The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 12, 1898, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1898, iiral wished the entrance to € harbor blocked Lieutenant Hc ? the first to apply for th doing the blocking. The A own, and by his nd known e convinced his asibility. the ON HOBSON, ars old, has What must have beer the you man, as he stood the e empty and almost desert- Merrimac, guided her anish hot and Still s o the mouth: The cannon roz e hail althc on, riddled. The men in the engine- ept at their posts until the ves- just where he wished it. Then the little crew jled on deck, the yrpedo in the bow 11 took to the small bo: their own watching fl fire was im’ d straight to Admi Spanish sailc and daring cheers. attempted had been ac- and the sunke recog: and received re go up for exs under way nination E 3 £ ! Hobson and his companions for : t honors 1 home It is expected all be back in the Ameri- thin a fortnight. At last reports Lieutenant Hobson and his mates are in Morro Castle being treated as honorable prisoners of war. They escaped the shells of our fleet that bombarded the forts a days after their capture. on that Lieu- tenant Hobson’s daring act will rank in American history with the plucky deeds of Decatur, Cushing and Paul Jones. LIEUT. CUSHING'S Destruction of the ALBEMARLE. MONG the naval heroes of the v It is the general of the N h the the school after having dropped Into his lace Hobson still kept up his n to get ahead. By sho nce and pe nce ybtain his reward by be; cov determina he a dilig anaged it to s to .\'l’uyl_\ L};.;)\'ull construc civil war none have achleved n in the 1 ] et e more well-earned fame than th honors. Since that time Cushing, whose ‘whole career was conspicuous for deeds of daring. Cushing when in command of a small steamer on blockade service nothing of pursuing the enemy into his own inland watens and destroying ves- sels which the Confederates supposed to be securely defended by land bat- teries. One of his exploits was so extreme in its daring as to savor almost of bur- |lesque. In the winter of 1864, when blockading the Cape Fear River, Cush- d the position of assistant 1ctor, and in January last 1 on the list for promotion. now it is bound to come as sequence of his daring ex- . war In the Orient Hobson the Secretary of the recommendation of Hichborn, to repre- s navy on Japan- where he could have to pi Jlly observe he Bureau of upon t Constructe > United S I modern w objections to what they |Ville in a small boat with a crew of 1 innovation upon th only six men. Fort Caswell, guarding that the project the mouth of the river, mounted many was ibandoned nd int | heavy guns and Smithville, two miles | Conssuctor Hobson wasliets (aall Incficue iz @v) finvwell oriificd Shestiics prove his knc ge in doing duty at |, . 3 y garrisoned. But Cush- the bureau and at the New York } befilg RHOUL Y : Shiad rd up to the time when the man and | ing With his invariable good fortune, asion seem to have met and fit- | pushed safely through . and actually ted | janded in Smithville, close to the bat- And when the occasion did come it |tery. He walked calmly across the was pluck and courage that enabled | gtreet to General Herbert's house and him to undertake it, and determination | g5unq two staff officers there. Drawing that enabled him to carry it to a euc- | ;5 pigtol he requested them to sur- As Hobson's record now stands It ig | render, and though one officer escaped unprecedented in n: annals. With- | he actually managed to carry off Major out any previous experience in actual | Kelly a prisoner. Cushing, with his warfare this young officer has success- | captive, was back in his boat and away fully performed one of the most daring | down the river before the alarm could > occa thought | ® ® “A M ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ADMIRA iy @® ® O Ololo £, the face of the most trying conditions was never better demonstrated than at Newbern. He was in command of a party of sailors dragging navy how itzers and when landing on the ma lost his shoes and hat. Pressi bareheaded and barefooted he e h tered the servant of Captain Johnson of the army, who had a spare pair of boots slung over his shoulder ing i Cush- boots despite the ressed the s objections, directing in his master that Lieutenant Cushing of the navy was barefooted and had borrowed them for the d. But far the most brilliant exploit of Cushing, by which his name will always be remembered by his country, was the struction of the armored Confederate , Albermarle. The enemy had been forewarned of his intention to blow the ship up with a torpedo and had secured the Alber- marle snugly to a wharf at Plymouth. A cordon of logs surrounded her at a { distance of thirty feet, a company of soldlers with small arms and howitzers were on the wharf to defend her and the crew on board stood ready at their guns. The enemy was vigilant enough to detect Cushing’s approach in a small | torpedo-boat and_ at once poured a shower of shot and shell upon him. But | the little craft stole in unhurt, forced | her way over the boom and thrust her | torpedo against the side of the fated | Albermarle. At this moment a shell from a heavy gun completely wrecked the torpedo- boat and she went down just as her | torpedo exploded. The work was well | done, for the Albermarle was complete- |1y destroyed and a serious blow was | ?‘trnck at the power of the Confederate eet. Fortunately Cushing’s life was saved and for this daring act he was pro- | moted to be a lieutenant commander. | Like Decatur he came to an untimely end when his years of service were jover. In 1874 his health failed, then his mind went, and he died insane at the early age of 32 years. STEPHEN DECATUR'S Burning of the PH!LADELPH[}\. EW careers have been more full of stirring adventure than ‘that of Stephen Decatur, who served in the United States Navy dur- ing the opening years of the nt’ midshipman in 1797. Two years later he became a lieutenant. He fought in thefrigate United States when she captured the English ship Macedonian in 1812, and as a reward was promoted to the command of the President. Decatur’s most. brilliant exploit oc- curred in 1804, when he was only a lieu- feats in tory. l be given. When it became known that the ad-| Cushing's calmness of demeanor in tenant, serving in the first American foJolo him to | century. He entered the service as a4 ARAT e onn O] PPEOOOOO® eoee PEEE® ® war against the Barl Coast pirates. The United Stat gate Philadel- ph under the command of Captain Bainbridge, had the misfortune to be aptu by the enem Bainbridge was cruising off Tripoli and had chased a cruiser into shoal water. He endeav- ored to haul off, but unfortunately stuck hard and fast on a reef. Tripoli- tan gunboats surrounded the Philadel- phia andshe was compelled to strike her flag ] t went to work and 3 eeded in float- ing the frigate and bringing her in un- der the guns of the castle. Meanwhile the crew were 'taken as slaves and to the number of some 300 put to hard la- | bor. | Now came Decatur’s turn, and owing to his courage and skill the Tripolitans | were despoiled of the fruits of their | victory. The gallant young officer took | command of acaptured Tripolitan craft | named the Intrepid and, with a crew of but seventy-five men, entered the | harbor at night, sailing right under the | heavy guns of the castle. | The cool audacity of the Americans | dismayed the enemy. Decatur ranged | alongside the Philadelphia within half gunshot of the Pasha’s castle, his gal- {lant crew boarded, and with an irre- sistible onslaught drove the enemy | overboard at the point of the cutlass. | Then Decatur set the Philadelphia on | fire and remained alongside until the | flames had gained absolute control and | nothing but a smoldering hulk was left | for the Tripolitans to claim. His work done he retired in safety, the most remarkable circumstance about this brave feat being that not a single American life was lost. g |PAUL JONES' | Capture of the | SERAIS. HE first and one of the most fas- cinating characters in American naval history is Paul Jones, the famous hero of the Revolutionary ‘War. He held a commission in the first fleet which the colonies, so soon to become a great nation, equipped and his example of cool, undaunted bravery undoubtedly did much to stim- ulate the sailors of the infant navy. To give a list of Paul Jones’ exploits would require a volume, but they were so striking that all Europe—even his enemies—gave full recognition to his sailor-like skill and courage. All the famous statesmen of the Revolution admired him; Washington, Lafayette and Jefferson were loud in his praise, and sedate old Benjamin Franklin summed up his character in the one historic phrase, “For Captain Paul Jones ever loved close fighting.” The exploit chiefly assoclated with | Paul Jones' memory is his truly mar- BlclololCCICIoIBIOIeTolofololoforolo] RE BRAVE AND DARING THING HAS NOT BEEN DONE SINCE CUSHING BLEW UP THE ALBEMARLE.”— L SAMPSON. OJO) o® ® ® ® @® 3 (O] [oXOJOXOJOXOXOROXOROXOXOJOXOROXOJOJOROJOROKO} | velous capture of the British frigate | Serapis by the old Bon Homme Rich- ard. It was one of the most closely contested sea duels known to history, obstinate, reckless courage into higher relief, nothing—though more than a century has passed—more conclusively proved the fitness of the American sailor for naval warfare. The battle occurred on September 1778, off Flamborough Head, on the east of England. Paul Jones, with his tiny squadron, consisting, besides his own ship, of the Pallas, Active and 2 Vengeance, fell In with a -convoy of British merchantmen, escorted by the forty-gun frigate, the Serapis, and a small vessel, the Countess of Scarbor- ough. The other American ships took but little part in the action; it was practically a duel between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis. The day was drawing to a close when the fight began, but all through the night Paul Jones maintained an undaunted front. Many of his guns. being old and worthless, burst, his ship was on fire in a dozen places, water poured into her from a dozen gaping leaks, and, worst of all, he had over a hundred prisoners confined below, who were ready to mutiny and capture the ship as soon as they could make their es- cape. \r',et. during the lull in the fight, when the Serapis swung alongside the Bon Homme Richard and hailed, asking Paul Jones if he had surrendered, he replied in firm tones, “We haven’t be- gun to fight yet.” ¥ The words were almost prophtic, for from that moment the tide of battle turned in favor of the American hero. The masts of the Serapis were shot away, her decks were cleared by the accurate fire of the American muskets, and last of all her magazine was ex- ploded. This feat, which practically won the battle, was performed by a gallant American sailor, who climbed out on the mainyard until he was directly over the main hatchway of the Serapis. From this éolgn of vantage he dropped lighted hand grenades down her hold. One of these reached the magazine and a terrific explosion followed. Finally the Serapis hauled down her flag to a sinking ship and Paul Jones transferred his crew to the captured vessel. The Bon Homme Richard was so badly shattered that she foundered soon | afterward. WITH DEWEY At : MANILA. GAIN and again has the story of Manila been told, and the very manner of its telling is enough to cause a thrill of American pride; for the story comes from the pen or the lips of men who were there on that great day, who steamed and nothing ever brought Paul Jones' | {and some of them took notes as calm 19 re the waters were supposed to be ins ath, be- tween hostile forts and straight for the fleet of the enemy. Yet while they did this they were as devold of f S though going through a series of friend- ly maneuvers. While cannon thundered, shells fell on every side, and at tim clouds of smoke obscured the scen they watched with eager, ining tr as though battle was a pla All this shows a phase of the courag hich covered with glory the navy of the | United States, made immortal the name 4 | | | | | | | | of George Dewey, and set the ars and Stripes waving in strange lands. But for years the. brave tale will still be related, and Americans will be thrilled to hear it. H. J. Walsh of the Olympia had no time in which to take notes. Stripped like his comrades, he served his gun, and only paused to cheer when word ‘Walsh has sent to a friend in this city an account of the engage- ment. It possesses peculiar interest as being from the standpoint not of an officer, but of one of the actual fight- ers, the men who took orders and obeyed them unflinchingly and with patriotic zeal, their love for as keen as that of the man who stood on the bridge. The letter is as follows: MANILA, Philippine Islands. 4, 1808, Dear Friend John: Since 1 wrote you that last letter a great change has taken place on this coast. flag flew a short time ago there now flles the white flag of truce, and I can assure you that the Spanish will never forget it as long as they live. that I I told you in my last letter thought we were going to have a scrap | with the Spanish, and we had it. We left Mirs Bay—twenty miles from Hongkong—on the 26th of April at 2 p. m., and proceeded in the direction of Manila and we never stopped uniil we met and defeated, the Spanish in one of the most stubborn contests ever fought in modern times, and with modern guns on both sides. It was one of the greatest sights I have ever witnessed, and one of th most _brilliant victories in the world’ naval histo: I must gi dues. They fought a hard fight, and died at_their posts like soldiers. In one ship, the Reina Cristina, the Spanish admiral's flagship, were carried 600 all told, and only sixty are accounted for, and they are all in the hospital. We cut that ship all to pleces, and when she went about to try to get away, a shot struck her square in the stern, and went right through her. All at once she was in a blaze of fire. Those that were not shot away were cremated in the burning ship. We went by the outer forts at 11:40 p. m. in single file in the following rout- ine: F¥lagship Olympia, Admiral Dewey; Baltimore, Captain Dyer; Raieigh, Cap- tain Coughlin; Concord, Captain Walker; Petrel, Captain Woods: revenue cutter MeCulloch, Captain Elliott; transports Zafaro and Nanshan and the Boston. Captain Wildes, in the rear. The night was very dark, and we were all past the forts but the two transports and the Boston when they discovered us and opened fire on us. The blaze from their guns had not died out when the Boston answered it. As every man stood by his gun with his shirt off and a necker- chief tied around his head they looked like the pictures of old-time fighters. That one shot from the Boston killed forty men in the forts. We then proceed- ed up the bay until we came in sight of the enemy’s fleet. Everythln% was very quiet until we came within 10,000 yards of them, when the Spanish flagship opened fire on us. We did not answer them until we were within 6000 yards, every man stanaing by his gun with his lock string Ip his hand. The word was given to fire, and_you can bet there was no time lost. Their fleet of fourteen ships, the forts, arsenal and navy yard (larger than Mare Island) fired on us all at one time. Their inner fort has ninety large guns, all told, so you can see we were kept very busy for a while.” We were fighting one hour and thirty minutes when the Spanish admiral Where the Spanish | them (the Spanish) their | ed that some shot had struck | | zines in the the flag | struck his colors. Three hearty cheers went up from our boys, but it was onl as the Spanish on another ship, flagship was all t. again, this time ion to do or dfe. d their whole fleet « 3 pedo boats driven on the beach ) the word came to cease firing, re was not a Spanish fl floating anywhere in sight to shoot fir at We then called on the Governor General to surrender all the forts, which he did. One dose was enough for him, and now e have spiked ev gun in this har- or. , our forefathers may be dead, buf u had seen that battle you woul their spirit_as much alive to-day as. I can_tell you that we of our dead com- 1 good old_American battle if they knew they would spit Before th ¥ were an American in your face. But since the bombard- ment things have changed. When they meet an American now they salute nfm with both hands. One man was found with his hand en the throttie, with a shot through his body. We found him on one of the small gunboats that had retreated up the river. During the engagement one of the maga~ arsenal was struck with an 1 and exploded, killing 800 fc eight-inch men We expect another fleet out here soon, | and when they do come we will give . them a warm reception. We arc lying ag peacefully here now as if nothing had happened, but we have our weather eye open on the Spaniards. I will give you the next letter. No spectfully, full detalls in my more_at_present. Ree H. J. WALSH, S. Olympia. . NOTHER bc saw the bat- tle of Manila is W. J. Nokas. A few weeks ago he was living in this city, but he thought he would like to see “a little action,” so he joined the Olympia as an apprentice and sailed away to where fighting was to be had. And beautiful fighting it was, according to the story he has just ent home to his relatives in this city. Of course the story of the battle of Manila has been told as well as it ever will be told, but there were incidents connected with it that escaped the watchful eyes of the correspondents. Before the battle commenced, says young Nokas, there was great conster- nation among the crew of the Olympia over the fear of flying splinters. The bluejackets did not seem to have any fear of being shot by the Spaniards, but in some mysterious manner got it into their heads that the shells burst- ing near by would cause the air to be filled with fragments of chairs and tables. To obviate this danger the boys watched their chances and threw eve movable piece of woodwork overboard. Of course they did not suffer from fiying splinters during the heat of the hard-fought battle, but when breakfast time came they had to eat standing up. And the chances are they have been eating that way ever since, for the cap- tain did not like the foolish destruction of Uncle Sam's furniture. However, after considering the way the boys be- haved during the engagement he made no attempt to punish any of them. Young Nokas saw. the first shot of the battle fired by the Baltimore. He was right in the thick of the fight, where shells were bursting all around and Spaniards were being killed by the hundred, and says that he did not feel the least bit afraid. The excitement was so great th: none of the boys had time to think of feeling afraid. But after it was all over and they saw the great destruc- tion that had been caused the Span- iards they fully realized the horrors of war and were glad they had such a grand leader as Dewey, who saved them from a similar or worse fate.