Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-10-19
CHASED BY VENEZUELAN GuNB0ArS.
The Steamship Phiisdeipsia's Lively Expert
ence OF Port Isabella.

NEW Yors. Oct. 1s--Thc steamship
phila,l,lnliia of the Red u line arrived from,
south American ports Sunday evening at
Hobert.'s Stores, BROOKLYN. This Is the
vessel that had quite an experience with
Venezuelan runbouis. The ships of this
line carry the INTEL States mails.
A reporter of The World boarded the
pnilaAelphia shortly after she arrived at her
dock. but her commander, Capt. John IL.
Chambers. and the two mates were of. The
reporter, however, saw Qnartermaster Ben
jaman Ingemanson and Engineer Edward
Roebling, and between them got the story
of their trip.
I'VE left New York" they said. ION
Sept. % and struck Curacao in about
week. We had a general cargo on board
for the different ports. We had some pas
sengers also. While lying at Caracoa
Capt. Chambers learned that Port Isabella
our next stop. was blockaded. He tele-
craphed to the kearsarge, lying at Laguayra.
10 see us safe into Port Isabella. We left
Curacao about u O'Clock that night. The
following morning we sighted the Rear
sarge living outside Port Isabella.
Just about the time we sighted her the
Venezuelan gunhoat Pamtara came right
out towards us. The kearsarge was on the
watch and she steamed up between the
pamtara and us The kearsarge then came
alongside of us. and the kearsarge's COM
manler told our captain to regulate his
speed by the kearsarge and he would see us
in. We steamed about II miles with the
kearsarge alongside of us. The Venezuelan
sunboat didn't bother MS. The kearsarge
! frightened her.
I'VE dropped anchor off Port Isabella
AMI the kearsargc did the sameA We were
only about $50 yards apart. Then we got
orders from the custom house at Port lsa-
bella to come into dock and discharge cargo
and put of passengers. That same night
we left for Laguayra. We got there all
right, and after four days started back
1 again to Port Isabella. We had another
! cargo.
| 1.-The day before we left La Guyra the
| Venezuelan gunboats, Famtara, Cantonese,
I Parsara and another received orders, ~ we
. were told,if we attempted to enter Port
! Isabella to sink us. That dill not scare us
much We had an Armstrong rapid firing
! l2-pounder on board that would sink any
of their eunboats. Then most of our crew
of - are men of the Naval Reserve who
can handle vessel well. Why. if they had
shown real fight we would have 'rammed
them.
"Wcll when we heard they proposed
coming for us we Immediately started all
our boilers and got up all the steam we
could and ran out for Port Isabella.
! The Venezuelan gunboats were then
| eight or 10 miles from us. When they
caught sight of us they came out off shore.
| We steamed more in shore and, being the
! swiftcr, we ran clear away from them and
out of the range of their guns. When we
got near Por, Isabella the Kearsarge came
out and met Ms and took us into the harbor
as before. We lay there all that day till
| late in the evening, when we started for
Curacao again, the kearsarge seeing us
! out.
| AT Curacao we remained a couple of
| days and them went back to La Guayra
] again, missing Port Isabella. We were at
| La Guayra about three hours this time for
! the mails, and from there we came straight
on to New York, bringing coffee and hides
1 as cargo and some passengers. When we
were at La Guayra those three hours a de-
tail of about dozen of our marines, with
two officers came on board. They came
| in steam launch from our man-of-war,
the Chicago. There were other marines in
boats around onr vessel to be put on board
if needed. When we got out of La Guayra
the marines left our ship and went back to
the Chicago. We left there week ago"