The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-03-06
A Bllejacket Who Served with
Dynamite Guns.
SHIP HEAvED EARTHQUAKES
Operations Under SearchIights-A
Land HANDICAPPED Safe Craft.
No Conclusion,

One OF the bluejackets aboard the L.
5. refrigerator ship Celtic served
throughout the Spanish-American war
in the crew of the Vesuvius. It was the
Vesuvius that the people in and about
Santiago alleged was throwing earth
quakes at them. y complete descrip-
ton with picture of the Vesuvius. has
been published in this paper. so that
readers are familiar with the remark
able craft. This blueiacket told on
Saturday of the service.
The sailor said that contrary 20 gen
eral belief. men were not At all ehary
about serving on the so-called dyna-
mite cruiser. AS a matter OF fact there
has not been a single accident OF any
kind on the Vesuvius since she was
commissioned seven or eight years ago
and every experiment made with her
has been successful. She has stood not
only the criticisms OF the alarmisis,
| bus every test to which she has been
submitted.
During all OF the naval operations in
Cuban waters, there was preserved the
utmost secrecy concerning the move
ments and use of the Vesuvius. Natur-
ally the enemy would be more anxious
TO destroy her than TO put out OF the
| way any ship of the combined Aeets.
She was regarded by the SpaniaTds
with the utmost terror.
| 1t was only at night that the We
| suvius was used and but q few more
than fifty shots were fired from her
three guns. These pieces hurled. with
the aid of compressed air, about 25O
pounds of guncotton ashore. The lit
tie cruiser was brought up under the
searchlights of the battleships guard
ing the entrance 20 Santiago harboT
She would maneuver. get range, fire
her three charges quickly and then
back off at full speed. According "a
this sailor, il would have been no
trouble At all If the assignment had
| been the leveling OF MORO castle. ten
| anted by Spaniards alone, but all the
| time of TIE activity HobsOn and his
| fellow heroes were in the prison. IL
has been definitely learned since the
declaration of peace that the charges
landed by the Nesuvius did great dam
age and inflicted considerable loss Of
life. Coming up under the searchlight
she could be ranged at pleasure. She
could hot be seen from shore. for the
lCCkCuts were blinded by the search
lights.
| This jluejacket said that he did not
observe at any time any nervousness
loE the part of the crew of seventy-eighi
aboard the Vesuvius, but that all
seemed satisfied and only wanted 70
get into an engagement. Very little
| conclusion was felt on the firing tn,
shots. The breeches OF the guns are
at the bottom of the ship and the
mechanism is similar to- that OF n re-
volver. The fixed charges are carried
N chamber of six compartments. The
firing is doue under direction from the
coming tower. the same as on any
cruiser or t3ttleship.
The Vesuvius did not get n chanc,
at any o. the Cervera ships. On the
day the run was made by the Spanish
Admiral the dynamite cruiser va.
coaling at Guantanamo bay and was
able 10 get into the zone of the fighting
only after every Spaniard was bsachet
and burning. The men who werf
Iaboard the earthquake HEAVIER figured
up the doctrine of chances exactly the
same as did the men on any of the aux,
iliary cruisers of the mosquito fee
boats. An eight-inch shell would sins
any of the class. Such projeCtile
striking amidships could do no NOR,
damage, practically, to the Nesuyiu:
than to the Corsair, or Hist or even say
the Bennington.
This bluejacket, a big Native Son oi
the Golden West. a graduate OF a Cal
ifOrnia high school. said that ne want.
ed TO come over to the Pacific to get
away from the Snow Diggers" on ths
Vesuvius. He says there is more feel
ing between eastern and western mer
than between men OF the North ant
South. The Atlantic fellows call IN,
Western boys "Slopers" and nag then
all the time. But the Native Sons get
even when they catch a Snow Digger
on a ship in the Pacific.