The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-13
THE CRUISER YALEs RECORD.
LOganspOrf Man Was on Board
throughout the War.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
LOGANSPORT. Ind, Sept. 12.-Arthur
McKewen, of this city, who at the beginning
of the war enlisted in the navy and was as
signed to the auxiliary cruiser Yale with the
rank of carpenters mate of the first class,
has just returned on ninety-nay furlough.
Mr.. McKewen is an entertaining talker and
a well educated man, and relates many in
teresting experiences during the Yale's time
of service. He is enthusiastic in the belief
that the Yale was the best of the auxiliary
cruisers, and thinks that the part these YES
sells took in the war is being underestim
They will always be rated as auxiliary
cruisers and towards the last were looked
upon as but mere transports. In reality,
these fast vessels were a most valuable aid
to the navy and the men on the battle ships
always sighted them with delight, for it was
from them that they learned what was go
ing on elsewhere. The Yale played an i'm
portant part in the Merrimac incident, for
it was that vessel that towed the collier
from Havana to Santiago, having 1t in tow
for forty-eight hours in rough weather. 1t
was during this trip that the men on the
Yale did their hardest work, for hawsers
repeatedly broke, until finally heavy wire
hawser was attached which could not be
unloosened when the boat was cast off at
Santiago, and when the Merrimac is raised,
says McKewen, the Yale's hawser will be
found fastened to it.
In being assigned to the Yale Mr.. Nc
Kewen considers that he was especially for
tunate. In the early days of the war the
Yale, with the Harvard, st. Paul and St.
Louis, was assigned to scout duty and dur
ing the time that the Washington authorities
and the country at large were endeavoring
to locate Admiral Ceryera's fleet the Yale
was watching for the Spanish shirS in Gu
ban waters. When Cervera's feet was at
Martinique the Yale was but three hours
behind them. 1t followed them towards
Curacao and thence to Santiago, arriving at
the latter place only few hours after the
fleet had entered the harbor, and for ten
days thereafter the Yale lay off the mouth
of the harbor and was the only cork the
bottle had fa'
Cervera, had his ships been supplied with
coal, could have during that time sailed out
of the bottle and escaped, but he was short
of all supplies and could not leave the har-
Dor. The Yale was present at the big bonn
bardment of the Notifications of Santiago.
and also at the bOmbardment of San Juan.
At San Juan, before the bombardmsnt, the
Yale twice sailed into The harbor and viewed
the Notifications. The first time the vessel
went in sailing the British flag, and on the
the flag of Denmark. The Yale again at
tempted to enter the harbor third time.
ID
sci and was promptly fred on by the Moro
Castle. No damage was done and the swift
vessel promptly showed its heels and sped
away
During the early part of the war the Yale
carried only four three-pounders, and as d
consequence was neither very offensive nor
defensive. During this time 1t was on sew
eral occasions chased by the Alfonso XIII,
but with it's light armament could do moth
ing. Later the Yale's armament was aug
mented by eight five-inch guns. Had it been
these e..
Mr.. McKewen declares, either the Alfonso
or the Yale would have gone to the bottom,
for there would have been no running away
then.
On the morning of the Cd of July the Yale.
which was then with the fleet lying off the
to Key west and taSe on board General
Miles and his staff. Cervera'S fleet was de-
stroyed on the morning of the Sd and the
reached Key West General Miles was not
there and the vessel proceeded to Charles
ton, s. c., where the general and his staff
Sixth Massachusetts and Sixth Illinois Regi-
ments of volunteers. The Yale then pro-
ceeded to Santiago and afterward 10 Porto
Rico with General Miles and his army.
The last trip the Yale made was when
it returned from Santiago, bringing home
the Twentieth and Third Regiments, United
States Infantry These were landed at
Montauk Point When these men were TAX
en- on board at Santiago Mr.. McKewen says
that every man of the 1850 was suffering
to walk the rest having to be carried aboard
ship The Yale had taken down with 1t from
New York a supply of fresh meat, and at
Santiago a supply of fresh bread vas taken
on This, with the army rations, was all
that these sick men had to eat on Ihe trip
north. While the men did not suffer. for
food on the trip, still had the vessel been
properly provisioned before it left New York
the men could have been given many deli
cacies that would have aided them on the
during the entire trip north he saw but one
physician in the sick bay he being young
volunteer, who had enlisted from Mobile,
Ala, and during the trip he himself was
almost too sick to give attention to the suf-
fering men, There may have been other
physicians on board but Mr.. McKewsn says
he never saw them and he saw the sick bay
Sisters of Charity from New York, who
acted as nurses. and had 1t not been for the
noble work of these angels of mercy the
suffering of the sick soldiers would have
been far greater.
At the end of his furlough Mr.. McKewen
expects to be assigned to one of the big
battle ships.