The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-11
DA CANVAS PERSONAL COURAGE.
An American ohcer's Story of the
Brczilian Rebsis Goodness and
Pluck.

LA YAH n . EEhSON AA COO n hNr-Es
An American oheer's Story of the
Brezilian Rebsis Goodness and
Pluck.
From the New York Sun.
Il saw an exhibition Of the personal
bravery Of Da Cana, which was alone
worth the trip to Rio, says Lieut.. Rob
ert B. Dashei1 of the United States ship
New York.
1t was on the morning Of March %,
wnen we the New York had Just re-
turned from our outside airing 10 let the
O. can bree1es sweep the microbes out of
US and when we. with the san Fran
cisco, Detroit and Chicago, moved TO the
upper Rio bay and anchored there. We
dld This. as word had been sent around to
US ana all the forei n fleets that the gov
ernment would that day bOmbard Da
Gama's Eeet, and we moved to where we
would not interrupt a tree scope for the
Sheillug. AS we moved up we could see
tnaJ Ia CANA feet was all broken up.
ms despatch boats. torpedo boats, and
Impoverished torpedo boats were seattle ed
and scurrying up the harbor for safety
under lively fire from the iand forts as
they passed. I was on deck making notes
Tor The log when saw a launch shoot out
from the city and head Tor the portuguese
man war Maudello. The launch. in
making the trip, had to run the gauntlet
OF all the forts, and observing the inces-
SAINT and particularly hot ire directed at
her, began TO susp ect that she carried a
person OF great importance. IN her run
for the MendelIo, which lay about fifty
yards from US, the launch passed close
under our bow and ran down our port
side. Just then big shell from one of
the hill batteries passed over our fore
castle with terrific Shrek and
struck about thirty feet astern
OF the launch, drenching its inmates
with the water it threw up. l was
used TO that shrek of passing shell be-
cause Of my experience at the Indian Head
proving grounds, but the effect of it on the
perves / found to be quite different thing
when II is not accompanied by the GER
talnty that you are free from danger of
being hit But observed. even as l was
thinking of that difference, that the man
standing in the stern OF the launch did
not finch as the shell struck, and Just
then recognized him as ia Cana, whom
| had known personally at WASHINGTON
called to Capt Phillip that Da Cana
was in the launch, and he and all our
officers rushed to the rail to see him. AS
we did so another shell struck and ex-
ploded, apparently right under the stern
of the launch. AS the shell passed over
us l admit that we ducked. 1t was in
stinctive, Involuntary, but il is fact that
we ducked, and some of US gave a veil as
the shell struck, a yell like that you
hear when home-run hit is made at
base ball ground.
when the shell exploded the water it
tossed up completely hid the launch from
our sight, and we supposed she had been
struck and sunk. But in a moment she
emerged from the fountain of foam, and
still standing impassively in the stern
10 T-FN
sling, for he had been wounded a few
days before. He saw US leaning over the
SIDE anxlously watching him, and then he
smiled pleasantly, raised his right arm
and waved his hand, or rather two fingers
of his hand, as if she We're signaling US,
oh, that is all right We afterward
learned that piece of the exploding shell
had wounded the other two fingers of
that hand, or l suppose he would have
given us a full handshake
L am certain that if discipline had al
lowed it, the cool, smiling courage of the
man would have been recognized by
cheer from the New York
He went onto the Nlendello, where he
had long talk with her commander. and
then, after transferring some refugees to
her, returned to the land battery within
range, as cool and Indifferent as before.
That was the last time we saw Da Cana,
for 1t was dark when he came out and
boarded the Portuguese.
That same morning saw another
plucky little performance. Da Cana had
dispatch boat lO0-Jon schoon err rugged
steamer yacht, much resen bling Mr..
Benedict's Oneida. She had two one
inch Nordenfeldt machine guns, one
mounted forward, one aft. When she
steamed away from the shore the hill
batteries, as soon as she was in range,
directed the liveliest kind of a fusillade
at her, Instead Of getting out of range as
fast as possible she slowed up and an
swered the shore fire with her two guns
in very smart fashion, and directed her
fire so well that she drove the crew away
from one shore gun. Then she steamed
on, but kept peppering away at the
enemy as long as she was in sight.
Nothing can truthfully be said against
the personal courage of the Braziliaus.
only hope that when it comes my turn
TO stand fire will do as well as l saw
them do. That will satisfy my pride"