The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-14

PEARSON HOBSOE.
above and around the vcs2al. still
with ever slackening speed. ever n
more CONSPICUOUS mark. she drifted
IN 70 face the guns. SO far the enter
Prise had gone well. The hip swung
by the MORO rock into the position
desired Tor the r~1anOeuvrc. Hard
aport..' came the command, but
though the helm was put over and
the last moment before complete sue
cess, a shell had struck and disabled
the steering gear. The Merrimac,
straight ahead, plunged under her
momentum and with the tide directly
down the channel, instead Of swinging
ath5Eart as 2 been the design. To
add to the disappointment the star
board anchor failed 10 check the ships
momentum and the port ancho
chain had been shot away. Only one
or tWo Of the tOrpedOes could be
fired, since the cells and the batteries
had been struck by proJectiie3 and
scattered. chc result was that, past
the point where it had been hoped to
swing and sink the herrimac, she con-
tinLcd down the channel, prolonging
the Teriod in which she would be a
target for the batteries and vastly add
ing 10 the danger to the crew. So
she lrifted, slowly sinking until her
bottom caught on what IS known as
1LSLTGIlG pOIiIt, topped Dy ID DdlLcly
and, as il turned out, named by a
regiment OF infantry with rifles As
the vessel grounded she out
wardly into the channeI and stopped
directly under the point from which
the infantry area almost vertically with
their rifles. Several Spanish mines had
exploded beneath the vessel and had
given the crew hopes thai. they would
assist III the sinking, but, apparently.
they did not do SO. And still no one
Of the little crew was injured. The
rifemen, although the was
bright, failed to distinguish special
marks, ana fred merely ct the bulk
of the ship. OF the position Of the
Merrimac With respect to the batteries
at this time, Lieutenant Hobson
wrote:
How It Feels 70 Wait Death.
The deafenins roar OF artillery,
however. came from the other side,
just opposite our position. There
were the rapid fire guns of different
caIibres, the unnaistakable Hotchkiss
revolving cannon, the quick succession
and pauae Of the Nordenfelt multi
barrel, and the t~treless automatic gun.
A deadly fire came from ahead ap-
parently from shipboard. THESE
larger projcctiles would enter, explode
and rake us, those passing over the
spar deck would apparently pass
through the deck house, far enough
away to cause them to explode Jus,
in front Of us. All firing was 1T
point-blank range, at a target that
could not be missed. the Socapa bat
teries with ~plurging ire, the ships
batteries with horizontal fire. The
striking projectiles AID flying frab-
ments produced a grinding sound,
with a fine ring in it OF steel on steel
II deck vibrated heavily and we
felt the full effect, lying, as we were
fn1l-length on our faces. At each
instant it seemed that certainly the
next would bring q projectlle among
rs. The impulse surged strong to get
away from the place where remaining
seemed death and the men suggested
taking to the boat and jumping over
board; but | knew that any object
leaving the ship would be seen, n 10
be seen was certain death, and, there
fore, l directed all to remain motion
less. The test of discipline was Sc
we're. DuJ not a nan moved, not even
when q ~urojectile plunged into the
boiler. n a rush Of steam came up.
deck not far from where We lay
: : + Reason took account of pfOba-
bilfties. and, according to the direc-
ton of the mems bodies with regard
TO the line of fire from the ships guns.
I waited to see mans leg, another
man shoulder. the top Of another
mans head taken off. | looked for
my own BODY to be cut in two diagon-
ally, from the left hip upward, and
tor a moment what the SEN
sation would be"
Tide Prevents Success.
During the eight or ten minutes that
the ship lay motionless and aground
off Estrella Point. the target for the
c0mbired fire Of ships, batteries and
infantrynen. il VS. by chance in such
position that had it been possible to
sink at once the object Of blocking
the channel would have been attained
notwithstanding the nishaps with the
steering gear and a portion Of the tor
nedoes. suddenly. however, the tide
Wrenched her off the point, swung her
into the channel and carried
her forward to the blight beyond Es-
trelIa, causing the enlargement of the
channel. Socapa station. as the ship
passed. fired Two mines, neither of
which seemed To give a fatal blow.
IN a moment, however. the Merrimac
the prsrnonitory lurch preceding
sinking. She passed undc- the keel
line Of the cruiser Reina Mercedes.
She fired her bow t~orpedoes. The
Merrinac's bow plunged heavily. Up
the channel came at full speed the
Spanish torpedo boat. Pluton. She.
TOO. fred her bow torpedOes. But the
Merrimac was sinking. Her stern
lifted. Her bow plunged. The YES
sci righted n sank like lead, but
not where h could effectively block
the channel: !