DESTRUCTION OF CERVERAS' TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYERS. 179

work. The rammer was finally placed in the bore and the shell ejected. The gun was immediately put in action and MacNeal resumed his duties as coolly as if what he had done was a matter of every day routine.

S

HORTLY after the outbreak of hostilities I was put in charge of Commodore Morgan's yacht, the "Corsair." "Corsair." It had been bought by the government, renamed the "Gloucester," and fitted as an auxiliary vessel, being given a miniature battery of four 6-pounders, four 3-pounders and two Colt automatic rifles. Four of the officers were regulars and five volunteers. Her crew numbered ninety-three men.

The "Gloucester" was ordered to join Admiral Sampson's fleet, and proceeded via Key West and Banes to Santiago. When blockading off Santiago her station was on the eastern end of the line and inshore of all the vessels, being off Aguadores in the daytime and off the Morro during the night.

Sunday morning, July 3, she was in her usual station. This was the day when Cervera sailed out of Santiago Harbor. The fleet opened fire at once on the "Maria Teresa." We were heading out and commenced firing with our after guns. Our helm was put hard a-port, so that we turned toward the "Indiana" and in the direction taken by the enemy, and was kept a-port until we were heading at right angles to their column. We were in every way prepared for our work, the men being at quarters, with plenty of ammunition on deck, except for the time required to attain full speed.

As soon as the enemy were sighted, orders were given to start the blowers, and we were quickly under a full head of steam. The enemy soon developed their tactics, such as they were. They evidently expected to take advantage of their high speed and escape past the western end of our fleet before we could destroy them. We of the "Gloucester" closed in toward the enemy, firing such guns as we could bring to bear. We were

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180 DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYERS.

near the "Indiana" and anxiously looking for the destroyers. They were not very far behind the armored cruisers, but the time appeared long as we slowed down to wait for them.

As soon as the "Pluton" and "Furor" made their appearance our duty was plain-we must prevent them from attacking one of our battleships. We started ahead at full speed and gradually closed in on them, firing as rapidly as possible. About this time we made out a signal from the "Indiana" to read :

Destroying the
Destroyers.

"Gunboats close in."

I have since heard that Captain Taylor intended to signal "Torpedo boats coming out." To close in on the torpedo boats required us to cross the "Indiana's " line of fire, and as she was pouring in shell from her secondary battery, we were glad to feel secure that she would stop as we crossed her line.

As we drew closer to the destroyers their fire became quite warm, and their projectiles and those from the forts appeared to hit all around us, and when their Maxim 1-pounder started into play it seemed almost impossible for them to fail to hit us. But not a shot struck us, and there were men blown away from their guns before they got our range. When we were distant about twelve hundred yards we opened fire with our two 6-millimetre automatic Colt rifles. They poured a shower of bullets onto the decks of the destroyers and did great execution.

As we gathered speed we commenced to close in on the "Pluton" and the "Furor" rapidly. Although built for twenty-eight and thirty knots, our seventeen knots good was too much for them. The "Pluton" soon began to slacken and then she stopped in the breakers. At this time the "Indiana " was rounding the point ahead to the westward and the "New York" was coming up rapidly from the direction of Siboney.

When it was evident that the "Pluton" was done for, we concentrated our fire on the "Furor," and every shot appeared to take effect. Suddenly she jammed her helın hard a-starboard and made for us. It was evident that as our guns were too much for her she was going to try a torpedo. One of our prisoners told us after the battle that they made several attempts to fire a torpedo, but the crews were driven from the tubes by our own fire.

With her helm still a-starboard, the "Furor" turned toward the entrance of the harbor, and the "New York," having approached until she was engaged with the principal shore batteries, fired two or three shots at her, fearing she might escape. But the "Furor's" helm was jammed, and she continued to circle to port, so the "New York," her crew cheering, continued under full steam after the escaping cruisers.

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DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYERS. 181

The "Pluton" had blown up and was on the rocks. The "Furor" was on fire, her helm jammed, and unable to continue the fight. We had been doing our best to destroy life; now had come the time when we could commence to save the lives of our conquered enemies. The Socapa battery was firing at us still, and when we stopped the shells began to fall pretty close to us; but as soon as our boats were lowered they ceased firing.

Gallant Rescue of
Survivors.

The boats brought off every one who was alive on the burning wrecks of the "Pluton " and the "Furor," and also rescued those in the water and on the rocks. The trouble in getting the Spaniards off the rocks was especially great, as they refused to jump into the water, and in some cases it was necessary to throw them in and then pull them into the boat.

The complement of the "Furor" was sixty-seven and of the "Pluton " seventy men. Of these, nineteen were saved from the former and twenty-six from the latter. But it is known that a few swam ashore and managed to reach Santiago.

Meanwhile the "Gloucester" had steamed on to where the "Infanta Maria Teresa" and the "Almirante. Oquendo" were lying, wrecked and burning, on the shore. Each had white flags flying. They were burning fore and aft; their guns and reserve ammunition were exploding, and it was not known at what moment the fire would reach the main magazines. Moreover, a heavy sea was running just inside of the Spanish ships. But no danger and no difficulty deterred the officers and men of the "Gloucester" until, in two small boats and a dingy, they had rescued all the survivors. including the wounded from the two burning ships.

STORY OF A TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYER.

183

STORY OF A TORPEDO-BOAT DESTROYER..

HERE was a mile and more of smoke and flame and fighting stretching westward from the Morro before Cervera's torpedo boat destroyers steamed past the "Merrimac" and swung into the lane of fire marked out for them by the Admiral on that finest of morn

ings, July 3.

Richard Wainwright, executive officer of the Maine, commanding the converted yacht "Gloucester," had run in toward the harbor mouth from his blockading station, which was a little to the eastward, and when the last of the Spanish cruisers was making her turn westward, the yacht was heading toward her.

The big 11-inch guns of the cruiser belched fire and smoke as she opened on the "Indiana." Her captain saw the "Gloucester," too, and evidently suspected that she might attempt to torpedo him, so the guns of the secondary battery were trained on the yacht and shells fell all about her. Wainwright, whose danger was great, answered, only steaming the closer. From our yacht "Golden Rod," which at that time was directly off shore from the "Gloucester," we watched in amazement. Smoke curled up over the yacht a moment later, and we knew that she was answering the cruiser with her 6-pounder.

But that was only an incident to Wainwright. Lying closer in than the "Golden Rod" he had already seen what we did not see till later-the "Furor" and "Pluton" coming out of the harbor. We understood when we saw them that he was holding his position in spite of the cruiser's fire so that he might engage the destroyers at deadly range. The "Gloucester" is a torpedo-boat destroyer as the event proved, a destroyer of destroyers.

I turned from the main battle for a second or two pretty often in the next few historical minutes, to see the yacht and the destroyers, and it was difficult to take one's eyes off them, for on the bridge of the "Golden Rod" men were saying of the "Gloucester": "She's gone! They're both going straight at her! Why doesn't he pull out?" But they didn't know "Dick" Wainwright.

A Moment of Intense Anxiety.

As the destroyers made the turn westward, every gun which could be trained on the "Gloucester" was fired, and her decks were wet by spray cast there by shells which struck about her. Worse still, the gunners in the battery beyond Morro were throwing projectiles at the yacht, any one of which must destroy her at once if the aim were true. And at this time the last of the cruisers still fired at her. The smallest of shells would have