The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-05-27
A REMARKABLE VOYAGE.
Battleship 0regon's Trip From San
ssSsssaa., Francisco to Key West. .asi
HER MEN ANXIOUS FOR A FIGHT.
Only Once on the Voyage Were tho
Mon Called to Arms. and They Were
SoreIy disappointed When Their Sup

SoreiyIisuppoihteu w hch HeiT Sup-
posed Enemy Proved to Be a Bark.
Key Wsst, May 27.-Captain Chase
Clark and other officers of the Oregon
came ashore yesterday and reported
all well on board and the ship in good
condition.
The Oregon left San Francisco on
March 10, arrived at Callao on April
4. left there on April and passed
Sandy Point on April 80. The battle
ship reached Bahia on May and
touched at Barbados on May IS. The
battleship arrived off Jupiter light on
May % and then communicated with
Washington.
The Oregon picked UP the cruiser
Marietta and the dynamite cruiser
Nictheroy (renamed the Buffalo, be-
tween Rio Janeiro and Bahia. but she
parted company with them after a few
hundred miles.
The Oregon coaled four times on her
trip-at Callao. Sandy Point, Rio jan
eiro and Barbadoes-and reached here
with plenty of coal and water on board.
The first news the officers and crew
of the Oregon had of the Manila VIC
tory was at Rio Janeiro, where Captain
Clark received telegram from Wash
ington.
Alarming rumors met the Oregon at
every port At Rio Janeiro her crew
heard report that dynamite had been
found in the coal, and at Cal,ao the
officers were informed that plans had
been discovered to blow uD the ship.
All these startling reports proved to be
Groundless.
On leaving the Barbados the Oregon
sailed almost directly north, going to
the north Of Porto Rico about $50 miles.
The northerly course was continued
until the Bcrmudas were sighted, when
she sailed northwest for the east coast
of Florida. Captain Clark explains that
the reason for going to jupiter inlet
instead of putting in at Key West was
to enable the Oregon to be ready to go
either to Key West or Hampton Roads
in short order after getting official in
formation from Washington.
During the entire trip the crew ex-
pected momentariy to meet the Span
ish. Only once. however, was there a
call to arms. This was shortly after
midnight on leaving Rio Janeiro. A
dark object was discovered ahead, ap-
parently giving chase. The call to
general quarters was sounded, the men
rolled out of their berths with the en-
thusiasm Of boys on a circus day, and
almost instantly every gun was man.
ned. The Oregon left her course, and
circled around her black pursucr, only
to find II a harmless bark instead of
Spanish warship. Back to their berths
crept the men. with mutterings of dis
appointment and disgust.
At RIO Janeiro Captain Clark was
told that the Spanish torpedo boat
Temerario was following him, but at
the next rort of call he was informed
that the Temerario had gone into dry
dock at Rio Janeiro just after the de-
parture of the Oregon.
The cruise through the Straits of Ma
gellan was most interesting. 1t was at
this far southern point of the American
hemisphere that the crew expected to
receive visit from the Spaniards. In
many places the channel was very mar
row and crooked, with hidden Aays and
coves, and back of them mountains
towering into the clouds on either side.
Moreover they were in the land of icy
winter. For more than month they
had been sailing under tropical skies,
and now the blasts of December whs-
tied among the crags above them and
the ice at night lay on the decks.
But the Oregon did not lag. Captain
Clark had no idea of giving the Span
iards. If there were any. a chance to
catch him mapping. Wherever it was
safe and possible the Oregon bowled
along at Is knots an hour. The ma
chinery worked we'll, and on occasions
the speed was increased three knots in
few minutes.
The Oregon's rs officers and her crew
of 425 seamen were well and happy
when the battlcship cast anchor off
Sand Key lighthouse yesterday. The
Oregon is in first class shape and ready
for another cruise as long as the one
just ended. The excellent condition Of
the men after their &C days voyage Is
perhaps even more remarkable
Throughout the entire trip there were
no cases of serious illness on board,
and the men are as eager for imme-
diate activity as if they had just come
from a vacation in the mountains
A PENNSYLVANIA RcglmcDt CoIebrntcs