Knowing all this, Admiral Cervera was loth to venture out of the harbor of Santiago, and the days and weeks passed in idleness while the monotonous blockade continued.
[Illustration: ADMIRAL CERVERA.] It was the fear that the Spanish ships would make a dash on some dark, stormy night and escape that led to one of the most striking and brilliant exploits of the war.

That is the sinking of the collier _Merrimac_ in the channel of the harbor by Lieutenant Richmond Pearson Hobson, on the night of June 3.

That the effort was not wholly successful does not detract from the glory of the brave men who went unflinchingly to what looked like almost certain death.
The companions of Lieutenant Hobson in this remarkable achievement were Osborn Deignan, George F.Phillips, Francis Kelly, George Charette, Daniel Montague, J.C.Murphy and Randolph Clausen.

The last named was not one of the original six chosen, but he had been at work on the _Merrimac_ preparing her for the attempt and hid himself away on the lumbersome craft and they were obliged to take him.
As soon as the Spaniards discovered the approach of the _Merrimac_, in the darkness, they opened upon her with their batteries from both shores, and she was subjected to a fire which it would seem must riddle her like a sieve and kill every man.

But under the direction of the cool-headed and daring Lieutenant the collier was swung into the right position, and, but for the shooting away of the rudder, would have been sunk directly across the channel, which would have been effectively blocked.