The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-03-03
Edwin Campbell, who Help
ed Sink Ceryera's Fleet is
Visiting in lola.
ESCAPED THE MAINE
And Tells a Mighty Interest
ing Story Of Life on a
Cruiser to the Register
Reporter.

uhu Weaheutu were nef contribution
Withdrawn, but she has never hat
any cause for local pride in the great
deeds of the navy. In fact up to the
present week people here have had
no chance to get in touch with the ma
Wy, and living so far inland have met
no sailors and heard their tale of adj
venture A few days ago however,
there arrived here youn z man who
has had adventures and experience
at twenty years which few men
meet at fifty. He was sailor for six
years and was captain Of siA-pound-
er on board the Brooklyn, Admiral
Schley's flagship, at Santiago, and
aimed and fired many good hard
shot at the fleeing Spanish fleet. His
name is Edwin A. Campbell, and he
Is here visiting his uncle Frank Camp
bell on South Jefferson avenue. A
REGISTER reporter called upon him
and obtained the following glimpses
into the exceedingly interesting ca.
reer he has led for the past six years.
Edwin Campbell at the age of ii
years ran away from his home at Clar-
ion, Pa, and joined the navy, al
though the age for receiving is fifteen
years. He spent 8 months in the
training school at Newport, II. l., and
more on the training ship Mononga-
hela. On it he visited Lisbon, coast
ed Spain and the West Indies. In
October 1893, he was put on the New
ark, protected cruiser. aud spent
two years on the South American
station at Montevideo, Brazil, during
the trouble there. The boat assembled
the Rio de. la Plata river over 700
miles, it being the widest river in the
world. He made two trips to Cape
town, south Africa came home in '05
and went on the Yantic corvette,
and spent another year at Montevideo
BuenOs Ayres and Rio de Janeiro.
Then he changed to the Lancaster, a
wooden Cruiser at the same station,
and stayed with it till 1t went out OF
commission in Boston in 1897 when he
went ON the gun-boat Nicksburg. a
few days later he and tN elve other
companions we're drafted 10 join the
crew of the Maine, which with the
Brooklyn, Texas, Dolphin and Chi
cago, were in New York harbor. He
alone preferred the Brooklyn and oh.
tanned an exchange. The twelve join
ed the Maine and went down with it
at Havana in February 1898, thusnar
rowly did he escape an early termina.
ton to his career.
The Brooklyn, Admiral Schley's
flagship was the head of the flying
squadron, and was at st. Thomas,
Danish West Indies, when the sail
ors heard of the Maine disaster. "Of
course we thought the Spanlards did
it, he said. 1.-The boys were pretty
mad, and as there were some Spanish
sailors on land from vessel in the
harbor, our boys mixed up with them
and licked the stufiin' out of them.
You know ever since the Nirginius
affair, we always fight every Spanish
sailor we meet, and the Americans
always lick"
1--WE were ordered to Key West and
kept there until they found that
Sampson couldn't find CeTvera. Then
we started, around the south end of
Cuba. We all knew what we were
after. Other navies kept these things
from the men, but American sailors
have to be told. We didn't know
where he was and had notion to go
back to Key West, but suspected he
was at Santiago and went there. We
got there one Saturday night and
found we had him the next morning.
Just one month later, on a Sunday
morning out he came. Glad? You
bet we were glad when he came out.
We were ready, all but two OF the en-
gines were connected. 1t seems fun
all the engines connected and steam
up and at Santiago had two of them
disconnected and steam low. 1t was
an hours job to connect and 80 we
tore out with half the engines uncon-
nected. We had the advantage of be-
ing the farthest west and we headed
right in for the line of Spanish ships.
81 was captain of six-pound, rapid
fire gun, on the rear or main bridge
of the ship. My duty was to aim and
fire the gun and you bet l did it. L
can't swear that hit anything, but
rather think did judging from the
number of six-inch holes found In
their hulls. There were only six guns