The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-16

LNUIlllIu IluIII iii
Copyrighted 1898 by the Associated Press
Key West, Fla, May 15 on board the
Associated Press dispatch boat Kate
Spencer off Havana, May "A. via Key
West, May 15.-5 a. m.-Captain Blanco
two hours before shutdown tonight at
tempted to execute a ruse. which, if sue
cessful, would have cleared the front OF
Havana Of six ships on that blockading
station.
Unable to come out to do battle, he
adopted the tactics Of the spider and cum
ningIy planned 10 draw the prey into his
net, but though a clever and pretty
scheme as an original proposition, it was
practically a repetition of the trick OF
which the gunboat Vicksburg and the lit
tie converted revenue cutter Morrill, were
last week decoyed by a fishing smack I'M
der the big Krupp guns of Santa Clara
batteries. The wary are never caught
twice in the same trap Late this after
noon the American ships on the Havana
station were dumbfOunded to see two
ships steam out of Havana harbor and
mead east. Dense smoke was streaming
Ike black ribbons from their stocks
They were under full head of steam
Commander Lilly of the Mayfower which
was flying the pennanJ, made out the
larger vessel of the two, which was about
200 feet long and about 100 tons displace-
ment to be the Alfonso XII and the
smaller one to be the gunboat lie Gazpi.
both of which were known to be bottled
up in Havana harbor. At first he sup
posed they were taking advantage of the
absence Of the heavy firing ships and
were making a bona fide run for the open
sea AS superior officer he signalled the
other ships on the station the Vicksburg
Annapolis, Wasp. Tecumseh and Osceola
which were moving in, 70 form a column
en- echelon with gunboats on the right
flank The little squadron moved in OBJ
hquely toward the fleeing Spaniards, keep
ing Up a running fire as they went. The
Alfonso and her consort circIed in shore
about five miles below and after run
ming in for half an hour headed in for
MORO Castle. Our gunboats and thin
skinned vessels OF the Mosquito fleet did
not follow them in. Commander Lilly
saw that the willy Spanish ruse was to
draw them under the fires of the heavy
batteries. where the Spanish artillery Off
GERS could plot out the exact range with
their telameters and pot them. So the
return was made in line ahead parallel
with the shore. Commander Lilly had
not been mistaken for as his ships came
abreast the Santa Clara battery the big
guns opened and fired thirteen shells a a
distance of about five miles. The range
was badly judged, as more than half the
shells oVershot the mark and others fell
short some as much as a mile The AS
ISOLATED Press dispatch boat Kate Spen-
Ger witnessed the action which lasted over
an hour. As a spectacle. the greatest
master Of stagecraft could not nave
evolved finer setting.
The flash of the Spanard's guns was
plainly visible. though the reports Of the
same We're duh and indistinct. Two shells
from the Vicksburg burst in the rigging OF
the Alfonso and some of it came down
but it was Of course impossible 10 know
whether any fatalities occurqred. The
American fire was much more accurate
than the Spanish as every shell OF the lat
Ter fell short of their purpose. The Span
iards were a mile off Moro and our ships
fully four miles further out.
SPANISH TALE DIFFERENT.
Madrid, May 81 p. m.-The impartial
today publishes a disDatch from Havana,
giving another extraordinary Spanish YER
sion Of the war episode. detailed by the
Associated Press boat Kate Spencer.
Il says: ION Friday the gunboats
Condo De Nenadito and Nueve Espana
steamed out of the harbor and attacked
an American squadron Of two cruisers
and five auxiliary cruisers which were
outside The spanish vessels fred two
shots and the Americans left. apparently
damaged. The crowd Of tugs followed
the guuhoa;s. the people on board cheer
ing them