The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-06

KEY WEST Fla, Sept. /, via New Orleans,
Sept 5.-l have the pleasure of announcing
that the entire cable from Havana to Puma
Rasa, Fla, is now in working order, with the
exception OF seven miles of shore end Oft this
point, which will be laid by the United States
dOuble-ender Lenapee to. morrow, ii the weather
is favorable: If not, the first hne day. As the
Raleigh leaves tonight tor New Orleans, | send
this by her, to be telegraphed from that point,
lest the northers in the Gulf may delay the
splicing Off this harboI.
The following is my log of the trip:-
Wednesday, Aug. 2I.-Took in supplies at Key
West; could get no suitable coal, and at p. NJ.
the Narva left for Havana.
Aug. 22-Arrived off Moro Castle. Havana,
at A. NJ; renamed there all day taking on
board ice and ships stores for the Narva and
Lenapee, which leaves Key West tonight tor
Punta Rasa, to assist us IN laying the Punta
Rssa and Key West Gable. Coal was put on
board in bags None of the crew were permitted
to land, lest the ship should be infected bv the
yellow fever raging in Cuba. Left at p. M.
for Punta Rasa direct.
Aug. 23.-Early this morning crossed Tortugas
Island, and had fine view OF Fort jefferson, the
abiding place of the ASSASSINATION cOnspirators;
weather very fine, and we are making six knots.
At IL P. M. lay off Cape Romano, SO as to enter
Punta Rasa harbor by daylight
Aug. A-At day light sighted the Lenapee at
the channel buoy, and ran down to her.
Aug. rs. = The Narva is anchored at the
buoy, seven miles Oft the telegraph house. The
Lenapee, which draws less water, is four miles
from shore Her boats, with Engineers Webb
and Preece and Electricians Crook and Medley,
landed, and preparations were at once made to
land the shore end. Ensign German, with a
boat from the Lenapee, towed out two pontoon
boats to the Narva, where they were crossed
with boards, and a raft formed, upon which, on
the morning OF August 26, one mile and half
of heavy shore end was coied. Two launches
of the Lenapee, under the command of Ensign
German, started ashore with the raft in tow at
2 P. M, Mr.. Webb declining the offer of Cap
tain Irvine, of the Lenapee, to tow the raft by
A h 90 ind wa
setting off from shore, and rendered the land
ing verv difficult. About 8 o'clock the pro-
Peller Emily, Captain wAEE MEEXen, passed p6ss u.s. u.s.
glad to accept the offer of a tow from
her. We arrived ashore at halEpast 4, and at
once connected the shore end to Mr.. Hannan's
Webb at once chartered the Emily to lay the
shore end, but just as we were ready to start tor
the Narva on the Emily fearful storm came
up, and we were all forced to camp on shore,
among the countless myriads of sand flies and
mosquitoes for the night. At daylight the
Emily proceeded to the Narva, six miles of and
additional cable was coiled upon the former
from the tanks of the Narva, ana the Emily ran
in to the shore. The splice was made between
the small sized and the shore end upon the raft,
and by dark the shore end was lald and placed
upon the Narva, where another splice was made
to the cable in the Narvas tanks. 1t was for
tunate that the services of the Emily had been
avalled OF, as we could not have laid the shore
end IN four days without her assistance in the
rough sea that was running.
We lay at anchor all night, intending to start
at daylight on August 27 At A. M. a colored
cable hand, who had been i'll several days, was
found dead. Investigation INTO his case, as well
as others of the sick on board, showed that the
Narva had yellow fever on board, and OF course
it was impossible to sail until the deceased was
buried. We we're six miles from the mainland,
and boats were at once despatched to bury the
deceased. Messrs. Webb, Medley, Captain
Dowell, and others, accompanied the boats, and
the latter read the Episcopal burial service over
4fNa Rafn
shore another of the remaining two patients
sick with the fever died. We are all ready to
start Mr.. W. E. Everett, Engineer of the Tele-
the Captain and Mr.. Webb to throw the body OF
the deceased overheard; but these gentlemen
insisted upon giving him decent burial, and Mr..
Webb declared he should be buried on shore II
the cable was. never LAID. Another funeral
party started ashore, and of course rendered II
Impossible to start for Key West that night.
quinine rations to all on board, and tumlgsted
the ship with disinfectants
Aug. 28.-At 9'l5 this morning we got under
steam to draw in the slack, but on doing so Il
was discovered that the cable had become EN-
tangled in the ships anchor. To get it loose Il
was necessary to cut the cable. At l'S0 the
splice was again completed, and at 2l6 We
sailed at the rate Of one and hall knots, steer
and Medley, electricians reported that the In
sulation of the cable had ceased, and no signals
could be had with Mr.. Hammer on shore. Th'
VESSEL was az OuCe blOppSu, anu UtVOA
noon was consumed in cutting the cable auC
taking out the flaw. At ten P. NJ. we wer
again ready to sail, when Mr.. Dunlap announces
the death of another hand. We lay at ancho
all night, and at daylight buried the third anC
last yellow-tever patient on board. All OF thes
men had the worst kind of yellow fever an
black vomito. We now hope to be clear OF tn
fever, as no other cases have been reported.
Aug. 29.-We buried the deceased on sher
with becoming solemnities, and gotunder stean
Tor Key West at IL a. NJ, the Lenapee leadin
slowly at first, and gradually increasing to fou
and hVe knots. Captain Dowel took the cours
south, half east, and despite all remonstrance
kept on clear through. Ii was the same cours
taken by the Lenapee, which acted as our po
ship. The ships log showed the following rat
per hour:-Counting from the Punta Rasa buo,
seven miles OF shore, at p. NJ, twepty-seye
and a half Mules run; at p. NJ, thirtythre
miles; p. NJ, thirty eight miles; p nj fort,
three miles; 10 P. NJ, ffty.two and a ouarts
miles; from 10 p. NJ. TO A. M. Aueust R0 6S
knots per hour, which continued TO A. M
when the speed was reduced to four knots
10 A. M. we had run by the log one hundre
miles, when We stopped In a thick fog and rai
and anchored. The Lenapee, which found N
Kew West buoy about O'clock fred gun AT
ran back TO the Narva, which was at ancho
A heavy rain and fog had set in, so that It W
deemed expedient to remain ut anchor n
Ienapee at once started for Key West, whe
she arrived the same evening. stiff north
set in in the afternoon and the NarVa cut q