The San Francisco call., 1899-04-30

the Winslow came under fire she drew
in a little more and brought her battery
OF five-inch guns to bear. The Hudson
turned out at once when her captain
heard the guns going, and passing be-
tween the two merchant vessels he ran
over TO the Wilmington for orders. lie
was ordered to close in and join the
action, and he did SO, taking position
in line with the Winslow.
Thus situated the three vessels kept up
a rapid fire until the men on the Hudson
noticed that something was wrong with
the steering gear of the Winslow. A hail
to her met the reply that she was ali
right A few minutes after something
more serious happened TO the Winslow's
steering gear and she seemed TO have lost
the control of her helm altogether, but
still her commander, Lieutenant Berna-
dou. kept i'm the fight. he could steer
with his engines he said
Then came the final injury to the tor
pedo boat. a shell took her in the waist
and entered one of her boilers, and she
lay helpless with her engines powerless
Then she signaled the Hudson and asked
TO be tOwed out of the fierce rain of shell
that was falling about her. All through
the action she had been the principal tar
get for the Spanish gunners, and they
seemed bent on destroying her at least
before the fight ended.
The Hudson drew alongside in a drec-
tion calculated to run her across the
WinslOW's bows. There was barely
enough water to float the tug where the
WinslOw lay, and she had to maueuVer
very carefully TO avoid the fatal mistake
Of getting aground while directly under
nre. Lieutenant Scott was in command
OF her after siX-pounder, and Lieutenant
Ernest Meade of her forward gun, and
oh ,,f ,a hot
Scott mounted the low rail of the reve-
nue. boat and with a heaving line in his
hand awaited his opportunity.
AS the Hudson ran past the WinSlow he
hove MS line, but it was too short, and
the weighted end fell in the water some
yards from the Winsluw's side. Bagley
was waiting for the line. He and Scott
were old friends, and he sung out TO the
revenue officer across the narrow stretch
OF water between them, For Gods sake
get US out Of that fellows fire." and Scott
answered, Keep your shirt on, old mani
Wen get you out in a minute" Whether
II was the fire of the Spaniards or the
fire of the Wilmington lying Just beyond
them, Scott did not know.
The Hudson backed down again on the
torpedo-boat She worked slowly and
cautiously, and Scott, with the log line
Dent on the heaving line to make il long
er, waited for another chance. The
Huuson was coming toward the Winslow
stern nrSt, or nearly so. The Winslow
was lying with her bow to the west
bringing her port side to the shore and
her starbOard side out. Standing by the
one-pounder on her starboard rail was
Bagley and his guns crew. He was
watching Scott, and was standing with
his back TO the Spanish batteries and his
face toward the Hudson and the Will
mington. His men We're faced as he
was They We're looking right into ScOtt's
eyes and he was pOising himself for a
throw, when he saw the flash of a burst
ing shell right among the men on the
WinSloW.
He saw Bagley's face disappear; saw
the front of his body torn open from his
waist to his hair and the bleeding trunk
hurled back across the narrow deck of
the torpedO-bOat, until il lay an unrec-
ognizable mass among the men with
whom he had stood but q minute before.
thrown backwards, their faces crushed
and torn and themselves stretched on
their backs all over the decks, and but
one fell near the rail. The others were
all blown inward and toward the shore
side of the vessel. each with the marks
of the explosion upon his face while their
backs, which had been toward the Span
ish guns, were uninjured.
It took twenty minutes Of careful ma
nCuVering to finally pass the line and then
Il broke but the disabled vessel was final
y tOWed out Of danger. BY this time the
Wilmington had set the recall signal and
was herself making for the open sea. Sig
nails were made on the Winslow and the
Hudson 10 notify her OF their predicament
and of the need of assistance for
the wounded, but a. none of the
signals werel answered the captain
OF the Hudson started to toot his
whistle. This caused the Wilmington to
slow up and as the tug and her tow ran
alongside the captain Of the Wilmington
hailed the Hudson. What do you mean
by footing your whistle in that fashion,
he demanded. BY Cod sir, because /
wanted YOU TO stop, was the angry an
sWeT from Captain NewComD Of the. tug,
and without any more words. surgeons
were put aboard the smaller boats and
the three ran out to sea.
That is the story of the action and upon
the maneuvering Of he ships as de-
5Cribed the serious charge against Ameri-
can gunnery and discipline is made The
Wilmington was cruising back and forth
beyond the smaller boats, while they
were struggling to get the line passed
from one TO the other. and they were at
times If not all the time in range be-
tween the gunbOat and the shore, where
the Spanish vessels were lying. The shell
effect was seen on lie faces and the
breasts Of the men 1t wounded, not on
their backs. And that gives rise to these
question which are asked about the fatal
shot.
Why was it when the men killed were
faced from the Spanish guns they were
mudlated in the face and breast? They
We're waiting for the line from Scott and
g. they faced him they were faced toward
the Wilmington.
Why was II they were blown backward
toward the Spanish gunboats if the shell
was travelling in a direction TO blow them
over the Winslow's side and into the wa
ter? The burst Of a shell is in the direc-
ton Of its fight and the Spanish shells
were flying toward the Wilmington, not
away from her.
why was it shells were bursting in the
nh hot s1r.rr- F,rl,s-