The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-04-11
THE YINSLOW FIGHT.
Still Remembered Incldsu
Of the Spanish We

nadou saw service in the Spanish
War. but II the Kearsarge gets into
fight at any time in the futu -e there
is little likelihood that Bernadou will
have hotter time of 1t than he had
one day on the little torpedo boat
Winslow in the harbor of Cardenas,
Cuba.
Early in May. 1898. the Whining
ton, Commander Todd; the Hudson,
Lieut. Newcomb, and the Winslow,
Lieut.. Bernadou. sailed into Cardenas
harbor in search of some Spanish
gunboats which were believed to be
anchored there. Commander Todd
being the senior officer present was
in command of the little squadron of
three vessels. In order to prevent
the escape of any ships OF the enemy
he ordered his two Junior command
ing on1cers to search either side of
the bay while he took his own vessel
straight down the middle of the har-
Dor.
1t happened, however, that the
commanding officer himself first
caught sight of a Spanish gunboat
apparently moored to wharf on the
waterfront of the town. He signalled:
"Winslow go in and investigate gun
boat moored to wharf, there on the
right, painted gray"
"Ay, ay, sir" came the answer, and
Bernadou took the Winslow in.
The Spanish gunboat turned out to
be the Antonio Lopez. Bernadou
headed for the town with the Wins
low under full speed. When the
boat was at distance of about 1900
yards from the wharf, smoke ap-
peared from the bow of the Spanish
boat and a she'll whizzed by the port
side of the Winslow. Instantly con-
cealed land batteries opened on Ber-
nadou's little torpedo craft. In a
minute the American vessel was in
the centre of a perfect storm of pro-
iectiles.
Bernadou was no laggard in re-
turning the fire of the enemy. but
the luck of nature was against him,
for suddenly haze settled down over
the batteries of the Spaniards and
over the Antonio Lopez, and COM
pletely concealed them from view. 1t
was known afterward that while the
Americans could not see the Span
iards the Spaniards could see the
Americans. The Winslow kent on
firing constantly, the gunners aiming
as well as they could under the guild
ance of the sound of the Spanish
guns.
Suddenly she'll struck the Ameri.
can boat, passing clean through the
coming tower, smashing the steer
Ing apparatus and severing the steam
pipe connecting the gear of the helm.
Hardly a second passed before an.
other shot jammed the rudder and
cut both wheel ropes. Still another
projectile burst close to the American
and a fragment of it struck Lieut..
Bernadou in the thigh, infiicting
gaping wound and throwing the. Off
Ger to the deck.
Then there came showing of pure
grit. Bernadou rose to his feet,
dressed his own wound, stanching the
flow of blood and keeping knowledge
of the severity OF his injury from
the crew. With his vessel disabled
so that steering was impossible and
with only one engine in working con-
dition, the wounded officer succeeded
in keeping his ship moving enough to
prevent its becoming an absolutely
stationary mark for the enemy's
guns.
While in. this crippled condition
the American vessel kept up an un-
interrupted fire from its guns and
was aided by the fire of the Whining
ton and the Hudson. Notwithstand-
ing the apparent extremity of their
case the gun crews of the Winslow
managed to put the Spanish gunboat
entirely out of action with some well
planted shells, but the shore batteries
were still in able fighting condition
and they poured in their shot unceas-
ingly.
Finally the Winslow half drifted
and half worked its way out of range
of the batteries against which it's
shells were ineffective. Bernadou,
weak from his wounds, patched up
his ship in trice and went back
into the fight. 1t was during the
second part of the engagement that
Ensign Worth Bagley of the Win
slow, with four members of the crew,
was killed. A shell struck a reel of
hose, killing the Ensign and John
Varveres, an oiler, and John Dneefe.
a fireman, and mortally wounding j.
V. Meek and Josiah Tunnel, men,
bers of the crew.
BY this time the Winslow was be-
coming fairly riddled with shot, and
Lieut.. Newcomb, in command of the
Hudson, Notwithstanding the fact
that his vessel was too frail to hope
to stand against any kind of shell
punishment, asked permission to go
to Winslow's aid. 1t was impossible
for the Wilmington TO close In be-
cause Of its draught, and Commander
Todd told Lieut.. Newcomb to do
what he could for the stricken ship.
The crew of the Hudson, after
thirty minutes work with the shells
dropping all about them, succeeded
in making fast cable to the crippled
Winslow and in towing the boat out
of range. During all this time the
Winslow's commanding officer, Lieut..
Bernadou, wounded as he was and
almost fainting from the loss of
blood kept the deck and kept the
command. II was an exhibition of