The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-03
THIS DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN,
hut There Are Contingencies Under
which 1t Might Occur.


New York Times.
1t was this way: The Cincinnati. coming
up the Windward passage, had brought
had set a course to round that point shortly
after nightfall had set In
The first watch had been set. and a brisk
southeriy breeze was raising a whitecap
here a and there The little groups about
had turned in and the watch on deck Se had
esconced itself in snug hooks, when the
lookout forward shouted:
Where away2" came the response from
the bridge where the officer of the deck
Three points. off. the port bow. SIR
"Can you make her outy''
Looks like steamers masthead light.
The officer looked intently at the point
INDICATED through his night Glass and la after
derby. who was stationed in front of the
captains ca cabin he and pt said that there is
steamer three points off the port bow-cant
make her OUT
'Ay, ay, Sir.'
.sThe captain says Very well. Sir" re-
ported the orderly upon his return.
one was hove into view just beneath It,
indicating that the stranger was trying TO
Of s the deck ok " watched the two lights in
S95 and md z Judd the a bt
the y abeam. had swung to course
tim ~ report the anoeusre there came
flash of light, and dull report from the
..Orderlyr' cried the officer of the deck.
report to the captain that the sail re-
fired a blank cartridge
Capt. Glass reappeared with the orderly.
Just as he reached the bridge another
fash of light blazed from the vessel, whose
outlines could then be dimly SEEM
The captain. lowered his glass and, turn
ing 10 the officer of the deck, said:
"Beat to general quarters, sir!
There was q hurried routing out OF the
drummer and fifer, and a moment later the
sharp "rat-a-tat-tat' of the drum and the
notes of the bugle were drowned by the
hoarse voices of the master at arms and his
mates arousing the sleepers between decks.
There was noise of scurrying feet; men
came tumbling up the hatchways. and offi-
GERS buckling on their swords hurried to
their stations.
Cast loose and provide shouted ss,, the ex-
reached the bridge, and to whom the cap
tain had spoken briefly
slipped along the steel tubes of the fve-inch
rifles as the long pieces were revoived so as
to train abeam. The magazines were opened,
charges were hoisted up the chutes, and in
quick obedience to the next order, Load
with full service charges the breech blocks
sharp click of the mechanism as the lock-
ing gear closed on the loaded pieces.
While the lock lanyards were being
hooked into the primers a dght-footed mes
senger dashed up to the division officevs and
said that the executive nad Oruefeu tnat the
guns be trained on the vessel, which was
just then forward of the port beam. The
order was transmitted to the gun captains,
and the silence which had followed the first
orderly confusion was broken by such or
port a MISUNDERSTANDING we'll
Readyp' from the men who held the lock
strings.
flash of light came from the black shape in
shore, followed swiftly by the crash of
missile near the water line, and a rend.ng
hiss of steam. 1t almost drowned the word
of command from the bridge, but the gun
captains heard it. and the loekstrings taut-
Six fifty-pound shells sprang free before
their blazing charges, and the roar of the
fore the Misunderstanding of the
rapid-fire pieces announced that the Hotch-
Hurried orders mingled with the sound
of shutting feet, and the clicking Of breech
as her heavy rifles recoiled from the shock
of their thirty pound charges.
der burst st sweiied the Chatter Of the quick
Hrn pr ns o 8xer al bs was heard the
who had climbed i into The mzzen rigging to
observe the effect Of the shots:
That fellow has fired shot to leeward.
sir" he exclaimed, making a trumpet OF
Cease firing" came the command from
Several more explosions followed, and
then, like lion growing itself to sleep,
the cruiser gradually became SILENT
AS the smoke drifted clear it was seen
that there was very little left of the other
vessel. The cruiser headed for her sink
ing adversary, clearing. away her lifeboat
as she drew near. All hands were rescued
before the craft plunged under.
Sancho Banca Commander S. Piano Bio
hando. They had mistaken the Cincinnati
for another Alliance. once an obstreperous
canine mistook a painted bulldog In just
that way and was rent.
All these things could have happened, and
some of them doubtless would have hap
pened, had the Cincinnati been in that To-
cality and had the Spanish gunboats been
foolish enough to fire upon her in the way
described