Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-17
IOWA SAILOR N[DI
Sailor Who Fought the Spaniards
at Santiago Married at
Iowa City.
He Helped Man an Eight.Inch
Gun on the Battle Ship
Oregon.
Says the Men All Loved Schley,
But Didn't Enthuse Over
Sampson.
Special to Times-Republican.

Sampson.
Special to Times-Republican.
Iowa City, Oct. Thames Havlik, Jr
second gunner on the Oregon from tn
commencement Of the Spanish-Ameri
can war to the 1st of october. when h
came home to claim his bride, was mar
/ ried Last evening to Miss Emma Wanek
of Iowa City. The marriage was larG
affair for Iowa City, for Havlik was thu
| local hero here during the late war, ant
during his brief return to visit here ha
been worshiped by large part Of tn,
/ people and was rendered public recep
ton. The marriage took place in Mr.
part of the city, a substantial two-stor,
house, built out of his savings in the
navy. The house was decorated Will
pillows made of captured Spanish flag:
and many relics brought back from
Santiago and the Philippines. Gunner
I2dNIlli ldS ISCSiSStA HIS lAoAOt GpiS Viz
charge from the United States service
and will stay in Iowa City hereafter
working at the carpenter trade.
1--WE all loved Schley," said Mr.. Hav-
Xix as he patted reminiscently five
inch shell picked up by him on the
Spanish ship Colon, after the battle OF
Santiago. "Schley was a big, hearty
fellow, with heart ana feeling for each
one OF US. He was just like Dutch
man, fat, jovial and fair to all. After
the fight of July the Brooklyn came
past the Oregon and Schley shouted out
to us: Bully for the Oregon. She did
IL ALL Then the men every one of them
checred him until they were hoarse.
Sampson was cool, reserved fellow.
whom we never liked. We don't consid-
er that he is entitled to mention in the
battle, for he was away off and never
came up until the battle had been over
an hour. The men never thought much
of him.
IT was gunner in the after starboard
leight-inch turret during the battle. The
two eight-inch guns on the starboard
side were the ones that did the business
A Lieutenant Miller in the forward port
sturret fired one gun at the Maria Teresa
while the Oregon was heading about
straight at her. He was given big
wigging by Captain Clark for it, be-
cause he nearly blew our pilot up with
his gun, which was aimed directly for
ward and somes#sat across the ship.
But we didn't blame him, for he must
have been mighty anxious to get in
some work on the dagoes. The men on
the Oregon saw the Spanish fleet first.
Some fellow yelled, The Spanish feet
is coming! Then there was rush for
ward and the commands to get ready
came and the other ships in the fleet
were notified. We fired about sixty-one
shots during the battle from our gun.
We weren't nervous. at all, our constant
training for just such times made us
feel at our best, but we worked like
beavers to get every shot at the dagoes
that we could. We could get glimpses
OF the fight and the other rhips in our
squadron thru the back portfolios every
once in awhile. The officer in charge Of
the turret could get very fair view of
the fight from the glass sights in the
top of the turret.
1.-The Oregon got a whack at every
vessel as 1t went along to the west. AZ
ter the Colon had beached and struck
her flag we were ordered to her, with
ten men. The dagoes had opened all the
flood cocks and the ship was filing with
water. They also threw all the breech
blocks and mechanisms overheard. We
found one man dead on the foc'sle, COW
cred with sheet and lying on a
stretcher. Three Of us tied a couple Of
5-inch shells to him and without any
ceremonies sent him over into Davy
Jones' locker. We left the ship as she
began to sink, soon after 9 O'Clock at
night. was the last one to leave her.
as went down in the hold and waded
around in water up to my neck trying
to pull the stop cocks and stop the in
rush Of water that was losing the fine
vessel.
During the fight we noticed the loop
of the Brooklyn and did not like 1t, for it
seemed to leave us alone with the Colon.
and we thought we were getting worst
ed at the time in speed. We were only
q 16-knot vessel, and the Brooklyn was
a 22-knotter. After the battle we had
some prisoners on board the Oregon
from the Colon, however, and they said
they expected to get the swift Brooklyn
away from the rest Of the feet and then
sink her. They called the Oregon the
white devil for the way she pounded
thru the water after them. They said
they liked it on our ship and wished
they were Americans.
After the battle OF Santiago we left
soon for the Philippines. where we saw
some nice service. Liked it on the Or
egon. I got nice bit Of service thru
that war and will always think of it as
some of the best times of my life.
stayed on the vessel a month after my
term expired and would have stayed
longer only, you know, l wanted to get
back here" said Havlik, as he glanced
around the house that is to be his home.
Gunner Havlik is over 6 feet tall,
as an arrow and magnificently
formed physically. He was the only
man on the Oregon wounded during the
engagement and his mates treasured
the scraped knuckle he bore for months
after the engagement. He was so mod
est on his return to Iowa City that he
refused to wear his sailor clothes on the
occasion of the reception in his honor,
and would say nothing to reporters.
THIRTY THIRD REUNION.
Of the Survivors at oskaloosa
an Enjoyable One.
Oskaloosa, Oct. 17.-Members Of the
old Thirty-third Iowa are having a