The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-04-18
SHE'S A PLUCKY CRAFT
The Three Frlands Has Done Wonders to
Aid the Cause of Freedom.
HAS LITTLE FEAR OF SPANISH CANNON
She Has KeHu Under tho Guns Of
Moro Castle and Comc or Elihou
Scrntch-sHcr FeRrIcSsncss in
Carrying Supplies TO tho Patriots
Rent Like Romance.

That matchlcss bit OF naval architec-
turc, the Three Friends, has an interest
ing IL history as any clipper, ship or
cutter, priruteer or pirate, in Captain
Marryat's stories Of fights upon the sea-
She has passed through a thousand of
dangers, braved the fire of the biggest
and the most formidable of the guns
of Spain and unloaded her men and
under the very shadow or MORO fort
ross wound her way amid war vessels
that had been sent especially against
her. borne tons or bullets and hundreds
OF men to the struggling patriots in
the unhappy Isle and kicked up u stream
of salt spray into the very faces Of her
pursuing enemies. Lying flat on the
water, her gray color mingling with
the color OF the sea, she has eluded time
and again the watchful eye OF the enc
my. and while she has brought meal
tulablc comfort to the patriots Of Gu
ba, she has been the despair Of the
Spaninrds, who, do what he could, has
never been able to get near enough to
her tn knock even a splinter from her
sturdy ribs. And now, as IL to put a
flourish to her dashinS. daring work dur
ing the past eight months. She has turn
ed on Spanish warhua,. bitten n hole
out Of it's face and snapped her fingers
under the nose of a big Spanish gunbout
that belched flame aud lead In impotcnt
There Is something romantic and APP
propriate about her name even THE
Three Friends" And what friend she
has been to Cuba. Say, rather, what
thousands Of friends she has been to
he cause OF liberty! But her name was
an accident She was built early last
year by her former captain, Napoleon
3onaparte Broward, and two others
Ine three auarrellcd as TO her name
and decided TO draw lots. The captain
drew the longest straw, and in order to
restore harmony, he called her 1.-The
Three Friends" And from the very mo-
lnent her sharp splt-wnter cut the
green sea she has been terror to the
Spaniards Her lines were laid in the
style of Il wrecking tug. But there were
some very suspicious features about her
architecturc Fer owners seemed TO
place strength and speed above all 9th
er considerations. From bow to tafrail
she measures just 127 feet, and her beam
al its greatest width is 26.G feet Her
depth is 10 feet. When she was ready
Tor tie painters the gallant Napoleon
l3onapartc l'roward ordered her given
q couple Of coats Of pure dazzling white
People has said she was constructed
for no other purpose on land or water
but Cuban filibustering. If this was not
SO, they said, why that 400 horsepower
engine and those strong substantial
sails? But her owners shook their
heads and declared that they were bus
mess men, merchants OF the sea. and
cared no more for Cuba lbrc than for
The foam she would flick from her PROV.
And then, was there anything more hon
est than the two thick coats Of narinr
white they had rObed her in? r. pcopIc
must insist on evil intention. then shame
on them. BrOWard and his brave fell
lows were free from faint
The first trip OF the Three Friends
was made to Key West She carried a
consignment Of arms TO one Reccio. q
merchant Of that city, and she had al
ready made neat contract 10 tow a
schooner on the return trip TO Jackson
Vile Nothing could have been more
regular. The authorities. and even the
Plnkertons. who were Watching her
with 100, 600 eyes could find no excuse
to stop her She lay around innnccntly
enough and Just as most people were be-
ginning 10 get used to her way they woke
one morning and found the stout little
boat clean gone. Part OF her cabin was
found floating on the st. Jonh's river
While rumOr was busy wa Gginr It's ton
que the Three Friends was speeding
away To Alligator boy, where the
schooner Mallory was waiting for her
On board The Mallory was Il band Of pa
triots, eager TO be shipped 10 Cuba. In
mat band was General Nasquez Branlio
Pine and 81 men; General Enrique Cal
ioza, who won his title in the ten years
war; Major Hernandez and Duke Es-
trada. These patriots were now on the
Three Friends. The arms and anmuni-
ton she had conveyed from the Recc!o
were all on board, and in addition to
these she had taken on q lot that had
been sent from Tampa TO Jacksonville
With her consOrt she sailed for Cuba.
and passing through 4 hornets nest OF
man ofwars she landed her men and
supplies near Matanzas. So bold was the
stroke that the SDan!ards got wind of
II. killed some OF the men, and captur-
ed some Of the arms. and while The fuss
was being made the Three Friends sllpp-
ed quietly away and steamed back to
Jacksonville. She was then put in the
dock and fitted out with large circula-
tion pump, which as the owners said,
was for the purpose Of increasing her
facilities, and no doubt IL was
Meanwhile, the Spanish vice consul
was sitting on thorns. The crew and Of
ficcrs were as grave as judges, but the
CubanS, in fact. were open in their re-
joicing. Captain BroWard announced
with much mpatlence, that he was dis
tinctly not In the filibustering line. He
soon gave out that he had schooner
to tow from Palatka. and was out Of
sight with his boat before tho vice con-
sui could make u move. In a few days
the Three Friends amazed the people
of Jacksonville by unloading at the most