The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14
VICTORY FOR The VESUvIUs.
THE CRUISER RUNS THE BLOCKADE
IN FOG.

The Search Lights of the Four ships
on Duty Unable to Penetrate the
Mist More Than 300 Fect-In Clear
Weather They Light the Ocean for
5000 Feet-Six Ships ON the Line to
Prevent Last Nights Attempt.
Charleston, S. c., Feb. 1S-They say
down at Admiral Bunce's fleet to-day that
it was neither fair nor an official test,
but the fact still remains that the Vesu-
vius ran the blockade into the harbor last
night with an ease that startled the squad
ron The run was made early in the
evening, the cruiser crossing the dead
line and whistling a notice of her sue
| cess al 1882 O'Clock.
Statements have been made to the ef-
feet that the Vesuvus also ran the block
ade ON the first night that she Joined the
| feet, but these are absolutely incorrect.
An officer from one of the warships who
| saw the dynamiter come in is the author
| ity for this statement. Everybody is, of
| course, excited over the event of last
night. The officers of the blockading line
of course make very little of the achieve
ment of the cruiser, but the men of the
| Vesuvius look at it in a different light
The orders for the ships to fall into the
blockading line were signalled from the
four ships then on duty, the battleship
Maine, flagship New York, batdeship In
diana and. cruiser Columbia steamed to
the southland. taking positions at inter
walls of 5000 yards. Shortly after o'clock
| the Vesuvius drew away to the south
also, and was soon lost in the fog. The
| weather had been bad for several days,
! and as night came on a fog settled down
upon the face of the water, that kept
every fog bell out beyond Sumter ring
ing.
AT Z o'clock the test was well begun
! The blockadipg ships brought their search
| lights into play, and il was then for the
| first time that they began to realize how
| small was their chance of detecting the
Vesuyius. The lights which usually threw
| brilliant path of radiance for 5000 yards
| over the water proved utterly inadequate
| to the task of penetrating the fog. OBJ
| jects 800 yards away could scarcely be dis
| tinguished with the aid of the most power
| full of the searchlights, and when il is
| remembered that the ships were 5000 yards
| the Nesuvius had pretty much everything
| har own way. She had gone several
| nule5 10 sea ana then returned. AS she
! approached the blackading line all of her
| lights were shrouded and orders were
| given in hushed tones. The little cruiser
| can under favorable circumstances make
| little better than twenty-five knots, but
| she did not tax her capacity last night.
| Her engines were brought down to nor
| of the fleet she ran straight into the
| harbor without an iota of trouble. All
tue pIecdut5cihs t Mhlch she had taken to
escape cetecGon We're useless, for in tnIt
fog she could have come in just as well
with all her lights going and never been
seen.
The matter was made very light of on
the fleet to-day and it was claimed that
the test could not be counted as a fair one.
| 1t is little difficult, however, to grasp
the cogency Of this reasoning. 1t is true
that only tour ships were on duty, the Am
phitrite and Marblehead both being in
| port, and IL is likewise true that the night
| was favorable to the blockade runner; but
| it might be observed that was the Vesu-
| Vius a real blockadeF, she would probably
| have selected just such weather for her
| expedition, and Admiral Bunce knew he
did not have but four of his ships in line
| when he gave the VesuVius her orders.
| The NesuVius seems to have demonstrated
| on the whole that four of Uncle Sans best
| warships would not be able to keep
| blocNader out OF Charleston harbor All
she would have to do would be to wait for
a heavy fog and then run in between the
| lines.
The Vesuvius made five unsuccessful at
| tempts to run the blockade tonight. The
| conditions were exactly reversed from
| last night as the air was free from fog
or mist, and the searchlights worked per-
| fectly. For a stretch of nine miles the
waters of the Atlantic in front of Charles
ton harbor bristled with Uncle Sam
floating forts, and CLEANED with the rest
less arrows of dozens of searchlights.
| From the beach channel on the north to
| Pumnkin Hill channel on the south, the
fleet held the line in the following order:
Massachusetts, Maine, Amphitrite New
| York. Indiana and Columbia. The line
was established at o'clock, and the We
suVius was sent out to sea.
The search lights began at once to play
over the waters. 1t was about 7:35 when
a light from the Maine stopped in It's
| Wanderings and streamed long and steadi-
~ upon one spot. The cause was soon
known. She had caught the Nesuvus A
red and green coston signal told the tale,
and the lights of the fleet turned upon the
spot brought the white hull of the cruiser
into full view The NesuViuS put up her
lights fore and aft, and went TO sea again
for another trial.
The next time she got past the line and
of the Amphitrite caught her. Three
other attempts were made, and each time
the blockade runner was quickly caught.
| Commander Pillsbury handled the We
suVius with consummate skill, but the
lights were too many for him.
Sunday is a day Off with the sailors.
There will be church services on the New
York and Maine.
Washington, Feb. 1S.-Secretary Her
bert and Attorney General Harmon viii
leave here on Wednesday night next for
Charleston, S. c., TO witness the naval
maneuvers of Admiral Bunce's fleet off
that port.
New York. Feb. lS.-The United States
monitors Puritan and Terror, bound 20
Charleston to join the fleet there and take
part in the maneuvers Off that port, pass
ed out at quarantine at $3.50 O'Clock this
afternoon.
SUGAR TRUSTS ORDEAL.
No Important Facts brought Ont in