one three of our men were over
come by the terrible heat and were hoisted
to the upper deck
whenever a Spanish ship would make a
move out toward us some Of the boys on
deck would shout down that they were
| coming for us full tilt. We knew it meant
sure death If the Olympia got shot through
it anywhere in our vicinity. We were suf-
| fering so much from the heat and thirst
| that death didn't frighten us. / guess we
| all thought it couldn't be much worse than
| what we were going through. Along toward
| the last of our first engagement an ap-
prentice boy shouted down the pipe that
| a Spanish torpedo boat was making
| straight for us. l don't believe any of us
| had said more than a word or two up to
| that time, but at this news almost all OF
| us set up some kind of a shout. We knew
| II that torpedo boat reached us that would
| be the windup.
| But it never did reach us, and in few
| minutes the boy yelled again and said the
| boat had been riddled by our guns. This
news brought a cheer from the men, and
we felt considerably better. About s O'Clock
we drew off for consultation OF war. we
went on deck then for a breathing spell
and a bite to eat, and I can tell you we
were mighty glad Of the change. We were
| all surprised that the decks weren't covered
with blood and mangled bodies, and could
| scarcely believe it when they told US no
| one was hurt.
| 81 shall never forget those few hours
spent in front of the furnaces in Manila
| bay 1t seemed to me the longest day
| ever lived I'm not anxious to go through
| II again. and l don't think any Of the others
are"