The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-03-09
ERROR CAUSES SPANLSH-AAlERI-
CAN WAR IS CLAIM.

| Herald once one uiSuI
Camera received but no plates.
"Please hurry by next steamer.
John R. CALDWELL
Young Assistant Mixed Things.
The full name John R. CALDWELL
signifed that themessage meant more
than the words indicated and that
the office would have to puzzle it out.
Had Burgin been on duty he would
instantly have understood that the
revolver had arrived but that there
were no cartridges. But Spain's
Nemesis was around that night. A
young assistant got the message and
turning to the code book, translated
, it to mean that the Americanconsu-
late had been attacked.
Fireworks ensued. An attack on
our consulate in Havana was spark
to set off the long-brewing trouble be-
tween America and Spain. The hour
was $50 p. m. The Havana
cable Office closed at p. m. and
there was no possible way of getting
further news that night. The Her.
aid got it's Washington Bureau on the
phone, and directed that every man
be hustled out on the story. John
D. Long was then secretary Of the
navy. The word that the American
| consulate in Havana had been attack
ed was telephoned to him by the
Herald's Washington's bureau. There
was T. rapid telephone conference
with the state department and the
| white house and along about II
o'clock a wire was sent to Rear Ad-
miral Montgomery Sicard, command
| ing the North Atlantic fleet, then at
anchor off Dry Tortugas to detach a
| vessel OF. his command and send it to
Havana forthwith, the reason being
| that an eminently trustworthy cor
respondent of an important newspap-
er had cabled the report of an attack
upon the American consulate.
After the lapse of all these years [
| cannot now recall whether it was
lieutenant, now Rear Admiral Albert
Gleaves, whose torpedo boat conveyed
the message from the Key West naval
station to the flagship, New York.
Which ever it was, the message reach
ed the admiral about midnight and
! directly thereafter signal was made
| for the commanding officer of the
Maine to report on board.
Midnight Visit to Flagship.
In a conversation I had with Capt.
Sigsbee some years later, he describ-
ed that midnight visit to the flagship,
his orders from Admiral Sicard to
| proceed to Havana at once, the ad-
miral adding he did not know what
condition he would find upon arrival.
He did not hamper the Names COM
mander with any instructions, leav-
ing all to his discretion. =
Capt. Sigsbee returned to his ship,
gave the necessary orders for spread
ing fires under the boilers and to get
under way as soon as steam could be
made ready. Awnings were rolled up
and sent below, and awning stanch-
ions which might have interfered
with gunfre, were removed, along
with their ridge ropes. Guns were not
| loaded for under the high discipline
! that is maintained in the navy, every
one could have been made ready for
| opening fire within two or three min
! utes after the ringing of the gong,
calling the crew to general quart
ers," which means that upon the
| sounding of that signal every one
jumps to his appointed place, the men
| detailed to the magazines springing
| to their stations and sending up am
! munition for the guns, the gun crews
| loading with equal celerity.
| The Maine Underway.
Now with the Maine under way and
churning her way to the harbor where
her destruction was destined to in
volve two nations in war, let us leave
the doomed battleship for a moment
and take up the narrative from the
Inglaterra Hotel in Havana.
1t was at an early hour in the fore
noon when message from the cable
office knocked on the door Of Mr..
Caldwell's room and handed him a.
ca ablegram. 1t was from the Herald
and read:
"Rush story you hulletined on Gu
ban cane crop-we want it for main
section"
Not having sent any bulletin on the
Cuban cane crop, Mr.. Caldwell rea-
lized at once that this was a code
message and turning to his code
| Ll> G.,4 80 nm