The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-22
ADMIRAL SIMPSONS CRUISE
FRUITLEsS PURSUIT OF A
PHANTOM SQUADRON.
Incidents of the Long Trip of 1880
Miles - Monitor Terror Broke
Down-Monitors Too Slow.

Key West, Fla, May 1S.-The Daunt
less was a member OF Admiral Samp-
sons fleet during the latter's cruise to
intercept the phantom Spanish squad
ron. The dispatch boats voyage lasted
Is days and extended from Key West
to st. Thomas and return, with two
side trips to Cape Haytisn. Hayti, the
total distance Travelled being about 1000
miles, as against 1890 miles by the fleet.
The Dauntless occupied a grand stand
position at the battle of San Juan and
bore the first details of the engagement
to the st. Thomas cable station. The
Dauntless Immediately on joining the
fleet in the outer harbor at Key West,
was ordered by the admiral to take
station within hailing distance of the
New York and TO remain there. When
she was obliged to separate temporarily
from the fleet, she was provided with
light signals and q sailing course, so
that she readily overlook the fleet and
was never held up" as suspicious.
When the cruise began it was believed
that the Spanish squadron of cruisers,
torpedo boat destroyers and torpedo
boats, which had already sailed from
the Cape Verde islands, was bound for
the West Indies. 1t was Adm raj Samp-
sons plan to put his fleet between the
Spanish vessels and the port of San
Juan, Porto Rico. failing in this, to
attack the fleet before it could leave
San Juan or, If too late, to engage the
Spaniards anywhere on sight.
Leaving Key West on May 3. the
fleet sailed in the direction of Havana,
then turned eastward, keeping in sight
the lofty coast of Cuba.
AT night the beaconS on the Cuban
coast were lighted as usual, but they
gave guidance to few vessels besides
the enemies of Spain, for the war has
driven ships from the seas. AT night
the fleet carried no lights. but there
was much signal practice with colored
lamps. Early in the cruise the Terror
and the Indiana became troublesome,
because of mishaps to their boilers.
The monitors were from the outset a
drag upon the progress of the fleet,
and during most of the way to San
Juan the New York towed the Terror
and the Iowa pulled the Amphitrite,
the Porter often hitching on behind the
Terror. The officers of the fleet had
many unkind things to say about the
crabs as they called the monitors.
On May the Montgomery went into
Cape Haytien to send dispatches to
Washington, and next morning the
Dauntless entered the same port for a
like purpose. The Dauntless returned
to the fleet on May with dispatches,
but she was sent in again for further
news, and in order that President Sam
might not be excited, the Dauntless
captain stated that the steamer had
returned for bill Of health. On this
visit the Dauntless obtained from the
American consul a circumStantial re-
port that a Iieet of 13 Spanish warships
had been seen heading for Porto Rico.
In this report the naval officers placed
some credence, and the bombardment
of San Juan was planned in the hope
that the Spanish were in the harbor.
The fleet moved slowly onward on May
10 and II, and in the afternoon of the
latter day the Dauntless was ordered
TO be ready to carry dispatches to st.
Thomas at IL o'clock next morning.
At daylight on May Il the fleet bonn
barded San Juan, the seaport. The
Dauntless lay six miles off Fort MORO
and viewed the bOmbardment and the
which event has already been cabled.
from ST. Thomas and Key West.
After the battle the DauntlesS waited
for an hour for Admiral Simpsons dis
patches to the navy department and
Immediately on receipt of them steamed
for st. Thomas. Ten miles from that
port the United States auxiliary cruiser
Yale signalled the Dauntless which ran
a little off her course to get within
hailing distance.
There was much cheering for Samp-
son when the Dauntless gave the news
of the attack on San Juan.
The Daultless hoped to reach Char
lotte the port of the Danish Island of
st. Thomas, before dark, but darkness
dropped down all of a sudden and the
steame~ pushing on to the town lights
gave mortal offense to the Danish har-
Dor master by falling to stop at his
hail. He expostulated at once. There
was no delay in fling to the Associated
Press at New York the battle descrip-
ton prepared hours before. The dis
tches went in this order: Associat-
= Press bulletin, Admiral SIMPSONS
bulletin to the secretary of the navy,
Associated Press complete story, Ad-
miral SIMPSONS cipher messag
On May 10 the cruiser Montgomery,
the auxiliary cruiser Yale and the
French gunboat Genouilly came into
the port of Charlotte and there was
much saluting by the warships and the
castle. Before midnight of the 18th
the Dauntless, carrying coal and few
precious New York newspapers, set out
to overtake the fleet, then moving slow
ly back to Key West. Early Sunday
morning, May Is, off Puerto Plata San
Domingo, the Dauntless resumed her
old station near the New York. The
fleet had. in the meantime, been Joined
by the hospital ship Solace, and the
auxiliary cruiser st. Louis. The st.
Louis, towing the tug Wampatuck, left
for Santiago de Cuba on the morning
of the 18th TO cut the cable that coz
nected Spain and Cuba.
The Terror had broken down and
was being lowed by the Niagara and
the Iowa pulled the AmDhitrite. The
Montgomery, which went into SANTANA
bay on the afternoon of the 18th. had
not rejoined the fleet when the Dau2.-
less off the west coast of Hayti, May
Is, pushed ahead for Key West, taking
the most direct course.