The Portland daily press., 1897-02-15
LIKE A STREAK
The vesuvics Went Through the
Fleet.

Ran the Blockade Without Any Trouble
But 1t Was Done in Fog as
Thick as Mud.
Charleston, S. g.. February 10 They
say down at Admiral Bunc feet today
that it was Mother a fair nor official
test, but the fact still remains that the
Vesuvias ran the blockade into the har-
Dor last night with an ease that startled
the squadron. The run was made early
in the evening, the cruiser crossing the
dead line and whistiing notics OF her
success at 7.S2 CLOCK. Statements have
been made to the effect that the Vesll-
vius ran the blockade on the first night
she joined the fleet, but these are abso-
the war ships who saw the dynamitsr
come in, is the authority for this state
ment Everybody is of course excite d
over the event of last night. The officers
of the blockading line make very little
Of the achievement of the cruiser, but
the men OF the Vesuvius look ct it in a
different light. The orders for the ships
to fall into the blockad1ng line were
signalled from the flagship bit earlier
than usual. The four ships then on duty,
the battleship Maine, flagship New
York, battleship Indiana and cruiser
Columbia, steamed to the southwark,
taking positions at intervals of 5000
yards. Shortly after 6 o. clock, the Vesu-
vius 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
| hell out beyond Sumter ringing. At z
o'clock, the test was well begun. The
blockading ships brought their search
lights into play and 1t was then for the
| first time they beg an to realize how small
was their chance of detecting the Vesu-
vius. The lights which usually threw a
brilliant path of radiance for 5000 yards
over the water, proved utterly made
quats to the task Of penetrating the fog.
| Objects 300 yards away could scarcely be
distinguished with ths aid of the most
powerful lights. and when it is iemem-
bered that the ships were 5000 yards
apart, it will he readily imagined the
Vesuyius had pretty much everything
her ,wn way. She had gone several miles
| to sea AID then returned. AS she ap-
preached the blockading line all of her
lights were shrouded and orders were
given in hushed tones.
| The little cruiser can, under favorable
| II 3D. Ia a 1itt1Q haitian tina n
90 knots, but she did not tax her capacity
last night. Her engines were brought
down to normal speed and heading in be-
tween two Of the feet she ran straight
into the harbor without an iota of
troubls. All the precautions which she
had taken to escape detection were useless
| for in that fog she oould have come in
just as we'll with all her lights going and
never have been seen. The matter was
made very light of on the feet today and
| it was claimed the test could not be
counted rs a fair one. It is little diff
cult however, to grasp the osency of this
reasoning. It is true that only four ships
wore on duty, the Amphitite and Marble
head both being in port and it is like
wise true the night was favorable to the
blockade runner, but it might be observed
that wers the Vesuvius real blookader
she would probably have selected just
such weather for the. expedition and Ad-
miral Bunce knew he had but four. ships
in line when ne gave the Vesuvius her
orders.
The vesavius seems to have demon
strated fairly we'll on the whple that
four Of Uncle Sam 8 best warships would
not be able to keep a blockade runner
out of Charleston harbor. ALI she would
have to do would be to wait for heavy
fog and then run in between the lines.
The result of the attempt to be made to-
night will be waited with interest. The
| battleship Massachusetts, joined the feet
today and as the Amphitrite has resumed
her place in the line, the attempt will
consequently be made with six ships in
action, The weather is clear and con-
ditions are far more propitious for the
| fl eet.