The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-27
LOSS OFTHE URDANETA.
The Report of the Ranking survive
nf fhs. nGsosfer

of the Disaster.
Rear Admiral Watson has forwarded 10
the Navy Department the reports CT
coxswain d. J. Greene and First-ciass Ap-
prentice George d. Powers on the loss CT
the gunboat Urdaneta. which went aground
IN the Orani River In the Philippines last
September. band of insurgents attacked
the beat and killed or captured all the on
| GERS and men and destroyed the boat
Inc urdaneta was under the command CT
Naval Cadet William C. Wood. who was
! Killed. Capt. George r. f. Urlde OF Al
ni1sI watson heet. highly praises tho
I conduct OF Cadet Wood and his men
The insurgents carried the prisoners
\ back into the mountains and held them
! captive until about December L. when they
were all released or escaped. The rep0rts
| OF Greene and Powers are very similar.
| That Of Greene Is as follows:
Il was chief petty officer on the Ur-
daneta. On Sunday. September II. 1899.
we we're anchored off Balanga, and got
under way at about AIS a. M, to 20 IN the
Orani River. When we got abreast of Ora
nj Town We overhauled all the cascos we
could see. but found nothing contraband
except bolos. We met no resistance At
about 10 a. m. we started to turn around
and got aground. We we're then about
one-fourth mile above the town. There
are in the village OF Orani one stone
building beside the church, several two
story houses, and the water front Is
lined with bamboo shaeks Before get
/ ting aground. Mr.. Wood had sent me
ashore with three men to take a look
along the water front We saw "a lot
Z OF Filipinos under the shacks. could
/ Just see their legs. and as / thought there
/ we're a couple Of hundred OF them / was
AFRAID 10 land, and so went back to the
Urdaneta.
AT about noon the tide had fallen so
/ that there was only about six inches Of
water under the ship. she was upright. we
had kedge and line out on the quarter
to steady her. We got all hands over the
side and scraped and painted the bottom.
We finished that work at about o'clock
D. m. All hands were sitting around the
deck playing cards or reading at about
$50 p. m. volley was fired at us from
behind a stone wall on the starboard bow
that was about fifty yards distant on the
right or west bank OF the river. and. i'm
iBediately after. another yoiley was fired
from the brush. on the starboard BEAM
about thirty yards distant and that was
followed by one from the starboard quarter
that almost raked us fore and aft We
had sent most of our ammunition below,
but had one hopper fun on the Nordenfeldt
gun, and one box of Colt ammunition ON
deck, but 1t was not on the gun There
We're hfteen one-pounder charges on deck
The gun covers were on. As soon "a the
first volley was fired we crouched down
behind the rail. and Mr.. Wood gave Tho
order to man the guns Eyervbodv iumnaI
to his station without anv besitaticns at All
We fired steadily for about fifteen minutes
with everything we had. aud that smoth-
ered the enemys fire completely
''Stone had been Knocked arav from III,
Nordenferdt gun twice. He was eaptain
of 1t. Then made him leave the gun Mr.
Wood was firing the one-pounder and Pow
ers was firing the Coli p,,n ms. az s,or.
was shot and left the NordenfeIdt Mr.
Wood left the oue-pounder with Herhe-f
as captain and he came afr to take the
Nortenfeldt He fred the Norda,,eJdt 70.
five or ten minutes. then no was nil in ,ba
Because the bullet went thro,sgb
him he did not bleed very much. Prior To
this Stone. and GRAY had been nit cfc,s
had his ear knocked of and another vso,,nS
in his head. GRAY was hit in thes LET,
shoulder bv the frst voIIev but ba 80,
tinued to fire a e-mm rifle wos aiso
firing q 6-mm rifle We could MOI c., :.
souI but fireJ WHARF -,rs ,ho,,ot, H.. - .
l saw Powers kill one man with tb., COLI
gun. and he had fifteen holes in hin,
Whom H.. Wood ,.o. ri, -, 81. = -
nnH Nrag ltrfn l.,,Is
/ Thought no was dead then and ,s 'b; ~
looked pretty HACK I ordered All f-;ns- -
cease. I was going tn wait tn saa n tho,
We're going to make n charge on nc vbss
We could fire with some erect Tho TOO
firing pins OF the one-pouuder had broken
and we could not use that gun. There were
three or four Lee rifles that had broken ex-
tractors, and there was one barrel of tie
Nordenfeldt that would not fire
Il got all hands amidship. and was
going TO see If anyone could shift the bar
rel n the Colt gun. We had a spare bar
rel. Suddenly MI. Wood sat up. or raised
himscit M his arm, and told me to hay.
one oil the men maui up the boat that was
istein. told MIN we would all be KILLED
as soon as we got IN tue river. ard told
s mn We n-,u Letter sti'y oy the snip until
Ia any way pu. ne sdiu that our Only
.ls =. was 70 tahe ehs Doat ana trF aud
y ro,sihi, Is ~ '.e li'et Us 9oon
-o,,ts o1a,,,d -, ~ a., '"e
1nIIets were av,re I,te boiI ~, Ill
,ot 500 tho srsY,,,, 7 toId uorba,t p, ,,r,
he boat IN The naiuta, yvae NOT and
ammed and il tooL a eouple Of rninufes
or him to clear it. during which time he
vas exposed to all the fire He hauled th,.
,oat 10 the port side. which was away from
he enemy The oars were manned.
put the enemy could not see us until we
rot clear of the ship.
I'VE found that we had to drag the boat
through the mud for fifteen or twent,
ards. We had no sooner got to open wa
er. where we could pull then we were
ired into by the men who had been on our
tarboard bow. and they all rushed down
nto the river after rs. up TO their arm
its.
ssOttr oars wore hit and finally only ono