Evening star., 1896-12-25
First Naval Engagement Of the Cuban
War;
VINEINGFIGHYor THfrHREErRIEHDs
The FiIibustering sIug Boat Too
Much for Aunboat.
STORY OF THE CONTEST

a fight between the Three Friends ana
Spanish vessels off the Cuban coast:
On board Cuban Filibuster Steamer oft
Southern Coast of Santa Clara Province
Cuba, December 20 (via Key West, Fla
December 2D.-Last night this steamer on
board of which sailed from Florida six
days ago, attempted to land her cargo OF
arms and munitions and party of forty
Cubans at the mouth of the San Juan river
in the district of Las Guisaimas, Puerto
Principe province.
Surprised and trapped by heavily armed
Spanish coasting launch and large gun
boat, and attacked by a cannonade of two
and twelve-pound shells at close range, the
filibuster in self-defense returned the at
tack with twelve-pounder and volleys OF
rifle fire, and checked and drove Off her
pursuers. The battle was a sea victory for
the flag of Cuba. as the filibuster escaped
without scratch from deadly fire, and
drove back the flag of Spain, which f1oated
over two armed vessels.
The first naval engagement of the Cuban
war came suddenly and unexpectedly, but
while it lasted history was making with
uncomfort able rapidity for those on board
the fllibuster. For the first time in the
records of the Cuban rebellion the fire of
Spanish gunboat was returned by an ex-
pedition. and on the moonlight Caribbean
sea, under the shadow of the towering
Trinidad mountains, the battle of Rio San
Juan as fought. Fourteen shots from
two and twelve-pound rapid fire guns were
exchanged between the Spanish launch anu
the Spanish gunboat on the one side and an
American steamer on the other with rifle
volleys making sharper music. While no
damage was done to the defiant filibuster
the Spanish boats were frightened from the
chase.
Preparing to Land.
1t all came about in this fashion. After
six days of steaming and lodging along the
Florida coast and down the southern side
Of Cuba, the famous filbuster came within
sight of the lofty Cuban mountains, twenty
five miles away. Late in the afternoon OF
December 10 q notch in the misty blue
range showed the pass where the Cuban
party of men and the valuable cargo OF
rifles. ammunition, machetes. cannon. dy-
Mantle and supplies were to be landed and
met by a strong body Of insurgents and
escorted to the main army of General Maxi
mo Gomez.
The Cubans put OH leggfns, duck and
crash suits, and on the turned up fronts
Of their big bats pinned the "banderas,"
the Cuban flag. square for the infantry
and triangular for the cavalry. Machetes
and revolvers were buckled on, and the re-
connoitering party of ten men, led by capt.
Edgar Carbonne. was equipped with Rem
ington rifles and fifty rounds of cartridges
each. They looked trim and effective,
picked lot for a dangerous mission, and the
American sharpshooter and soldier,
Jack German, with his beloved Spring
field. was with them. Hayersacks were
filled with bread and meat, and the prepa-
ratiops for landing were completed two
hours before the coast. was near.
One of the two Hotchkiss twelse-pound-
ers was mounted in the bow in charge Of
a crew, consisting of Blank. the Columbian
lieutenant, as captain; Mike Walsh, as
third nan. At,9 O'Clock in sthe evening the
horizon was clear, and the captain ordered
full speed anead.
Tearing Along for the Land In Sight.
The chief engineer had been waiting with
his hand on the throttle, and he threw
her wide open.'' The boat jumped and
throbbed to the rush OF her screw, and
tore straight for the mountain pass, going
q full fifteen knots. The mountains loomed
grand ard black, ana inexpressibly wild
and lonely. For ten miles the vessel tore
along, the water in her wake boiling high
er than her jumping stern. Then she
slowed up for a reconnoiter and slipped
along silently. leisurely, until the captain
gave the word for another ten-mile squirt
for the black bay that marked the en-
trance to the river.
Still all was clear and the landing SEEM
ed matter only Of another hour. l had
packed saddlehags and haversack and ex-
pected In another twelve hours to be on
the march with strong escort to the
speed was slowed down, and the vessel
stole in under the mountains. like a
shs dow, at few minutes before midnight.
She passed point of land on the port
side ard was in the black shadows at the
mouth of the bay. Everything was still as
death.
Half way up the mountain side in front
white column of smoke scared lazily into
the moonlight, and it was believed to come
from the camp of the insurgent escort.
The steamer had slipped into the little bay,
and was only five hundred yards from the
shelving leach and the mouth of the small
river San Juan, when Majo Morales Or
dered Captain Carbonne to get out a boat
and prepare to go ashore with the scouting
party.
The men were working at the hosting
tackle when two men. the Cuban engineer
and Jack German, reported to the bridge
that steamer lay close under the bank
in the mouth of the river. 1 could see
nothing but the black shadows of the
woods, but the captain exclaimed:
by George, you're right There goes her
smoke"
He sprang to the speaking tube. "Clang,
clang," went the gong, and the captain
shouted down.:
Back her like hell"
Chased by the Spanish Launch.
The filibuster SHE'D away like fright
ened colt, and then turned and leaped for
the open sea. There was no sign of life in
the Ddy, anu diter running nalI mile the
captain stopped her and began to back,
stern first. cautiously toward the river. It
might have been a false alarm, and the
daring skipper was bent upon investigation.
When the steamer had slipped back q
quarter of a mile, with dozen pair of
night glasses on the dark banks, the cap
tain yelled:
Here she comes! Let her go! Pumn it
to her."
Like a rocket low launch of about forty
feet shot out from ther RIVER mouth, and
the smoke poured thick and black from
her short stack. The chief Jumped" the
flying filibuster, and fl five minutes the
gauge showed 1S6 pounds of steam The
flight was straight south Jout from the
coast into the Caribbean csea. The crew
grabbed rifles, and in aRfeW minutes every
man on board was armed. An excited pa
triot began to open cartridge cases with a
plckax, smashing sledge- hammer blows
which threatened to blow him and half the
ship up every time he brought the sharp
edge down. "a
The chase had been on for five minutes,
when the launch came into the moonlight
and showed plainly. black dot on the
water. She seemed to- be gaining hand
over hand, although the steamer was tear
ing off fifteen knots. The Gubans and crew
stood grouped on the upper deck in silence.
The only sounds were the mighty beat of
the engine, the rattle of rifle cartridges
passed from n tha