The Detroit times., 1911-03-29
VISITS MASS D T
JUNK THAT WAS
GREAT WARSH|P
Newspaper Writer Goes Down Chesa'
peake Bay and Boards Battered
Old Victor in Battle at
Santiago, Cuba.
Tells Graphic Story of Tremendous
Ruin Wrought by Bombardment
From New Hampshire.
BY HENRY s. FARMER.

NORFOLK. Va. March 2-.-The
news dispatches did not begin TO tell
the facts about the bombardment of
the old battleship Texas last week.
Everybody expected that the new
dreadnaughts would carry havoc to
the Texas. But here was a ship with
12-inch armor plate and the experts
believed that this armor plate would
show some interesting signs Of re-
sistanoe. But when the reports Of
examining officers with diagrams
reached the navy department in
Washington. the experts were surpris-
ed at the results shown. The broad
sides of the New Hampshire had been
miniature but deadly volcanoes.
/ heard a lot OF excited talk In
Washington about the effect OF this
long distance bombardment, but the
navy department would not allow any
body TO say anything definite for pub
LEGATION. So when tug started down
the bay this morning TO visit the bat.
tered and torn Texas, | went aboard.
The little tug seemed like a fly GO
ing out 10 review the remains OF an
elephant killed I'm a giant battle; and
as II tugged and pulled up to the old
Texas-I refrain from calling the old
ship by her newer name, San Marcos,
for Americans will always read on the
ocean tombstone In the bay; Texas.
the American battleship that sent the
Spanish Infanta Maria Teresa to the
bottom Of Santiago harbor."
As we steamed alongside the brave
old ship the view We got of her was
notwithstanding. Yes, she was full Of
holes. big and little, but that only be-
gins TO tell the story OF the ire
mendous work done by one modern
battleship. Huge sections Of the ship
were literally torn away. The decks
were buried In debris. The Texas
was bent and warped all out of
shape. Through the holes, many from
four to six feet In diameter, / could
walk into the battered, burnt hulk.
One thing made perfectly clear was
that no twelve-inch steel plate will Of
fer much resistance to the huge
twelve-inch projectiles aimed by the
American marksman, and fired from
an American dreadnaught. The sides
OF the Texas are fairly splintered, the
steel armor, broken and crumbled; as
IL II had been made Of paper.
The under water hits, of which
there, were a great many, did ths
most damage. The upper works wero
absolutely riddled there is not
single halyard or means of COM
munication left. The chart house Is a
mass OF splinters, made SO by the
first broadside fired. The decks are
cut as IL an enormous pair OF shears
had done the work.
The coming tower, one Of the most
important parts Of war vessel, is an
absolute wreck. One of the first shots
went right through the eleven-inch
plate into the tower and burst. Other
shots cut the tower In two, the upper
part has now fallen forward, the thick
armor plate twisted and torn as IL II
were so much cardboard.
Everything burnable is a smolder-
ing mass OF ruins: fire after fire,
caused by the bursting Of the pro-
jectiles put out by accompanying tug
boats. No human being could have
come of that deck alive to tell the
tale of the landing of the New Hamp-
shire's high explosive projectiles. And
this too. despite the fact that the New
Hampshire gunners Intentionally
missed" the ship. aiming near
enough to establish the fact that they
could plug the hulk full OF holes II
they SO desired.
Looking at this heap of wreckage,
II is hard TO believe that many OF
the big holes running clear through
the ship. through two sides of armor
plate, through steel masts, steel
smoke stacks, sped over a distance OF
seven miles before they struck the
Texas.
Picture in your mind IL you can