The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-26
Strange Voyage Recently Made
in Spanish Waters.
HOW MEN WERE ASSEMBLED
KEEPING CLEAR OF UNCLE
SANS CRUISERS.
Likely to Land Near Cienfuegos-
Probable Disposition of the Three
Friends and Her Captain and
Crew.

New York, Dec. 26.-The Herald this
morning prints the following special
dispatch.
At sea. Dec 20, via Key West, Fla,
Dec. .25.-Hero is the story of the
strange voyage of the ilibuster which
was fred upon by Spanish war yes
sells:
There were two big freight cars, con-
tanning the baggage and munitions of
war, and a big passenger car, with the
windows closed tightly and not a light
showing. This car held 50 men huddled
together in the darkness. No one
spoke. I could not see the man next
to me. All attempts at conversation
were hushed by the signal Hist,
given by the leaders. So, in silence, to-
bacco smoke the densest, we shot away
to the seaboard, no man seeing his fell
low.
Only four or five men in that dark,
silent, smoke befogged car knew to
what port we were going, and they told
no one AT least 40 of US were going IL
blind y The terms upon which the
commanding officer of this expedition
consented to allow a Herald cores
pondent to accompany it preclude any
reference to the name Of the steamer,
one Oh The I1OSI ldL1OUS VI 11llDdSiNAS,
or the port of departure.
We left a southern port on Sunday,
Dec b. the men selected for the trip
= having been secretly assembled in an
other place and hurried TO the sea by
rail at an hours notice 1t was after
midnight when they reached the sea-
board, and the steamer was just getting
the last of her coal aboard, her repu-
tation being such that she dared not
take on board coal for a long voyage
at any time or place likely to be re-
ported to a collector of customs, a
United States marshal or Spanish
consul in time to permit of interior
eEice.
Most of the men who were enrolled
as members of the party had been
without sleep for As hours, awaiting
the signal to depart, yet they set about
the midnight task of transferring the
arms and ammunition to the steamer
with the greatest alacrity and enthu-
sasn.
1t was long task this of loading.
The moon. which had silvered the hills
when it was begun had sunk into the
sea long before it was done and the
lines were cast off.
The filibuster swung into the stream,
silent save for the throbbing of her
engines. There had been a little hand
shaking, but no cheer
The steamer showed no light. a fiji |
violated the rules of the road in order |
TO avoid attra citing attention, but runs /
from the smoke or light which tells of |
another steamer, unless the skipper is |
sure. from the locality and direction of |
the unknown, that she is probably a |
merchantmen. IF there is a doubt, he |
turns tail and crowds his engines until |
the unknown has disappeared; for since |
TIE fate of the Competitor and the |
Bermuda disaster became known the |
filibusters have redoubled their pre-
cautions.
Not counting the steamers crew, /
perhaps ten men found sheltered places 1
in which 20 sleep. Forty of US slept |
on the bare deck, in the open boats, i
in the lee Of the pilot or the engine |
room-all in the open air. As we were |
nearly exhausted when the filibuSter I
began her voyage, at 4:30 o'clock in the /
morning and the weather was fairly
warm, the first few hours Of sleep
,wepe welcomed. By sunrise. when we
Nere free from the shelter of the shore,
it was so Geld that not man aboard
could sleep unless he had blankets and
an overcoat. That means that all ex-
cept ten of the company On deck were
forced TO get up and move around to
keep warm.
Once clear of the coast, the fiIibus-
ter settled down to course due
south. That was about o'clock Mon
day morning. and before 10 o'clock we
sighted a white vessel astern of US
suspiciously ike one of Uncle Sans
cutters, but too far away to be made
out with any certainty A dozen
glasses were held on the stranger for a
few minutes without result, and then
the filibuster changed her course and
.scampered away to the eastward again.
until the white dot sank into the sea.
Many of those on board, knowing the
distance from Key West to Havana.
en- eSfiroa ting distance |
from one point of departure to the
Cuban coast, thought we would land in
side Of two days. They were soon to
be undeceived.
Monday night saw us rolling in heavy
cross seas, the decks drenched con-
tinuaIiy by spray, and then it rained
It was very cold and there was no
such thing as shelter. The officers had
hunks The rest Of US slept on the bare
decks, comforted inwardly by some hot
coffee. some salt horse and some buns
and outwardly by blankets and rubber
coats.
Deeper and deeper plunged the fill
busterer'S nose into the heavy seas as
tie night wore on There was little
sleep, and the party rose stiff and sore
to vary the monotony by standing m
the rain after lying in it. Daybreak
saw US alone on the troubled ocean.
a vast expanse of white water under a
leaden sky. The major of the single
eye told of his men into four columns
and placed a captain in charge of each
for duty afioat- Then in the heavy
rain of Tuesday morning the men were :
called aft and the rules of war were
read to them in Spanish. They were
read in English afterward to the |
Americans. The rain let up a little on ;
Tuesday night, and the company
cheered itself by singing 'EI Himno
Bayames," ahe Cuban national air.
which is bound to be known through !
out the United States before long. We
received some news on Friday when
we HAD been afoat nearly five DAYS.
We were told that we were likely to | =
land near Cienfuegos, on the south
side of the island. The plan then was :
TO run into the point selected as the :
rendezvous in Santa Clara province,
and send men ashore as explorers to :
find body of troops believed to be |
awaiting our arrival, and guide them /,
to the steamer.
As write this on my knees, tossing
IN one Of the surf boats piled on deck !
att the filibuster's crew are taking a I
sur bath and all hands are singing. |
rsHIEE ERTENnc Il