The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-10-21

REINA MERCEDES
UP FOR REPAIRS.
Later On Uncle Sam Will Put His
Valuable Capture in First
Class Shape.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Boston. Mass, oct. ao.-The Reina Mer-
celcs, the big steel cruiser captured from
Spain AT Santiago. Is at last at rest III
Portsmouth Navy Yard. where she will
doubtless remain for generations. az a visi-
| lie evidence Of American naval prowess.
This splendid fighting ship is the finest war
trophy In the possession of our Govern
mcnt. Japan Is the only other Power IN
The world VIII. modern warships captured
! from AN enemy. England has moi been en-
gagged in IA naval war since the day Of mod
| crn battleshIps. The former Chinese ships
row IN the possession OF Japan, and the for
met Spanish ships in the possession of Uncle
| Sam. OF which the Reina Mercedes is by far
| the largest and most valuable specimen.
possess. therefore. a peculiar value and i'll
terest. The i,oinL Mercedes reached her
| permanent berth I'm Portsmouth several
weeks ago. and is now undergoing tenpor-
cry repairs.
! At present there Is no specific sum avail
\ able for re-equirrinE this souvenir Of SAINT
iIgo, hut Congress will probably be- asked
this winter 10 appropriate Il sum sufficient
Ia make her presentdDIe. The gejuvenatei
Rcina Mercedes will be an interesting object
lesson in naval history when the babies of
today are grandparents.
The Reina Mercedes is go feet 10 Inches
long. A. feet Z inches beam and Il feet ;
inches ~dIauSht. Il single-screw steel-hulied
vessel, quite as lars. as many of the trans
atlantic liners, having more than 1890 tons
displacement. She was bark rugged. and
carried a complement of nearly 4D men.
She has no protective deck, but In 1851.
when the Eeina Mercedes was built at Car
thaSena, protective decks were q rarity.
Her speed. l-3 knots made her a valuable
iEleser in SPANS maritime possessions.
There are no ships in the American
lazy with which any sort OF precise com
parison may he made, but the Boston and
the Atlanta are of the same length and dis
placement, though much heavier in arma-
ment and with greater indicated horse
power.
In condition the Reina Mercedes was
much swifter than our Chicago, Boston or
Atlanta. She had five fixed torpedo tubes
and one launching carriage. Her coal ca
racity was go tons, and when launched,
thirteen years ago. her Indicated horse-pow-
er was 1850. From neglect and isman
ageinent this subsequently fell 10 1900 horse
power.
Her armament consisted OF Fix G.2-inch
Hontoria breechioaders. mounted In spon-
sons. two 27-inch Hontcrias, three 6-pounder
Tapid-fire guns. two machine guns. two
4-pounders and six s-pounders. In May. 1898.
before our fleet penned Cerrera In Santiago
harbor. two of the 6-inch guns were re-
moved and mounted or the crest Of Socapa
battery. on the left Of the entrance to, the
IL pounds. One IN the aft SPONSOR. port
side. of the Reina Mercedes. all rusted and
covered with barnacles. to-day. is alone
worth a trip to the Portsmouth Navy Yard
TO see. so much for the material side.
Everybody knows how carefully Eng
IdHI mas preserved ner naval relics. The
English now have anchored In the Thames
an American warship. the President, bear
Ing the fgurehead OF John Adams on tho
bow. and captured from us in the Wal OF
1872. They also had the Chesapeake. but
she was broken up We have many English
naval relics, but no English ship entire.
As. she now lies tightly hawsered to two
mushroom anchors she Is n picture
OF ruin. Her rusty. crushed and
wrecked galley. where. twenty-four
men were killed I'm an Instant by a Is
inch shell from the Massachusetts and their
bodies scaldsd. bespeaks a terrible les
son. No one is on board the Reina Mercedes
now save a grave. taciturn boatkeeper. who
mas n bunk in what was once a richly-fur-
nished officers cabin.
Now and then Il bit Of rusty ex-
posed to wind and weather, breaks Off and
goes Gathering down the riddied berth
deck. and clanks against the hull with a
hollow echo following after. The wind
whistles hoarsely through the ~wreckage,
and suddenly the breech Of a torpezio-tube
tangs smartly against the bolt latch. In
the moonlight ghostly figures seem to beck
on In the shadows OF the hull.
When Hobson and his men lay clinging
10 a raft in the murky waters of Santiago
Bay. after the sinking OF the MerrImac. a
launch containing Admiral Cervera picked
them up and conveyed them to the Reina
Mercedes. which had fired several torpedOes
at them previously. There they were cared
Tor as brave men care for intrepid fOemen.
and fed and clothed.