The National tribune., 1890-11-06

Juan, and American corvets Swatara and
Alliance
The Ethel anchored off the city with the
American flag flying, and we had our boats
all ready to board her the moment she
hoisted the Haytien colors. As we anchored
close to her, the Captain of the Swatara
| sent us word that we were in q threatening
attitude to an American vessel. We sent
word back that we knew her purposes and
intended to take her as soon as she hoisted
the Hayti colors He returned answer
that we must Withdraw from her vicinity
Immediately, or he would fire on us. To
give this effect, he cleared his ship for action
and
OPENED HIS PORTS,
and, although we felt nggrieved, we could
not help but admire the quick and seaman
like manner in which the Swatara got ready,
running down her topgallant and royal
yards, casting loose her guns, putting up
her splinter-Detting, and removing all deck
ratings, etc She was alive for ii minutes,
with her crew flying around, and then she
was ready for fight.
Seeing no alternative, we fell back to q
respectful distance, and all that night we
could hear boats going to and from the
town and feet TO the Ethel and it was
reported that she was sold that night and
transferred to Solomon in the presence of
the American Minister, while another report
had it that seamen from foreign vessels were
afterwards employed in getting up her guns,
carriages, and munitions, and putting her in
order AZ war-ship. We also heard-which
proved TO be fact-that her commander
was Capt Cooper, son of the American Com
modore on the station, who arrived with his
flagship, the Tennessee, few days after
wards.
When morning dawned, the Haytien flag
was flying on the Ethel, whose name had
been changed to the Dessalines The GO
FOUNDER breechloading Parrott rifle could
he seen through the open port forward a
pivot-gun and two muzzlc-loading 30 pound
er PARROTS stuck their black noses out aft.
She was ready for fight and as her consorts
were not seemingly ready, we sailed down
the bay towards Miragoanes to see if we
could get n chance with her. Hudson
had our bow gun, and had the br0adsides,
and we We're in good spirits as we steamed
down the coast.
But she soon came after us, and off Logane
we had set-to. Her bridge was
COVERED WITH MEN,
all Generals, heard, except Haytien Com
modore Cooper, and at the first shell from
Hudson's bow gun, which exploded very
near their vicinity, most of them let go all
holds and feil to The deck. At the distance
of mile or a little more, we were giving it
to her badly, and trying TO get closer to her,
seeing which she turned tail, and by her
superior speed soon put more distance be-
tween us, enabling her to nse her rined guns
whore our smodthbores would not carry.
We then pushed on, aud she followed us
carefully, firing Father wildly at us.
As / have snRd, we could make barely
eight knots an hour, while che could go 16,
We heard but aa.she had to turn either to
starEoard or port 10 use her pivot gun. we
we ran in near the fort. She could still have
remained OF aud punished us, but for some
reason she conteuivd herself with returning
to Port an PrinpS probably 10 spread the
news of her victory.
A council of war was held that night, Mt
which Bazelais was very much depressed,
and il was decided that La Pa,rie should 90
| around 10 Jacmel, TO remain under the pro-
| lection of the batteries there, until riaed
| guns could be obtained for her; so we started
off that afternoon, and next morning were
| plowing along in the Caribbean sea toward
La Ynche, ii being quite stormy aud the
/ SEA VERY ROUGH.
| The rain fell in torrents until noon and then
Stacked mp, leaving it intensely hot and
close, so that the watch below, unable 10 get
any rest after dinner, had TO come on deck
| All hands were trying to get breath OF air,
ard those who had anything to answer the
purpose of a fan used 1t vigorously.
WAS sitting by the cabin door, and from
some cause had fallen into a nap, when
| Hudson shook me awake and said
Let ua 80 forward and look at the
waterspont."
We went to the wheel and on to the
bridge, where Capt. Williams and two of his
officers were.
She's coming right at u.s." he said
Hadn't you best try shot at her, Hud-
son?"
Hudson ran down the steps and forward,
cast his gun loose, although it was rough
sea, and got ready to fire. had good look at
the wnterspout, and can say that it resembed
very much the pictures l had seen of the
traveller, only tbat the column seemed very
much taller. II appeared over half mile
high, and considerably larger than the di-
ameter of sugar hogshead when we saw it,
nearly two miles of. The top of it seemed
| spread out, and not as dense as the body, and
looked as if it joined the clouds. It came
very fast, with the upper part seeming TO
sway or move more irregularly than the
body.
The Captain had put the ships head off so
rs TO let IL 90 10 port Of as and soon IIud-
son gave il snot, which he claimed passed
| through IL, but we could see no peTceptble
effect IL was now coming more toward as,
aud passed about a quarter Of a mile OFF the
port quarter, going directly across our wake,
and we felt quitea dFizzle of rain as it went
| by.
Capt Williams said that the waterspout
was larger than the average of them, and
If we had run into it or it into us, so AZ