Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1895-08-17
RUIZ THE BLOCKADE.

RUIZ THE BLOCKADE.
Story OF an American seaman Discharged
from the WoodaIi-Men and Munitioas
Landed In Cuba Blew Up Railroad aud
Captured n Village and Four Hundred
spsniards Campos Sick and the
spanish Cause Weakening.
BALTIMORE, Md, Aug. 11.-An Amer
lean seaman is responsible for the
statement that the American steamer
James Woodail, which sailed from this
port on July 10, ostensibly for Pro.
gresso, Mex, successfully ran the
blockade Of revenue cutters and war
ships and landed men and munitions
on Cuban shores in the interest of the
revolutonists.
Seven seamen, members Of the crew
of the Woodall, were discharged in
New Orleans a few days ago and ar.
rived in Baltimore yesterday. One Of
these men stated that the Woodall
landed 1853 men and a large quantity
OF dynamite, rifles and revolvers near
Havana, Cuba, which were taken
aboard off Florida His statement is
as follows:
| The steamer burned hard coal on
her run down the American COAST
making it impossible for Spanish
man-of-war to ste her smoke at any
distance. The crew was informed
that the steamer was to take lot of
plantation latorers from Florida to
Mexico; but it soon developed that
two Of the crew shipped in Baltimore
as common seamen were Generals
Roof and Sinchez, of the Cuban rev.
OH tionists While near Cuban waters
and steaming ahead with no lights
visible, a Spanish man-ofwar crossed
our bows, going toward another ves-
sci whose lights we saw in the dis
tancc. Had we been five minutes
earlier, or had our lights been show
ing, the Spaniard would have caught
us.
Instead OF going to Progresso, the
steamer anchored during the night
at Panquery, which is not far from
Key West. off the southern extremity
of Florida. There was nothing at
Panquery but one solitary house We
took aboard from the house in the
ships boats and from schooner which
had sailed from Key West and came
alongside the Woodall 1873 men. The
ammunition brought aboard amounted
to 600 pounds of dynamite, 600 Rem
ington rifles, 200 six-chambered re-
volvers, 200 cutlasses and 253,O0O
rounds of ammunition. The men
came from New York, having left that
city for Florida about the time the
Wuodall left Baltimore.
Capt O. Hudson seemed afraid to
land on Cuban soil, and ran his vessel
back and forth along the island for
ten days until the water in fifteen bar
rels gave out For fresh supply he
touched at a small island off the Mex-
can coast, and during the day we lay
there were photographed for the in
formation of the Spaniards.
After this Capt Hudson steamed d.
rect for Cuba and dropped anchor
about II o'clock at night at village
forty-fve miles from Havana. Disem-
barking began Immediately and all
had been landed by a. m, when the
Woodall steamed away in the dark
ness for Progresso.
1t was learned aboard the steamer
later that the l53 men who had been
landed blew up "A railroad and cap
tured the village and 400 Spaniards
The steamer James Woodall was
purchased from baltimore parties
about the 1st of July by Capt. John
NJ. Hudson, of New York. Before
leaving this port Capt. Hudson said he
was going direct to Progresso, Mex.
The Woodall was intended, he de.
clared, for MS" along the coasts o!
Mexico and Honduras for the collec
tion of coffee ant other products from
the shallow water ports where
steamers of any Graft can't go. The
hailing port of the vessel, he said
would hereafter be New York, instead
of Baltimore, because he was he man,
aging owner and lived in the former
city.