The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-22


set up tu-re,. she nearly sank in heI
dock 4; Norfolk before she was com.
pleted She was put in dry dock
and 1t was found that she vas not
strong enough 10 bear her own
weight.
She proved herself poor steam
er. and burned great quantities OF
coal. On Nov g. 1896. while she
was lying AT the Coz Dock IT the
Brooklyn Navy Yard one OF her sea
cocks became unfaS;ened and she
sank. Had the acciden; occurred :,
sea the ship would haze been lost.
On eveey one OF her trial TRIPS
something happened in the mature
Of breakdown in some part OF
her machinery. Either the eccentric
strap got hot or her condensers fail
ed 20 work or the steering gear got
out OF order. The loss OF four an
chors was among the little thin IS
,ha, emphasized her reputation :or
i'll luck.
In February. 1897. she went
ashore on the Dry ToTtunGas. and
in the winter OF the same yeac She
grounded in Wallahout Channel. IN
Boston Harbor the same winter IN
engine In one OF her launches eX-
p!oded. injuring six men. AGAIN
while being drv!iocked at the Brook
iyn Navy Yard az accident occurred
which showed alleged structural
weakness which cost sl25.o0o TO
remedy. She scraped her hilse on
the sill! OF the dock and settled
down like a bag OF wheat in The
basin. This was in November. 1887.
II was only chance tha; saved the
Texas from being rammed and sent
to the bottom by the BROOKLYN IN
the battle with Admiral CeTvera :
feet OF Santiago on July ;. lS9S.
TWO weeks before that she had he.
arst fight in Cuban waters and =
narrow escape from submarine
mine of the Guantanamo lotteries.
When the Texas Joined Admiral
Sampson's squadron OF Santiago or
ders were issued tha; If the enemy
:ries 10 escape the shiHs We're &C
close in and engage as soon as pos
s!ble and 70 sink the Spanish vcS-
sells or send them ashore. On The
IA: Of ;he battle the American YES
sells moved toward the mouth OF the
h2rbo-
When the Marie Teresa started 10
run for it. the Iowa gaze the order
"Eneany's ships escaping. then sig
nailed. Clear for action. and
gave third order. Close up" al
Il, execution OF Admiral Simpsons
standing order AS the Brookiy:
stear ed in toward the mouth OF the
harbor. Commodore Schley. who Vas
aboard her. explained to her com.
nander. Capt Cook. tha, the Close
up" mean. he was TO keep some
where within 1000 yards from The
enemy. so as TO be outside OF he'
broadside torpedo range.
Capt. Cook gave orders to port
the helm. and the BROOKLYN begs j
TO turn away from the battle line
and presented her stern TO the hos
tile cruisers TIE Brooklyn !ar
about 1000 yards south and all bu,
came Into collision with the Texas
which saved herself by reversing he,
engines. i hole was thus lef, in The
biockading line through which the
enemy promptly steamed.
The late Capt. Philip Of the Tex
as in describing this incident. wrote:
Suddenly Whit Of breeze anc
lull in the firing lifted the pail
and there hearing toward US and
across our bows. turning on her por,
helm. with big waves curling over
her bows and grea; clouds Of olacS
smoak pouring from her tunnels
vas the Brooklyn. She looked as
big as h:,s a dozen Grea, EaSterns
Back bot,. engines hard went dowr
the tube to the aStcnished engineers
and In cwinkling the old ship was
racing against herself. Had the
Brooklyn struck US then il woald
probably have been the end o! the
Texas and he- hal. thousand men.
Aside from this incident the share
OF the Texas in the fighting of San
tiago was conspicuous. On June 30
a she'll from San,iago's Moore pierc-
ed a six-inch hole in her bow unde:
the anchor and killed Frank Blake.
II. a first class apprentice. In the
fighting on July she'll from the
Alnirante OQuendo pierced the star
board bulEhead under the bridge
entered the smokeStack and en-
p!oded
For two years after the war the
Texas had a peaceful and uneven
tual career. On Nov so. 1902. how
ever. wher at targe; practice along
the New England coast the discharge
Of one Of the big guns broke the re-
coils. with the result that ;he gar
foundations were shattered. water
and steam pipes were crush@j and
damage was done that was thought
AZ first 20 be impossible 10 repair.
However. she was repaired and as
she left the drydock she came into
collision with the collier Sterling.
bending many OF her forward plates
and putting her out OF commission
for another six weeks.
During the next two years she
ran aground no less than six times.
She was hard aground az Dry Tor
cuSas twice inside Of three months.
This trick was varied slightly :: Ill
.le later in the same port when Sh..
ran on a coral reef. suffering con-
siderabiy from ;he scrarinS she re-
cei:ed. On another occasion she be-
came so firmly wedged in The :nnd a:
Newport that six tugs we:c -efuir-
ed TO pail her out.