318 THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.

side of the bridge. The explosion will throw the Merrimac on her starboard side. Nothing on this side of New York City will be able to raiseher after that."

Such was the daring programme. When volunteers were called for to execute it they presented themselves in hundreds. Hobson chose the six,but there was a seventh. Almost at the last moment oneof themen of the New York, Seaman H. Clausen, though rejected in the first choice of volunteers, was taken on as an additional hand.

It is onlyright to put on record the namesof all the little band. This list is interesting in many ways. For one thing it brings out very forcibly the international character of the personnel of the United States Navy. We are somewhat too apt to think of its successes as victories of the Anglo-Saxon. Irish, French, and German namesfigure on the brief glorious roll-callof the Merrimac. Thus runs thelist :— Lieutenant RichmondP.Hobson(incommand), George Charette,John Kelly,H. Clausen,Daniel Montague,Oscar Deignan, J. E.Murphy, John P.Phillips.

The steamlaunch that was to follow them in was mannedby CadetJ. W. Powell of the New York and four men. They carried with them bandages,splints and restoratives forgiving first aid to woundedor exhausted men.

All through Wednesday, June ist, Hobson had been hard at work getting the Merrimac ready. She lay near the flagship, and towards evening he paida visit to the Admiralto discuss final details. Just before sunset he went on boardthe steamerwithhis littlecrew. Themen of the other ships in theneighbourhood crowded decks and rigging, and cheered their devoted comrades frantically again and again. There was still alot of work to be done on board, and for this purpose some of the artificers of the fleet remained on the steamer tillthe middle of the night. They left with stokers and the surplus engine-room hands as the Merrimac got under weighand headedfor Morro.

But therehadbeen a miscalculation as to the time. The dawn was coming quicker than had been anticipated, and the steamer had not gone far whenthe Admiral hastilyorderedthe torpedo boatPorter to head her off and bring her back. In the growing light the attempt would have been desperate. The Porter overtook the slow tramp steamer, andHobson stoppedhis engines, but he sent back word that if the Admiral would give him permission he thought he could even yet do all he wanted. The reply was a peremptory order to return and put off the venture till thenextnight. So Hobson steamed back to the fleet, and he and his comrades had to endure the strain of twenty-four hours of idle waiting for the desperateventure.

A second start was made at three o'clock on the Friday morning. This, it was calculated, wouldgive Hobson a full hour of darkness for the accomplishment of his task. The sky was cloudy and themoonlight uncertain— everything was favourable for the enterprise. Followed by the steam launch, the Merrimac slippedin belowMorro Castle, with all herlights screened, a great black mass gliding silently through the water. But the Spaniards were on the alert. The Pluton, one of the destroyers, was patrolling the upper part of the channel, and several picket boats wererowing about. The look-out at Morro was the first to see the Americanship, and took her for one of the fleet trying to force the entrance. The guns of the battery below the Castle opened fire. The battery of quickfirers below the point near Socapa promptly came into action. The Reina Mercedes then brought her battery to bear, and fired two torpedoes ; two more were discharged by the Pluton, which also opened with her light quick-firers. Some of the submarine mines were exploded. The Merrimac had thus to move in through a wild storm of fire. The steam launch fell astern, unable to follow her, and took shelter under the steep shore on the Morro side.

Hit repeatedly, but still afloat, the Merrimac reached the appointed spot, and Hobson put the helm hard aport; but, to his dismay, the ship did not answer it. Her rudder had been destroyedby the quick-firer shells of thePluton. There was nothing for it but to sink her as she lay, and trust to luck. So he gave the signal and exploded the torpedoes. But several of them failed to act. A strong tide was running, the anchors would not hold, and after taking ground near EstrellaPoint, theMerrimac,slowly sinking, drifted into the deep water near Smith Cay. Here she was struck by one of the Whitehead torpedoes discharged from theReina Mercedes, and went down rapidly by the head, her little crew being swept overboard in the rush of water. As she sank, the Spaniards on the forts and ships cheered enthusiastically. They thought they had sent one of Sampson's sighting ships to the bottom.

The boat towed asternhad been shatteredby