Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-28

guns. 1t is believed here that he vii
send dispatches to Washington from
, Mole ST. Nicholas or Kingston, an.
: nouncing the result of his search.
STILL HUNTING CERvERA. w.
Sampson and Schley Go on the War
Path. ..
Copyright 1898 by Associated Press.)
ON BOARD THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS DISPATCH BOAT DAUNT-
LESS, VIA KEY WEST. May 2I.-S r.
Mp to II o'clock this morning (E'ri-
day. nothing had been heard Of the
Spanish fleet
Neither Rcnr Admiral Sampson nor
the naval officers Of the fleet appear
at all sanguine that the Spaniards. I'M
less hard pressed. will attempt to run
the gauntlet into Havana. Admiral
Ceryera. since ne reached the CARR
bean Sea, has shown anything but :,
disposition to fight and our officers are
inclined To think that If he Is driven
out of the waters south OF Cuba he
will double back to San Juan de Port
Rico. where his ships could coal under
the protection Of batteries as powerful
Sampson ascertained when he botn-
barded the forts there two weeks ago.
Blu, the unexpected might happen, and
II it does, Admiral Sampson is prepar-
ed. Should Cervera run into the arms
OF our feet as now constituted, his sur
render or annihilation would be inevit-
| able. There are but two passages by
which he could enter the Florida
straits.
! From the eastward. $50 miles east OF
Havana, the Bahama banks. strung
| With coral keys, extends northward
| from Cuba to a point sixty miles east
of the coast Of Florida. The southern
end OF the banks is wedged down close
! to the coast of Cuba. leaving between
only Il narrow passage scarcely fifteen
| miles wide and about sixty miles long,
! called the Bahama channel. At the
north. between Great and Little Bahia
| ma banks, the northwest Providence
channel or "IIole In the Wall" the sea-
| faring men about here term It, offers
another door to the Florida straits.
The Latte latter route roy te Is long and tortuous
former. through the Old Bahann cllun-
mel. is scant GOO miles, almost an air
line as the crow files.
We're the Spanish fleets to come UP
| through the Windward Passage and
around Cape Maysi, it would have to
choose between these two.
| The United States fleet makes an I'm
| posing spectacle as moves majesti-
cally along with every ship brsliing
| With guns and stripped for action.
| Lookouts are always in the military
| tops. sweeping the horizon with their
| telescopes. Az
The newspaper dispatch boats are
| Obliged by the admirals orders t..
maintain a position not nearer than
! five miles asterl. in order to be out OF
| harms way should collision with the
enemy occur. Several times each night
| the scouts far out on the horizon flash
! their reports to the admiral, skimming
through the water as fast as railrond
trains and firing their coiored rockets
N init ba ,,f h. HOLY
1t cannot but occur to those unvers
ed in naval warfare that these brilliant
exchanges would serve as admirabl,
| advertisements of the location OF our
| fleet should the enemy happen along.
The only exciting incident OF the cruise
! Aff,G;.u.rred about IL o'clock Tuesday
| which afterward joined Inv ffee ,sh!Ass
| arrived. The fleet was steamihg east
ward in column abreast, when the
smoke from three strange ships was
made out on the horizon, dead ahead
Signal flags began to fly on the signal
Yards of the flagship. as Rear Admir-
| al Sampson maze his disposition for
battle should the stranger prove to be
! the enemy; bugles sounded the call 10
| general quarters. and every executive
! officer rang for steam, while the
| smokestacks of our ships began TIC
belch forth clouds of smoke as the yes
| sells swung into line ahead.
| 1t was evident that Admiral Sampson
| intended to adopt the faVorite forIna-
con of successful commanders in mod
ern naval battles and fight his ships
broadside on.
The speed was quickly increased TO
! over ter knots and the course altered
| slightly to pass the strangers on the
! port quarter. The very ships seemed
| to scent the battle as they ploushed
through the heavy swell which was
dead against them. The admiraFs com
| mands were flung back from ship to
ship. ss@ 8
| From the Dauntless. with our glass
es. we could see the men at quarters
| stripped to waist. Meetings. to catch
| splinters were stretched about the
chart rooms and hridGes and every
! thing was made ready for the fray. II
| was a sight to satisfy the pride of eV-
! cry American as our fleet bore down
| Meantime the military tops OF two OF
| the strangers had removed all doubt
| as to the character of the vessels. II
was a false alarm, and the disappoin.-
| ment Of our Jack tars must nave peel
| keen, Judging from the remarks they
made afterward They had been feed
ing each other on promises Of the many
| things they proposed to do to the Span
| iards when they got them. and FOX {;
| few minutes they thought the coveted
opportunity had come.
! Long before the correspondent
| perched on the tops of the pilot houses
Of their boats, were able to rec"ghiZ
! the new comers the iookouts on tn
warshlps had identified them as two OF
the % tied States monitors and sup
NV snip. which had been dispatched II.
advance Of the main body of the fleet
RITA's CREW RELEASED.
(By Telegraph.)
CHARLESTON. S. c.. May 27Vor-
| ders from the Navy Department 1of
the release Of the passengers and crew
Of the Spanish prize Rita, now at I'M
bort, were received here today. IN