The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-05-01
MUT1NY IN SPANISH wARsHIPs
Crews Unwilling to Take Part in
EattIe With America.
From the Galveston News


Mutiny on board the Spanish torpedo
boats at Las PaImas. Canary Islands.
was reported by the captain of the British
steamship Asloun, which arrived yester-
day after a trip of seventeen days. capt
Barnet says that ne arrived at Las Pal
mas two days after the Spanish vessels
had departed for Porto Rico, so il was
given out when the fleet sailed To the
best of his recollection, he says that he
was told there was a gunbOat. two tor
pedo boat destroyers. three torpedo boats
and collier in the fleet
They evidently put in for coal. where
the engineers took advantage Of the stop
10 take measures 10 prevent the fleet
from coming to Cuban waters As in the
old times. when IL was desired 10 render
useless the guns that the enemy was
about to capture. they were spiked. so
these men did about the same thing with
the engines of the torpedo boats. They
rendered the engines useless because they
did not want TO fight the Americans, the
insurgents or anybody else on this side
OF the water. When the time for depart
ure came the men had TO be almost lit
orally dragged aboard the boats to make
them come to fight.
An Englishman who was a guarantee
engineer on one of the vessels. refused
TO go with the vessels any further on ac-
His vessel was built in an English ship
yard and he was assigned TO accompany
her for period of twelve months. TO see
that the engines got along properly and
to make good the guarantee of the build
ers. However, he was not bound TO pro-
coed further. the war matter releasing
him The other engineers who wanted to
quit and who refused TO go further ara
believed to have all been Spaniards.
Capt. Barnet says the story of the
mutiny of the engineers and crews Of the
torpedo boats was matter of common
knowledge in Las Palmas, where the
population is almost entirely Spanish He
also says the story was confirmed by q
firm of ship repairers who did some work
for him. They had just finished the job
on the war vessels. and they told him
that the crews had disabled the engines
and machinery in a scandaIOus manner.
Your information, then. was that the
men were unwilling 20 go TO WARP" asked
the reporter.
Most unwilling" Captain Barnet re-
piled. with emphasis
Whether the fleet actually sailed for
Porto Rico is a question, as they may
have gone on to Cape Verde Islands and
there joined the other members of the
Spanish navy. An American sea captain
arrived from Porto Rico the other day
with the report that the Spanish feet had
AIllNSu at OTTO rico ana IL may Dc
true that these are the vessels that ne
saw.
Captain Barnet says he arrived IN Las
Palmas March 81. and sailed on April l.
As the feet had sailed two days before
ne arrived and as he has been seventeen
days coming to Galveston. IL is p0ssiI-s
that they have reached Porto Rico. Be
ing reasonably fast, they should be able
TO make that distance in less time than
twenty-three days. There was a mer-
chairman with them which was carrying
coal for the feet
While at Las Palmas, Capt. DOnohue,
of one of the American oarkentinss, was
in peck of trouble. He applied TO Capt.
Barnet for passage 10 this country in
case there should be war, but as no war
was declared before the Asloun left he
did not come on her. The barkentine ran
ashore there and the people wanted 70
get her in case of war, so they would
not render any assistance whatever
They could easily have gotten her of
with the aid of tugs that are used in the
harbOr but instead they inflicted all
sorts of delays. 1t is not probable that
the vessel was gotten off Capt DOnO-
hue had with him his wife and seven OF
the crew and officers Capt. Barnet
could not remember the name Of the
barkentine. He says she belongs TO
Philadelphia and has visited Galveston
quite often She had lied from a gulf
port for Las PalmaS with a cargo of
lumber The captain told him when he
left that in the event OF war he would
go aboard some English vessel with his
crew. leaving the barkentine, There are
always English vessels in that port. 50
the captain is running no personal dan
ger.