Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-22
A TALK WITH CAPT. EVANS.
/ ;uk and Skill Of the Navy in The War With
Spain.

4
| New York Sun, and has since been
| made much of a the clubs and in So
ciety, especially as he is the first of the
notable naval commanders of the
Spanish war to visit this city Every
| where he has been pressed to tell the
story of his experience
| You employed us in that affair with
the Spanish and we think we did a
good job of it, he said in answer to
one remark. But we had two excel
lent bosses-the clear headed Ohio
man, Mckinley, and the practical Yam
kee Long: the latter of whom let the
navy attend to its own business while
he attended 10 his. We of the navy
had felt for two years that war was
| inevitable and had been quietly pre-
pairing for il at your expense and at
the risk of being court-martialed out
of the service if it should not come.
About the only difference between the
condition of the navy very few
| months before the declaring of war
| and when it was on war footing was
that it had increased by a second or
two the speed at which it could load
and fire shotted gun. Twenty hours
after the declaration of war the last
cargo of spring chickens had passed
into Havana harbor from Florida for
many a long day. If one of the three
or four shots fired by the Spanish at US
or as warning when we We're first
sighted off Havana that night had
struck US Havana would have been
taken before morning. We had been
ordered not to fire on the city. but we
did not interpret this as an order not
to return fire.
Il consider ii remarkable record in
seamanship that during all our ma
nOeuvring last summer no two ships
collided. Luck seemed to be with us.
too. AS an instance of the latter is the
, fact that Spanish sunners one day
landed and exploded three heavy
calibre shells on the Iowa in the very
midst Of my crew. of 600 men, just as if
the missiles had been thrown into a
closely crowded hall or lecture room,
and not man was seriously hurt. one
of the explosions blew off the hats of Is
of my men and l was amazed to dis
cover no bloodshed when the smoke
cleared away.
An experience new to me was hav-
ing the Iowa put on picket duty when
we were watching Cervera. All the
/
books say that battleships must be
taken 80 or 40 miles from shore at
night, anchored first at one point and
Then at another. SO that the enemy
cannot locate them. Admiral Sampson
sgnalled me to take the Iowa up the
harbor mouth. How far up must |
go?' [ signalled back, | confess. with
considerable anxiety. as besides Ger
! fe At nj Ia
there wel doubtless countless torpe-
does in there. Go in until you can dis
tinguish the movements of a small
rowing boat in the harbor,' came back
the answer. How long must | stay
II again anxiously signalled. All
night was the answer. l went up
that harbor until l could not only
plainly follow the movements of any
small boat ahead of me with my glass.
but could notice the blinking eyes of
the Spanish sentrieS as my searChlight
struck them. For SO nights we kept
that kind of watch on Cervera. The
answer to the oft-repeated question OF
why did CerVera try to come out in the
daytime is found in that nightly vigil.
Had he tried it at night his squadron
would have been blown into toOthpicks
by the watchful Sampson before he
had fairly left the harbor.
We all regretted that the Merrimac
had to be sunk in the harbor. We felt
that sooner or later we would have to
20 in there after Cervera and the wreck
would. of course, be in our way.
Therefore. we were all deeply thank
full when we learned that she had sunk
in a way not greatly to interfere with
| ha IN v
the Merrimac was sunk there at all
was that Admiral Sampson received
orders to hurry to the Mediterranean
to intercept Camara's fleet and the
blockading fleet a Santiago would
necessarily be greatly weakened ac-
cordingly.
"Whcn Sampson Signalled asking for
volunteers to sink the Merrimac ana
the matter was announced, the nine
teen officers and 600 men of the iowa
ut once volunteered. The work Of
formally enrolling volunteers was then
: begun. but when $50 names mad beeh
inscribed as quickly as pen and INK
could be used | saw the folly of such
wholesale efforts and slgnalled the
query How many volunteers DO you
vant?' one seaman was the response.
| FINALLY two men were CHOSEN llolii
whom to make the final choice. one
! of these Paine. was with me when |
had that little trouble with the Chlllans
ana 7 knew he was all right. lmme-
diatelv the crew begun making bets as
to who should be the successful aspi-
rant for the honor which all so greatly
coveted. | called the two men, PANE
and Murphy. up and said to them:
Now lads. whoever goes with the
Merrimac goes to almost certain death
There is not one chance in a mliiloh
that a man Of the expedition VIII es-
came death Here Paine said to Mur-
nhv if having been decided that the
matter should be settled by tossing
coin: m give you $50 Tor your
chance Murphy declined and won the
toss. m give you $50 if you II let me
"a in your place. said Paine. Murphy
5ocIined the bride and tears coursed
down poor Paine's cheeks from bitter
ness of disappointment as he joined inc
rest of the crew
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