exactly two minutes. It was in the speed of these boats that the chief danger lay-the danger of a surprise. Who could tell at what minute of the night the lookouts would report the enemy's ships within easy torpedo range of ours?

In this emergency the Admiral had two courses to pursue, if he were to reduce the danger of a sudden night attack to the utmost limit. He could establish his squadron, which was soon increased to an ample number by the arrival of other vessels, in a wide arc off the mouth of the harbor at a distance of six miles or more. At that range he would be entirely safe from the guns on shore, and if an enemy's torpedo-boat came out, it would have to run across the high seas for at least twelve minutes before reaching one of our ships. In that time we should have many chances of picking her up by our search-lights.

Another plan for corking the bottle-by this time Cervera was said to be "bottled up" in Santiago was to close in about the mouth at night, and keep the channel brilliantly illuminated with the search-lights. This "was a bold thing to do," says Captain Chadwick; "but it was in keeping with the whole habit of mind of our Commander-in-Chief, whose idea, constantly expressed in speech and act, was to be in close touch with the enemy."

Accordingly the whole squadron closed in to a range of two miles and a battle-ship picket was established every night. That is to say, two battle-ships ran in shore until within a mile or less of the Morro. Inside of these, three small auxiliaries were lined across the harbor at a distance of perhaps a half mile from the Morro. Inside of them, and but a quarter of a mile from the beach, three steam-launches, each armed with a one-pounder and four ma rines with rifles, went prowling to and fro.

As night came on one of the two battle-ships here lay with not a light showing, while the other turned her search-lights upon the harbor entrance. "The long and brilliant beam of light shone through the entrance and over the intervening hills as far as Santiago, six land miles distant," says Chadwick. "Every detail of the narrow cañon with cliffs two hundred feet high, forming the harbor entrance, was made visible as day, and the whole proceeding can only be properly described in the remark of the British Naval Attaché, who, on looking at it from the deck of the New York, exclaimed:

"What a dd impertinence!""

Of such a character was the blockade established by Sampson within three days after his arrival, and maintained until Cervera's squadron was destroyed.

Now although the battle-ships took turns in this work, and it was reasonably certain that no projectile from the shore could pierce a vital part of anyone of them, their upper works, where the crews were obliged to sleep on account of the temperature, were made of such thin material that even a well-directed shell from a smooth-bore, might have been dropped among the sleepers on the pickets. As a matter of fact, the Spaniards never fired a cannon at the night pickets, but they peppered the launches with Mauser rifles, and it was expected that they would use their cannon-there was never an hour of the night, when the men on watch were not looking for the flash of a modern gun on shore. "Anxiety for their men told heavily " on the officers from the first night-the night of June 1st, after Sampson had arrived. Sampson foresaw this immediately on arrival, and his first effort to relieve the strain made the name of Hobson known throughout the world.

After reaching Santiago and taking one look at the narrow entrance to the harbor the possibility of sinking a ship there, to effectually close it, and so prevent Cervera's exit, was apparent to many of the officers of the squadron. Sampson, knowing the width of the channel, had considered the plan of sinking a ship in it while he was lying in Nicholas Channel, and in

to fit her with torpedoes that would sink her instantly, when the time came, and this took so long that day had arrived on the morning of June 2d, 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 selected from among the hundreds that crowded aft to volunteer. They were Daniel Montague, Chief Master-at-Arms of the New York; George Charette, Gunner's Mate, first class, of the New York; J. E. Murphy, Coxswain on the Iowa; John P. Phillips, a machinist, Oscar Deignan, Coxswain, and Francis Kelly, a water-tender, all of the Merrimac. To this crew of six men Coxswain Rudolph Clausen, of the New York added himself by eluding the vigilance of the officers. Admiral Sampson refused to allow any other officer to go on the expedition, or any more men than were actually needed, on the ground of the extreme danger of the undertaking. He was not going to waste any lives.

A

At 3 o'clock on the morning of June 3d, these men headed away for the harbor. 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 row-boat or the life-raft that had been provided for them.