Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-09-25
SHELL GOES LONG DISTANCE
Interesting History of t2-lneh Projee.
tile Used Ia Spanish War
Travelled Four Miles.

Screaming out its defiant message
of possible death and disaster. IL.
inch 1,000pound shell was sent across
the Bay OF Santiago on the fatefuI
morning OF July 3. 1898. from one Of
the battleships-Texas, Iowa or In
diana The shell Travelled a distance
of between three and four miles and
found Judgment in the side of a rocky
hill just behind MORO castle, the
charge being unexploded 1t now re.
poses peacefully on the sidewalk in
front of a store in Carson street,
Southside, near Twenty-seventh street,
but minus the charge.
Thousands of people pass the spot
daily. but little or no heed is given by
them to this interesting relic of Tn
Gle Sans encounter with the one-time
great power of Spain.
The shell was shipped on October
20. 1899, by Capt. Surgeon James Nc
Kay. United States navy. to his father,
Stephen Mckay, of this city, and Is
much priced by the latter as a relic
and souvenir.
Capt. Mckay gave an interesting de.
scription of the circumstances attend.
ing the firing and finding of the she'll.
He states: "The shell was fired from
the Indiana or Texas from a distance
OF between three or four miles, and
it was doubtless fired at the eastern
battery, a concealed battery of several
old bronze cannon situated in a hol.
low in the BLUFF, and only visible from
several miles at sea. Our ships paid
great attention to this particular bat.
terry from noticing that, while the
muzzles of the cannon were visible
over the embankment before firing
they disappeared simultaneously with
that operation. Now from the excel
lent habit drilled into the men of the
navy of overestimating rather than
doubling the strength OF the enemy
they decided the battery must be com
posed of modern rifled disappearing
guns, and acted accordingly. Every
now and again. and when the ships
seemed most quiet, one or another
would drop a carefully calculated shell
in such close proximity as to keep the
artillerists working the guns in a state
of constant terror This shell. from
its position, must have flown over the
guns and men at Just sufficient height
to clear the ridge and plunge into the
hill beyond 1t missed its mark by q
very small margin. However, the hun
dreds OF holes, some large enough to
form a cellar for a large dwelling
scattered all about and within the
battery, the dismounted, crippled and
half-buried pieces. and the general
wreck made of nature In the entire
vicinity. speak only too eloquently OF
the excellent Workmanship of our
gunners. and the splendid conduct OF
our ships in general
when Admiral Sampson visited the
aforementioned battery some months
after the surrender. he smilingly told
how they had been fooled by the
strange disappearing qualities OF the
old guns. Many OF thes old pieces
dated back to 171S and were masses
of most wonderful and beautiful hand
carving. but the gun carriages were
not more than 100 years old, hence the
parts did not fit and the recoil mech
anism (great buffer springs) being
useless the piece on being discharged
would bound back into the air the
full length of the carriage Us feet
The muzzles were visible over the
cement before firing, but their re
bound fight carried them far out OF
sight. hence the disappearing guns
which deceived our men for a while.
The shell. singular to relate, shows
but slight marks Of its impact with
it's rocky billet, another proof of the
care with which American projectiles
are Pittsburgh Dispatch.