The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-19
C0LLAZO'S ARRIVAL IN CUBA.
a GRAPHIC STORY OF THE ENPEDI-
TION FROM FLORIDA.

They Are in Hiding just Before
Starting-They Also Pass Close TO
a Warship on the Cuban Coast.
Twelve Hundred Rifles and 100000
Rounds of Cartridges Landed.
Jacksonville, Fla, March 1s-A special
to the Times-Union from Key West, Fla,
says: THE steamer Three Friends of
Jacksonville, in command of Capt. Napo-
leon b. Broward, arrived here at noon to-
day, having succeeded in landing in Cuba
Cen Enrique Collazo, Maj. Charles Her
nandez and Duke Estrada, besides fifty
four men taken off the schooner Ardell
from Tampa, and the entire cargo of arms
and ammunition of the schooner Mallory,
from Cedar Key. 1t was by long odds
the most important expedition that has
set out from this country and the Gu
bans here, when they learned that the
Three Friends had safely fulfilled her mis-
sion, shouted viva la Cuba until they
were hoarse. They declared that it would
change the character of the whole war,
as the unarmed men would now be armed
| and those without ammunition would be
supplied, and that Maceo, who had before
been wary and cautious, would be more
aggressive than he had ever been before.
Friends and Mallory was as follows: 1000
rounds of cartrides; 1900 rifles; 21OO mach
etes; 400 revolvers. besides stores, reload
| ing tools. etc.
"The Three Friends met the Mallory at
Alligator Key. The Ardell had just fin
ished transferring the men to her. While
| they were rendezvoused there behind the
| pines in deep coral-walled creek, three
| big Spanish men-of-war steamed slowly
| by, but they did not discover that there
| was anything suspicious looking in shore,
| although, with a glass, men could be
seen in their lookouts scanning the hori-
zon, as we'll as searching the shore. sun
day. about noon, no vessels being in sight,
| the Three Friends took in tow. the Mall
| lory and steamed southward under a good
| head of steam. The Three Friends is
| powerful tug and by Monday night was
| close enough to the Cuban shore TO hear
| the breakers. Several ship lights to the
west were seen one of which was evil
| IDENTIFY a Spanish man-of-war, for she
| had a search light at her bows and was
sweeping the waves with it, but the Three
| Friends was a long ways off and had no
| light and soon was out of the neighbor-
| AT 10 o'clock that night by the aid
| Of a naphtha launch and two big SURF
| boats, which had been taken out of
| Jacksonville, the Three Friends landed
| the men and ammunition from her hold
| and from that of the Mallory. 1t took
four and half hours to complete the job
! There We're hundreds of men on shore to
| assist and they did it silently, apprecfat-
! ing the peril of the undertaking.
| THE Cubans on shore recognized Cen
| Collazo Immediately, and no words can
| describe their joy upon seeing him. He
is a veteran of Cuban wars and is one
| whom Spain fears in fact, it is a known
| fact that during his sojourn in Florida he
| has been shadowed by detectives, who
| nave been instructed to spare no expense
| to keep Gen. Colazo from reaching Cuba
| When it was whispered around that Col
| lazo was really among them they seemed
not to believe their ears, but came for
ward and looked and seeing that there
/ was really no mistake, threw their arms
| about him and wept.
| Maj. Charles Hernandez and Duke Es-
/ trada were also enthusiastically welcomed
1T was reported that night that Maceo
| had received the arms of the first expe-
| dltion that set forth three days before
tne Ihree Friends landed. These were
not from the Commodore, for the Cubans
| reported that they were now on the look
| out for the vessel. They said, too, that at
| the end of the week. four expeditions were
| afoat. Two, including the Three Friends,
I had landed, and two more were on the
| way. on Tuesday morning, as the xhree
Friends was returning, she sighted
steamer that answers to the description
| of the Commodore. She was headed south
| ward and pushing along apparently at
the the rate Of Is knots an hour: This yes
ship twice her size, and has a speed of
| II knots an hour.
"on Wednesday, March 8, Gen. Collazo,
| Maj. Hernandez and Duke Estrada left
| Tampa and reached Jacksonville the next
| day. They remained at the house of j. M
| Barrs, incog, until the 18th, Gen. Collazo
| knowing that detectives had been on his
| trail for weeks. They intended to leave
on the night of March 5, but their depart
| ure was delayed on account of the capture
| of the Mallory until the 18th. After the
| release, the Mallory sailed with a part
| of the arms seized at Cedar Key last fall
| some on the island, some in a house. and
| some that had been jettisoned and had
| been released through the efforts of H
| s. Rubens, general counsel of the Cubans
| The schooner Ardell left Tampa the same
night, with nfty-fcur men and Brig. Gen.
! Vasquez, a brother7in-law of Gen. Col
| laZo. Five tons of the Mallory's arms and
| ammunition were taken from her at
| Tampa and shipped by Knight (, Wall to
George R. Foster, Jr, of Jacksonville, in
| a sealed car, with instructions not to open
until called for When the car arrived in
| Jacksonville one of the clerks of the
| railroad, not knowing of the orders OPEN
| ed the car and unoaded it in the freight
depot of the Florida Central and Penin-
sular and this discovery led to all sorts
| of rumors becoming afioat. 1t was known
| that the boxes contained arms, for they
| were heavy and were labelled Colts Fire
Arms Co" They were promptly removed
| to the warehouse of Wightman & Christie
| pher, the junior member of which firm is
| known here as the president of the
| Friends of Cuba Club of Jacksonville. The
arms remained in this warehouse until
| the night of the 18th inst. Meanwhile,
| the Mallory sailed from Tampa with the
remainder of the cargo to Alligator Key,
| the appointed rendezvous.
Alligator Key is about 100 miles south
| of Biscayne Bay 1t is a part of the Flor
ida reef. and being well wooded. is a splen-
| did spot for the purpose There the Nal
lory was joined by the Ardell and these
| two waited for the Three Friends.
This vessel left the dock of the Ala
| bama Coal Company in Jacksonville at 8
O'Clock on the night Of Thursday, the 18th
inst, and proceeded to the dock in the
| rear of Kohn, Furchgott & Co.'S store
where a large life boat was taken on
board. AT 9 o'clock she proceeded to the
Wightman & Christopher dock, where
she loaded with arms, ammunition and
| dynamite At 10 o'clock she sailed for the
mouth of the river, but stopped at Buckis
Mill on the way and took on board Gen.
Collazo and his party. and A. w. Bars,
who had driven out in carriages from the
| residence of J. NJ. Barrs. At this point a
| large naphtha launch was taken on, as
well as two large iron surf boats, to be
| used in landing the arms, etc. The
| steamer proceeded to the bar that night
| and at daylight of Friday, the 18th, ian
unlucky combination) she proceeded down
| the coast with n B. Broward at the
/ wheel.
'she arrived at Alligator Key Sunday
/ morning and there took in tow the NAL
| lory. The remainder of the story has
/ been told.