The Rome hustler-commercial. (Rome, Ga.) 18??-????, July 20, 1898, Image 8

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HOW ENW BIUJS SmtlTHB PORTER Leaped Into The Sea. Captured . a Torpedo And Rendered it Harmless. 'iho torpedo involved in thi s ■tory was originally intended to ■ink an American ship in Santi ago harbor. It came from Ad miral Cervera’s torp* do squad ron. The hero of the war thus far is Ensign Irving Van (Jordon Gillis, who captured the destroy er b) plunging overboard Ir m the deck of the toipedo boat Por ter f thus saving it from. dcstruc tion. He came from New 'i ork state. The story of the torpedo and the ensign furnishes good read ing and shows the American people what kind of boys we have in our navy. It shews the World that on our ships there are heroes on every deck. But its principal object is to tell tin tale of how the boy from the Empire state took des perate chances and saved the officers and crew of the torpedo . boat Porter from an explosion that would have sent them to Davy Jones. Os this act of courage the world will continue to talk here after. So let it be known that Samp son bad bottled Cervera’s fleet tightly in the harbor of Santiago and that there was no safe way for them to get out. In semi circle around the entrance to the bottle hovered the American ■hips, dull and stolid by day ; black and towering by night. On the bosom of the Carribean these monsters tossed and rolled to the •well, and Cervera chaffed with in the confines that had been mapped out for him. One night the torpedo tubes of the Pluton opened and several Sch wartz-Kopf torpedoes, with their war ncses on, started for the entrance of the harbor. There waa a strong ebb tide running, and Cervera figured that they would pass through the channel out to sea, and, guided by the Providence that Spain always has considered among its protec tors, run into some of the Amer ican ships and destroy them. THE TORPEDO DISCOVERED. It was not fated, however, that this sort of assassination •houid occur, after exhausting their motive power, the misplac ed emissaries ot destruction ceased their direct action and floated helplessly around in the trough of the sea, passing through the channel of the har bor out into the open. The gray streaks of the morn ing were beginning to break in the east, the coxswains’ whistles ■" sounded across the lazy sea and the crews rose from their sleep on the white decks of the Amer ican fleet. From the crags and ;> the shore birds mounted • tkyward, and the sea gulls' wings touched the fighting tops oCour ships as they swept by. . The big, silent throated guns, trained on the batteries of Morro and along the fortifications, ( «f«med to yawn their awakening , *pd the tints of morning splash id, along the ocean and mingled with the yellow brass that trim med our vessels. There were no W of war. Capt. Fremont, of the Porter, with hit glass in hand and En ■ign Gillis By his fide, stepped in the gunwales of his boat from •he main companionway and ■canned the scene. Shoreward, from the staff of the Morro and along the batteries ot Spain, floated the fl ig of Alphonso, i while u ’ ii I down the ecast lay i the shi] s of Sampson, flying the I American colors and waiting for something to turn up. Indeed, something was to oc :ur in a few minutes—something that would thrill (he officers and men >f the Porter—for in a very few moments, lb.pt. Fremont detected something coming to . ward the ship on the swell of the tide. Il glistened aft and was black and porpoiselike for ward. IP- (lid not require his glass to detect a Schwartzkopt . torpedo floating along toward the Porter. It was not moving i rapidly, but it seemed to come . out of the gray mists of the’ , morningas though for sotne , thing to dost roy. Ensign Gillis saw it, too. In a moment he had tossed his ofli . cer's coat on the deck and had , slipped hi', canvass shoes. With , his hands on the rail he leaned forward and watched the terri ble instrument coming toward the ship, rising and falling and still approaching, nose on, with each swi ll of the sea. Gillis cl itched the rail firmly and prepared to make the jump. * ‘ 1 >on ’t do it, Gillis; she’s got hi' war nose on I” exclaimed (Japt. Fremont, reaching tor his Ensign. “I'll fix that, sir,” replied GillF,leaping into thes-a before his superior officer could re strain him. With a couple of I | strong strokes he reached the I , side of the Schwartzkopf and . cii clod’the nose with bis arm. [' From the deck of the Porter Fn inont gazed breathlessly at . (he daring boy tossing about in I the water beneath him. |. Gillis quickly turned the nose of the weapon away from the , Porter, screwed the firing pin up tightly, so that it could not op- ■ mate, and then swam back to I the side of the torpedo boat, , pulling his prize at his side. Lift- ■ ing his dripping hand from the . water, he saluted his Captain . and waited with his arm around the now harmless torpedo, for further orders! He was quickly hauled aboard ’ and the prize was stowed for -1 ward. There is no ostentation about Gillis and he took the honors 1 Leaped upon him calmly. 1 No more daring deed has been L ' done during this war, and Rear = Admiral Sampson compliwient "ied the boy highly fir his brav |ery. He is a grandson of Rear Admiral Gillis, retired. ] gw S CITY uF LIVIN’ 1 SKELIS TON S 1 P 'TARVING lIEEI'GEES Tlllt >NG FAM INE-. Stricken Santiago. Santiago de Cuba, July 20. — 1 ( I Since 4 o’clock this morning a Hirer in of skeleton refugees ha; s I pt tiring into the cry, some • naked, and all hungry and roit- i, sore. Mmy had fallen by the way -3 side. , she town ot Santiago presents y : a d smal sight. Most of the houses . | have been sacked, and the stores j, have all been lojkid, and nothing |to eat can be had for love or ! money. I Lu the streets of the city this morning, at the entrenchments, 1 at the breast wo; k h and at every hundred feet or so of the barbed wire fences were the living skele tons ot Spanish soldiers. Otir Today —Congressman John W. Maddox after a week’s illness was able to be out a short while i this morn lug. | S H, P. WOOTEN & BRO., * ** rtr' * Successors to J * .-CT— -- ROME PHARMACY. -> ' * "" 2JJ 309 Broad st.—New Clark Building. We have bought the entire stock of the “R - □3 Pharmacy and are prepared to supply y oul s ‘ K the drug, piescription and patent medicine im. gjj stock is complete and ol the very highe-t gnu eg ' We solicit a part of your patronage am s i.i t -'IB deavor to the best of our ability toplease you a a > or, times. We should be pleased to have you call on us. Full line of druggist’s sundries, toilet, articles and such things as are usually carried in a lirst-c ass uiug . store. Cigars and tobacco. Come to see us. -> RAW*’ *-M £ 2 K ' i S S. M Stark, a. 43 .« 1 UDUB AND GEMjM B H m Dougherty Bldg, 2nd A « ‘ ...: -X ■ « . • ___ F. HANSON. * ' NORRIS N. SMITH. J THE HANSON SUPPLY CO. | 2 Plumbing and Tinning. 2 {Engineers’ anl machinists' supplies. Stoves, ranges and * tinware. Gas and electric fix- c tures. INSURANCE gasoline § 2 stoves. Water meters. | 1 325 Broad st. Phone 32. ® i? « 51.25 ail Ji 5 > T ; jli s'lirti fir 5 J. A. G.AIDI i -COMPANY WAITING '■’■’■ESZ for everyone in Rims to co tie . in and see the magnificent stor*k on men’s and boy’s clothing, * bicycle and golf suits, is wh it we are doing, but we are hus "tling while we wait. We will show you the finest stock o! * J j ill clothing, made from the newest vtrMr styles and patterns in fabricks perfect fitting and handsome, to be found in Georgia, and they are above competition in values for tliO-price. j Ihe greatest line of negligee shirts ever shown in Rome. J. A. GAITVION c ' I -.— —■■■■—_- I Can supply al! Ours is the Most Complete! x Department Nursery r±7. t<> OKM in tn 9 Us S« rates. Wc publish one of I MHv the Seed, Plant and Tree Catalogues issued, which will be mailed free. Send for it n.>w, it will pC? 1 •ve you money. Try us, can refer you to customers in every state and territory 11 the Union. 43 years of squsre dealing has made us patron? and friends Lh and t ! Fear. Have hundreds of carloads of ’ FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, PLANTS. We sand by mail postpaid. Seeds, Bulbs, Plants, Roses, Small Trees, Etc. Safe arrival r e-Uain*un guaranteed; larger by .aprsu or freight 44th year. 3a'fieenhouses. 1 00a-ci THE St HARRISOM Go- •>??* Gainesville? C ' - -n sl ■To Weal P?optj of Romes It iswih pleasure that we introduce to our reader• u o( a new and complete stock of WMIB IBM _n>_. jij : . tuuiMijj AND Siii/tii Musical ![iisii-u illeil n th. r.nw Moieley building, 327 B,oa<l , trm , wllnro wo would bo pleased to havo y ou ~a U examine our goods. * dll ' f Tiie stock consists of some of the boat <4> ? iaims and organs on the market today. \v* k'cp a fuL line of everything pertaining tea class music store—Something Rome ha“ needed for a long time. Give us a call and you wi || fin ,]. music stare that Romans may be proud of i:-3 IItH- 11 l)l t) t • s- 1 !I C' h ’ CIJ (• ’ A . t . • - the earliest possible date. B, SaWMBsEiSi 327 Broad Street. S. P. Davis, Manager. X \ \ X X X \ XXX XX. XX X XX X X.v X \ \ We keep on liand-.it all times a full stock of Sheet Music •* I • * -V ■ ’ ■ . F.J-KANE& Q u 248 B/oad Street.; . Sale ol Summer tn ■ Ch •> X'X X X \ X X x X Xl/J? XXX X X \ \\AS\ N N x \ X X X X X X X.X *• X X X X X X X\ \ \ O Lawns, Organdies, Piques, Percalf Gingham and Madras. xeX Ready-Made Skirts and W 4* We intend to close out oursh stock, so take advantage of pcries on shoes of the best makes. Special prices on everything al F. J, K ANRa.dC I 248 Broad Streat- { |7 — \ mui—wb—w—OT ——— t’prmannntlv cured by using 7>R. WHITEHALL’S Rn v -UMATK <♦ wir ’st and the be«t. Sold by -rnggists on a positive £“, ftra p..- Sii'tHn s-nt frop < n mention of this pub? I'.- ‘-R Wur’"'- • VWBIMHII * ■p