The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-03-22
THE OLD TEXAS
SENT TO BOTTOM
Magnificent Target Practice INDUCED in
by Vessels Of the United States
Navy Yesterday.

On board the torpedo boat String
ham, Lower Chesapeake Bay, March 22.
Shattered by veritable storm Of
shells the old battleship Texas rested
last night on the mud of Tangier sound
The veteran Of the United States navy
sank under the spectacular markham
ship of her newer sisters. Gaping holes
in her port side and two Jagged wounds
in her forward armOr, where shells
pa Used completely through her, show
how she succumbed Part of both her
fighting masts were shot away ad her
deck was a cluster of debris.
The Workmanship test against a com
paratively modern battleship was con-
Quoted with almost uncanny secrecy
No one was permitted TO approach the
San Marcos, the name under which the
old Texas received the fire yesterday,
except the observers and one or two
naval officers and officials. Secretary OF
the Navy Meyer, whose private yacht
Dolphin, was anchored near made sey
eral trips to the hsattered old ship
uhlli8 HdhntN III AHf III liiE.
The broadshides delivered by the bat.
tleshp New Hampshire at varying dis
tances OF from six to seven and one
half miles Were considered remarkable
by ordnance officers. More than one
third of all the shots were said to have
gone true although nothing official was
given out.
A half hour after the sun had risen,
the first shot was fired This was fol-
lowed by another. but both were mere
ly TO determine the range Then be-
gan beautiful exhibition OF mark
manship. A salvo directed to the stern
of the San Marcos, raised huge columns
Of water and deluged the vessel with
spray, leaving her unscathed. Then,
TO show the control Of the great II
and eight-inch cannon another hail ot
shells was dropped Immediately in front
OF the ship. The miss was intentional
but the shells struck so close as to
give rise at first TO the belief that
the first hit had been made.
After the seventh broadside the Tex
as plainly was in distress. The two
naval tugs that lay along side the mon
itor. Tallahassee, on which were sta
toned the naval observers. raced to her
assistance. Secretary Meyer ordered
out his launch and with Admiral Vain
wright and Representative Roberts Of
Massachusetts. his guests on board the
Dolphin, also was quickly alongside the
stricken ship.
The shooting then began IN earnest.
The New Hampshire. followed by the
battleship Mississippi, 250 yards in her
wake, drew OIL 10 distance Of APP
proximately seven and one-half miles
and began firing. All the broadsides
were delivered against the San Marcos
while tile attacking vessel was steam
ing back and forth along the line at
approximately a l0-knot speed. There
was no slowing down or firing on the
turn.
The she'll presumably had set the yes.
sci afre, for hose was run over the
side and the engines were set to work
pumping. The San Marcos also had
been driven out OF broadside range by
the force of the New Hampshires shell,
and the tugs strsightened her ont for
her further ordeal
Twice afterwards shells set the hulk
afre.
What was practically the finishing
blow to the old warrior came on the
10th broadside when four l2inch and
four eighth shells were hurled at
her just as the sun was setting. It.
was impossible to determine how many
Of the eight shots struck the vessel
A crashing Of steel against the war
ships side just at the water line was
followed BY a great cloud OF flying
splinters OF armor and burst of
smoke. Bv that time San Marcos was
listed far to port, her big turret gun
that faced the enemy was detected IN
til it looked into the waters of the
bay Arrangements We're begun at once
to prepare the old warship for further
tests.