The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-13
STORY OF ~Ur oFFICrRs.

STORY OF THE OFFICERS.
The story told by the ships officers is
that at daylight last Friday morning,
about $50 o'clock, while going through
the windward passage from the Carib-
bean Sea to the Atlantic ship was seen
coming out from under the land of Cape
Maysi, the eastern point of cuba. The
stranger laid her course with the evident
object of intercepting the Allianca, and al
Z o'clock she hoisted the orange and
crimson colors. which, taken with her
build and general appearance, left no
doubt in the minds of those aboard the
Alanca that she was a Spanish man-of
war.
No sooner was the gunboats flag seen
at her mZzen peak than Captain Cross
man, of the Allianca, ordered the stars
and stripes TO be hoisted on the jack staff
over the taffrail and dipped three times
in salute The marine courtesy was re-
turned I'm kind by the warship, and the
Alianca's ensign was unbent from its
haIyards and slowed away Hardly mad
this been accomplished than the Spaniard
again displayed his colors, and as a mark
of extra politeness Car tain Crossman or
dered the Allianca's flag to be run up and
dipped again, and then left flying. Again
was the salute acknowledged, and then,
to the utter amaZement of those aboard
fired from one of the vessels forward
port guns. The shot was probably meant
as an invitation to the Alianca to heaVc
to, but Captain Gresham had no lnten-
ton of obcylng he summons. He remark
ed to Second officer Russell, who was on
duty on the bridge The Spanard seems
TO be firing shot" and then calmly kept
to his course. Soon another blank shot
was fred which the Captain greeted by
saying: "All right; let him shoot
SOLID SHOT NEXT.
A third shot was fired, but this time IL
was shot In earnest. It was
solid shot, and not a harm
less blank cartridge with which
the gunboat next charged her bow port
rife, and she yawed from her course
that the gun might be aimed at the
Yankee merchantman. The course OF the
shot could be seen where 1t ricochetted
along the water before finally going
to the bottom, a full quarter OF mile
short of its mark. Still Captain Cross
man kept his course and waited Tor the
gunboat to overtake him, If ii could
The black smoke began 10 pour from the
gunbCat's tunnels. and the water around
her bow to heap up in way that sno"ed
that her fires were being vigorously
stocked and steam forced up 10 It's big
minutes later, and still again. after an
other equal interval Of time. But obser-
walton through the glass showed that she
was gradually falling astern, and, after
chase lasting for twenty-five miles, she
gave IL up and laid away on her course.
Captain Crcssman was very indignant
over the occurrence when his ship was
tied up, and he said:
1--WE were from six TO eight miles OFF
shore when the occurrence took place,
and not in Spanish jurisdiction al ali.
We were to the southwark of cuba when
we first sighted the warship. and far
aay from Guantanamo where 1 under
stand they have been having trouble in
that country.
~ had seen In the Panama Star and
Herald of February 2sth, before l sailed
from Colon, a dispatch from Paris which
said that advices from Madrid told tnat
II was known that considerable body
of troops had been sent to the disturbe'
provinces, and that gunboats were cruis-
ing along the eastern coast OF Cuba IN
order to prevent the landing Of filibuster-
ers.
NO TINE TO WASTE oS GuN-BoATs.
"In consequence of this / took particu-
lar pains to keep of my ordinary course.
| usually pass within mile OF Cape
Maysi. but on this trip | was from four
to four and half miles from the Span
ism shore II had been within one marine
league OF shore 1 would have stopped
my ship but | was not, and he had no
right to stop me. We were going along
at our usual speed of i3 knots when We
met the warship, and we kept IL up.
Although he fired up he could not make
more than about IL IL knots and we slow
ly dropped him astern. | suppose he
wanted to show the authority and pres
tige OF warship. but time Is valuable
in this business. and l have none TO
waste on gunboats. Besides. any one with
half the eye OF a seaman could see that
this was an ordinary passenger steamer.
with awnings spread fore and aft just
going about her business. He set no sig