The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-01
Fire of the Enemy SiIcnced After a
Few WeII-Directed shots from the
Guns of the Big War Ship.
FUN WITH TWO GUNBOATS
CHASED INTO CARDENAS HARBOR BY
THE TORPEDO BOAT FOOTE.
One of Them Partly DisabIed-The
Blockade still Ehective-Panic
at Santiago De Cuba.
Copyright, 1Ss8 by the Associated Press)

Copyright, 1888, by the Associated Press)
KEY WEST, Fla, April 30.-The Daunt-
less, special dispatch boat of the Associated
Press, returned to Key West this after
noon after a fifty-four-hour cruise of one
hundred miles along the northern coast of
Cuba. The only special activity which has
occurred among the vessels composing the
blockading squadron in that time was the
firing by the flagship New York upon a
troop of Spanish cavalry at the port of Ca
banas, in answer to a long range and harm
less rifle fire which the troopers sent in the
direction of the flagship The firing oc-
Cured just before sundown last evening,
and it was impossible to accurately ascer-
tain the effect of the New Yorks< shots,
though the enemy was soon silenced and
was seen to scatter. The engagement, if
such it can be called was similar to the
bombardment of the Spanish batteries at
Matanzas bay by the New York, Puritan
and Cincinnati on Wednesday, and can be
regarded as little more than target practice
by the American fleet. After it was over
the New York returned to the other ships
off Havana, and at o'clock this morning
was ten miles off shore. She was accom-
panied by the torpedo boat Ericsson, and
not far away were the Iowa, Indiana, De-
troit, Wilmington and several other vessels,
making a sufficient force to reply effectually
to any attack which the shore batteries
near Havana may choose to preciptate.
The Cincinnati was visited by the Daunt-
less yesterday. Captain Chester and all
the other officers of the cruiser are much
pleased with the result Of the bombardment
of Wednesday. They believe they rendered
the batteries at MatanzaS useless, as they
have given no signs Of activity since then.
The Spanish troops can easily be seen on
shore from the deck of the Cincinnati
No seizures have been made recently by
any vessels of the fleet although the Gin
cinnati had hailed fishing schooner whose
crew were badly frightened. They offered
their entire catch for their release. The
schooner was allowed to 60
There are two small Spanish gunboats
which are evidently trying to escape from
Cuban waters. Captain Evans, of the Iowa,
told the correspondent that he had seen
them a long distance off, but they were
very shy and would not come near enough
to be shot at and afterwards ran back into
port 1t will be next to impossible for
them to escape the vigilance of the squad
ron now Except the Spanish cruiser AL
fonso XII, which is hopeless cripple,
there is nothing in Havana harbor that
could not be blown out of the water by
the May1ower or Mangrove.
All the officers Of the fleet positively
hunger for news from the United States,
particularly regarding the movements of
the army or the dongs Of the Spanish ships
at the Cape Verde islands.
Florida straits is not a sheet of water to
be selected for pleasure resort. The lee
sides of the boats are under water half the
time, great volumes of spray dash over the
pilot house, and land lubbering war cor
respondents are thrown violently out of
their berths at night. In addition, they
have to take their meals while holding on
to a stanchion with one hand, which has
been the common order of things on board
since the blockade commenced a week ago.
The prevailing easterly winds, blowing in
direction opposite to that of the course OF
the gulf stream, stir up an ugly sea in the
narrow channel between the island of Cuba
and the Florida keys, which presents more
terrors to the newspaper men than any
contemplated engagement between the
American and Spanish fleet.