The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-03-24


in any other way, and preparations to sink her
into the channel were Immediately begun. AT
the earnest request of Mr.. Richmond Pearson
Hobson, assistant naval constructor he was put
In charge He had been placed on the New York
to watch her workings in actual war, and write
a report thereon for the chief of his bureau.
His knowledge Of ships fitted him for the task
and he had already showed his courage when he
worked the rangefnder on the New York dur
ing the bombardment of San Juan de Porto Rico.
about two hundred were employed in
stripping the Merrimac, for II was intended TO
send her in Just before daylight next morning.
However. after stripping her, 1t was necessary
10 fit her with torpedoes that would sink her in
stantly when the time came, and this took so
long that day had arrived on June before
she was ready. Hobson was anxious TO go then,
but the admiral ordered him to wait
Meantime a crew of six men had been Sc
lected from among the hundreds that crowded
aft TO volunteer They were Daniel Montague,
chief master-at-arms of the New York; George
Charette gunners mate, first class, of the New
York: J. E. Murphy, coxswain the Iowa;
John P. Phillips, machinist; Oscar Deignan,
coxswain, and Francis Kelly, watertender, all
of the Merrimac. To this crew of six men Coxs-
vain Rudolphy Clausen Of the New York added
himself by eluding the vigilance Of the Of
fcers
AT 8 O'Clock on the morning Of June these
men headed away for the harbor. A steam launch
from the New York under Naval Cadet Joseph
W. Powell followed to pick up the crew of the
Merrimac. should they succeed in getting away
from her after performing their work, in either
the rowboat or the liferaft that had been pro-
vided for them.
1T was cloudy night, but because the chan
mel was so narrow il was absolutely certain
that the Merrmac would be discovered before
she reached her destination, and that heavy
fire from the batteries of all kinds would
flade her while the sentinels and the troops en-
camped along the shore were likely to spatter
her deck with Mauser bullets a tropical rain
storm would pelt her with drops Of water. In
short, there was not one chance in q thousand,
apparently for any of these men to live through
that adventure and yet they had eagerly volun-
teered for it, and one had slowed himself away
on board without permission! Nor was the
chance of Cadet Powell and his men much bet
ter for II was his duty to follow the Merrimac
to the mouth of the harbor where he. too. would
be as easy a target as the men on the ship, and
there TO wait until after daylight.
Getting his bearings by the outlines of the
MORO against the sky, Hobson drove the old
ship into the center Of the narrow channel. A
he'll of fame leaped out on both sides she
passed the Morro while the yizcaya. that was
on guard just around the bend, began firing
with her broadside battery. The Spaniards
thought we were coming with squadron to
force the harbor and all the guns. big and
little, that would bear and many that would not,
were fred with feyerish rapidity. Immediately
the shots began TO reach the ship but no vital
damage was done.
Then the time TO sink her had come, and
Hobson pressed the electric button. Three Of
the torpedoes that were placed at her water
line exploded tearing open her sides. The man
ar the anchor cut it loose bringing up her head
Just opposite the point, while her stern swung
slowly around with the tide 1t seemed for q
moment that she must sink as they wished right
across the channel but she filed so slSwly that
she lay lengthwise of the channel and wei at
one side before she finally struck bottom"
Spears then quotes Hobson's narrative Of the
rest OF the action as follows: I'VE were all aft
lying on the deck Shells and bullets whistled
around Six inch shells from the yizcaya came
tearing into the Merrimac. crashing clear
through. while the plunging shots from the fort
broke through her decks
Not man must mover said: and II was
only owing TO the splendid discipline Of the
men that we were not all killed. We must lie
there till daylight told them Now and again
the other of the men lying with his face
glued to the deck and wondering whether the