New-York tribune., 1911-03-22
BIG GUNS Of NAVY
SINK THE OLD TEXAS
Battieship RiddIed by Unerr'ng
Accuracy Of GUnnerS IN the
New Hampshire.
TESTS IN CHESAPEAKE BAY
Attacking Ship Fires While
Steaming Ten Knots an Hour
Seven and One Half
Miles away.

ON Board the Torpedo Boat Strirgham
Lover Chesapeake Bay, March IL
Shattered by veritable storm Of shell.
the old lattleehip Texas. nov the San
Marcos. rests tonight on the mud Of
Tansier Sound The veteran Of the
United states navy sank under the spec
taCuiar craftsmanship of her newer sis
ters.
Gaping holes in her rort side and two
Jagged wounds ir her forward amor
where shells passed completely through
her. showed how she succumbed. Part
Of both her fighting mas;s were shot
away and her deck vas q cluster of de-
bris
The broadsides delivered by the bat
tleship New Hampshire at varying dis
tanccs of from sin 10 seven and one
half miles were considered remarkable
by ordnance officers More than one
third Of all the shots were said 10 have
gone true. although nothing official was
given out.
s half hour after the sun had risen
the first shot was fired This was fol-
lowed by another but both were merely
to determine the range Then began a
beautiful exhibition of craftsmanship. y
salvo directed To the stern "f the San
Marcos raised huge columns of water
and delugcd the vessel with spray. leav-
ing her unscathed. Then. To show the
control Of the great twelve and eight
inch guns. another hail of shells was
dropped Immediately in front OF the
ship. The miss was intentional. but the
shells struck So close as 10 give rise
at first To the belief that the first hit
had been made.
The shooting then began in earnest.
The New Hampshire. followed by the
battleship Mississippi. 30 yards IN her
wake. drew of to a distance of APP
seven and one-half miles
and began firing All of the broadsides
were delivered against the san Marcos
while the attacking vessel was steam
ing back and forth along the line AT
a ten-knot speed. There
was no slowing down or firing on me
tun.
After the seventh broadside the Texas
plainly was in distress. The two naval
tugs that lay alongside the monitor
Tallahassee. on which were stationed
the naval observers. raced to her assist
ance. Secretary Meyer ordered out MS
launch. and. with Admiral Wainwright
and Representative Roberts. of Massa-
chusetts. his guests on board the Dol
phin. also was quickly alongside the
stricken snip.
The shells presumably had set the yes
sci afirc for hose was run over the SIDE
and the engines were set 10 WORK pump
ing. The san Marcos also had been
driven out of broadside range b. the
force of the New Hampshire's shells
and the tugs Strengthened her out for
her further ordeal
Twice aftcrward shells set the hulk
afre.
What was practically the finishing
hlow to the old ship. so far as to-day's
programme was concerned. came on the
hroadsidc. when four l2-inch
and eour S-inch shells were hurled at
her lust as the sun was setting. Inc
shots poured SO thick around her that
il was impossible to determine how
many ~ the eight struck the vessel.
crashing II steel against the war
ships side just at tho water lino was
followed bV great cloud of nNlng
si,lintors of armor and burst of smoke.
Ry that time TIC san Marcos was
listed Gar to port. her big turret gun that
faced tho enemy" was DETECTED until il
looked despaifingly into the waters of
the bay. Arrangements were begun At
once ia prepare the old varship in readi-
ness for further tests
Admiral Schroeder. IN command Of the
neot. declined tonight to discuss Nh"
eject Of tho shell fr' on the arm"r, IN"
chickens and cats within the turr"ts. "r
iipon tho manikins placed in th" fight
irp ions. turrcts or bridges.