The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-16
THREE WAR PRIZES.
Would Be Blockade Runners Brought
10 Key West.

Key West, Fla, July 15.-Three prizes
of war were brought here today, but none
was of any great consequence and the
captures were affected with only ordinary
incident.
The English built steamer Grenow
Castle, which for several years piled on
the Cuban coast under the Spanish flag,
but on June s, last, returned to her
British registry was taken by the Dixie
off Cape Cruz last Thursday. She was
bound from Kingston, jamaica for Man
zanillo with q large cargo of food sup
plies.
Her captains name is Rost, and as
supercargo she had one Wilson, an expert
mechanical engineer. Lieut.. Layton Z.
Smith. with two marines and two sailors
from the Dixie, was put in charge. The
prize crew left Cape Cruz the same day,
taking the western route, but as the
steamers chronometer and compass were
out of order, they lost their bearings and
narrowly escaped being wrecked, east of
Cape Antonio on Friday nigt
Next the steamer blew hole in her
boiler and was compelled to tie up at q
little key near Jardinilles. Then her coal
gave out and when the damage had been
temporarily repaired, they were forced to
make for Dry Tortugas, where she OBJ
tanned coal, after which she put into Key
West. The crew of the Grenow Castle
consisted of six Spaniards and four
Jamaican negroes.
The day before this capture the Dixie
took also two schooners, the Three Bells
and the Pilgrim, both flying British flags
and both bound from Montego Bay for
Manzanillo with cargeos of food supplies.
The Three Bells was originally a Nova
Scotian boat. She is of about 1876 tons
and the Pilgrim of about % tons. Lieut.
NJ Blunt with two sailors and two
| marines, was put in charge to bring her
| to Key West, but she has not arrived yet.
The British schooner e. R. Nickerson
was also among today's arrivals She
was beoalmed off Cape Cruz on June 80
when the Hornet steamed alongside and
informed her commander that the vessel
was prisoner. There was no attempt
at resistance. The tug Wampatuck and
the gunboat Hist We're within signalling
distance at the time and Ensign B. G.
McDougsll of the Hist, the boatswain' S
mate and d sailor from the Wampatuck
We're put on board as a prize crew. The
Nickerson has negro captain, three sea-
In0u anu d COOK. Two So-Call6u passengers
who turned out to be agents for the cargo
were on board. They are A. Won Gout-
hard and Frank Berger. and they vigor-
ously protested against the capture, de-
claring that as British subjects they could
and would claim large Indemnity from
the United States
The vessels cargo was food, including
a deck load of pigs. goats, chickens,
flour. pork, potatoes and the like. She
was bound from Jamaica for Manzanillo
The auxiliary gunboat Uncas towed in
today aglittle Spanish sloop. the Bella
Ynos. taken off Cardenas. The sloop had
no cargo and when caught was close in
shore. Four of her crew of six Jumred
overheard and got to land. The Unoas
brought also Ysidro de Soto, Cuban
messenger from the camp of Col. Carlos
Roias, bearing private dispatches for the
United States government.
The gunboat Castine brought in today
three Spaniards who had deserted from a
Spanish gunboat in Havana harbor and
put off to the blockading feet in a small
boat The launch of the monitor Terror
picked them up and transferred them to
the Castine.