The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-31
MURPHY ON MERR|MAC
THE MAN INJURED YESTERDAY
ON THE OREGON.
Was Wounded When He Fired the
First Torpedo That Opened the Mer-
rimac's Collision Bulkhead.

Boatswain J. E. Murphy of the Ore
gon, who was severely injured yester-
day by the breaking of the anchor
chain escaped very similar fate in the
performance of the daring deed for
which he was one of Hobson's volun-
teers at Santiago. After escaping with
his life under circumstances that
seemed to make the chances against
MIN a hundred to one, he narrowly
missed instant death and actually re-
ceived severe injuries, in the peaceful
proceeding of dropping an anchor out
side Honolulu harbor.
Murphy is highly spoken Of by Hob
son, in the latter's book, Sinking the
Merrimac." Murphy's chance to go
with Hobson came from the utter
eak-dOWn of one of the original
volunteers. The latter was gunner
Mullen. Mullen's strength utterly gave
out and though he refused to withdraw
from the expedition he was finally i'm
peratively ordered to do SO, by the
captain of his vessel. Hobson says:
1T now became a question of select
ing a man in his place. When the Iowa
sent her long list of volunteers and
learned that so few men were required
she selected one man from all the num-
ber-Murphy, cockswain. There can
be no question about a man whom a
ships company singles out to be it's
representative 1t was decided to take
Murphy, and | was to determine after
seeing him whether to intrust to him
Mullen's perilous duty. Signal was
made to the Iowa to send him over"
About half past one we turned to-,
and the men went to their stations.
went the round, fore and aft, to go over
the duties with each man. Murphy, on
the forecaStle, was given the same in
structions that Mullen had had; in ad-
dition after receiving the cord signal
to cut the Misunderstanding, and after
the flashing had been cut on the star
! board side, he was to pass over to the
| port side and made contact to fire tor
| pedo No. l without further orders.
Murphy listened without a word to all
| the instructions concerning the pre-
cautions to be taken in view of the ex-
posture in firing the torpedo; for the
forecastle was narrow, and while MAX
ing contact he would still be in danger
from the rushing chain and the break
! ing stops and hawserS; moreover, the
| forecastle had no bulwark or rail, and
| though high above it, he would be eX-
posed to a heavy blast from the torpedo
explosion, the collision bulkhead being
| directly beneath. Indeed, it was init
mated that he might be wounded by
the explosion even under the best con-
| ditiOns of precautiOn He examined
the lashing and block under it, saw the
new axe at hand, found the end of the
| slgnal-cOrd, examined the wire ends
for making contact, and replied simply:
| 1t shall be done sir -
| 1t was Murphy's duty to fire torpedo
| No. !, with which the Merrlmac's col
lision bulkhead was to be opened, and
Hobson tells how he gave the signal to
| Murphy and received prompt response
Three of the other tOrpedoes did not
go off. After Murphy had sent his
| through the vessel, Hobson made sig
mails to the others, but it was no use
I for the storm of lead from the Spanish
forts close by had begun to fall, the
Merrimac was done for, and some OF
the tOrpedoes deranged. Four were
| quickly fired. however.
| After the men had been captured il
| was found that Murphy was qu.ce
/ severely wounded. He had a wound
| in his right hip. twelve or fourteen
/ inches in length and perhaps quarter
or half an inch in depth, which he had
received in the blast when he had fired
/ torpedo number one; and though the
| wound certainly must have been very
| painful, he had not uttered groan 81
made any reference to it during all the
time that had elapsed" Murphy de-
| clared himself ready for a long mar ch
| 20 MORO Castle, after the capture.