The evening times., 1898-05-07
A DIARY OF NAVAL EVENTS.
Letter From nm OMcer Of the Guns
boat Nashville.

ASC1NNE = HOA4 m V@CGE VI 9AC W0aS
boat Nashville.
Annapolis, Nd, May z-George T.
Southgate. Of Annapolis. pay clerk on the
gunboat Nashville. on blockade duty on
Cuba, has written to his father as fol-
lows:
April 25.-We have been on the block
ade now for three days. The novelty Of
the situation made 1t very pleasant at
first. but 1t is getting ulcnotonous now.
We have stopped several steamers. only
to find that they were neutrals and did
not know that war had been declared.
So all we would do was to warn them
and let them go. But We have captured
several small schooners and sloops Of very
little value, as regards prize money. the
big steamer we captured the first day Of
the war has been the only important
event in the cruise of the Nashville.
We heard yesterday that the Detroit.
the ship Berkeley Iglehart is on, had
captured a 4,000-ton steamer loaded with
stores, the only drawback being that
the Detroit was in signal distance of the
admiral and several other ships, in which
case all vessels in sight participate in
the same conditions.
IF you take a map of Cuba and look
about 25 miles west Of Havana, you will
see a bay with a very narrow entrance.
called Mariel That is the place We are
biockading at present. There are two of
our ships near us, the Newport to the
westward at Bahia Honda, and the Cas-
tine to the eastward of US at Banes.
though the Newport has a rowing COM
mission and only looks into Bahia Honda
occasionally. We have had no news from
the rest of the fleet yet. and are very
anxious TO know what has taken place
near Havana"
april 26.-Late last evening we sighted
the Marblehead. who signaled to US to
follow her. She was informed that an
armed transport, the Montserrat, with
800 Spanish troops. was expected to arrive
at Cienfuegos, on the southern coast We
both started out at full speed with great
satisfaction. but the Marblehead had the
Ill luck to run hard aground on the west
end of Cuba, and We are now wasting vail
liable time trying to pull her off. If We
can start again before noon we may not
be too late. The transport Is accompanied
by a smaller vessel loaded with ammuni-
tion."
April give succeeded in getting the
Marbiehead off. and We are now to the
southwark of the Isle of Pios. We shall
AAfS cAl SicnlQcSoS iOluOITOW- anu LleTt
we will lay TO and wait for our prize. In
the meantime we have disquieting rumors
from Cuban pilot we have with US that
there is u Spanish cruiser, the Alfonso
XIII, now in these waters. which is su-
perior in guns and arms to both Of us
If We fall in with her We shall have a
tough struggle"
April 2s.-We arrived off Cienfuegos at
dawn this morning. but saw no signs of
"a -fp
selves trying to catch the cable from
this place 10 Jamaica, in order to cut it.
but have not succeeded so far. We can't
stay here more than three days, as by
that time We shall need coal Yesterday
evening We sighted a white steamer. and
thought at first We had Il small fight on
our hands but she proved to be a Nor
wegian fruiter bound for New Orleans.
We are having magnificent weather. and
the canned food and warm water are the
only things We have to complain Of.
May 2.-We are nearly to Key West.
so / will tell you what has happened
within the past day or two. We arrived
off Cienfuegos twenIy-four hours late 20
capture our prize. We learned afterward
that she had on board 800 soldiers and
S.000.000 in specie. and her consort was
loaded with ammunition. Just think
what we missed N0O0.000 exclusive of
the value of the two ships and ammuni-
ton.
I'VE caught a small passenger steamer
with ten officers and ten soldiers. Span
ish), colonel among them. We are TAX
ing them TO Key West and will turnsthen
over TO the Army for Imprisonment They
are certainly q nuisance, every one of
them seasick. Our consorts, the Marble
head and Eagle, were fired on at Cienfue-
gos, but no damage was done We were
busy at the time chasing the passenger
steamer. so missed the fire. The Marble
head is bringing our prize after US while
we hurry ahead with dispatches for the
admiral
I'VE just went to quarter and thought
We had fight on our hands, but she
proved TO be an English man-o'-war."