Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-16
SCHEME ALMOST A DUPLICATE OF
THAT TRIED LAST WEEK.
Alfonso XII. and LIE Gaspi Steam Ost
of Havana Harb0r i'm an At
tempt to Lure Blockaders
Within Range of Heavy
Shore Batteries.


ecute ruse, which. If successful. would
have cleared the front of Havana of six
ships on that blockading station. Unable
to come out to do battle. he adopted the
tactics Of the spider. and cunningiy plan
ned to draw the prey into his net; but
though q clever and pretty scheme as an
original proposition, 1t was practically
repetition Of the trick into which the gun
boat Vicksburg and the little converted
coyed by fishing smack under the big
Krupp guns Of Santa Clara batteries.
Thanks to bad gunnery. both ships on
that occasion managed to get out of the
range without being sunk, though some Of
the shells burst close aboard and the
wary are never caught twice in the same
trap. Late this afternoon the ships on the
two ships steam out Of Havana harbor and
head east. Dense smoke was streaming
like black ribbons from their stacks and q
glance showed that they were under full
head OF steam. By aid OF glasses COM
mander Lilly, OF the Maydower. who was
flying the pennant, made out the larger
vessel Of the two. which was about 200
feet long and about 45o0 tons displace-
ment. to be the Alfonso XII. and the
smaller one to be the gunboat Le Gazpi,
both of which were known to be bottled
up in Havana harbor. At first he supposed
that they were taking advantage Of the
absence Of the heavy firing ships and were
making q bona fide run for the open sea,
AZ superior ofdcer. he signaied the other
ships on the station, the Vicksburg, An
napolis, Wasp. Tecumseh and Osceola,
which were moving in, to form q column
and fu echelou, with the gunboats on the
right flank. The little squadron moved in
obliquely toward the fleeing spaniards.
keeping up . running fire as they went.
Tho Alfonso and her consort circled in
shore about five miles below and, after
running in for half an hour. headed in
for Moro castle. Our gunboats and thin
skinned vessels Of the mosquito feet did
not follow them In. Commander Lilly saw
that the willy Spanish ruse was to draw
them in under the fire of the heavy bat
teries, where the Spanish artillery officers
could plot out the exact range with their
telameters and pot them. 30 the return
was made in line ahead. parallel with the
shore. Commander Lilly had not been
mistaken. As his ships came abreast of
tho Santa Clara battery the big guns
opened and fred thirteen shells at q dis
tance Of about five miles.
The range was badly Judged, as moro
than half the shells overshot the mark and
others fell short, some as much n . mile.
The Associated Press dispatch boat, Kate
Spencer, witnessed the action, which lasted
over an hour. AS spectacle. the great
est master Of stagecraft could not have
evolved . finer setting. The low sun in
bank Of vermilion dyed the Cuban hills q
royal purple, against which Havana's white
walls CLEANED like alabaster. Moro's gray
towers stood out against the blue waters
Of the Gulf. while directly behind sprang
q broad band Of the rainbow woven in and
out through dense gray clouds until lost at
the zenith. The big Alfonso and her con-
voy steamed swiftly from the dark shad-
ows Of the harbor's mouth, and. turning
sharply east, ran along the coast as
though to slip through the Gordon Of block
ade. It was q bold trick and not ut first
transparent, although the folly Of 1t cre-
ated q suspicion, as there was no hope
Of ultimate escape and no object in es-
Gaping the Mayfower. which, standing well
out, like cat with . mouse, gave q
slight start, then. swinging her engines
and tiny squadron into line, dashed in to
cut them of. The Spanish boats crowded
ON steam and stood along the coast as
long as they dared, to give 1est to the
chase. Tho Mayfiower signaled her escorts
Close in and charge.
Word was flung on from ship to ship as
they steamed In column fu schelou. See
ing the bait had apparently been taken.
the Spaniards veered, bringing their stern
so ~ to bear on the Americahs, doubled
back for Moro. It was . beautiful rum
ming fire viewed from where the Kate
| Spencer lay, seven miles off Moro castle.
Little puffs of white smoke burst from the
| sides Of the gunboats and occasionally a
| spark Of fire could be discerned with the
| aid of glasses. The flash Of the Span
lards guns was plainly visible. reports OF
| the same being dull and indistinct. Two
shells from the Vicksburg burst in the rig
ging Of the Alfonso and some of It came
| down, but It was, Of course. impossible to
| know whether any fatalities occurred. The
| American fire was much more accurate
| than the Spanish, as the latter fell short
| of their purpose. The Spaniards were a
| mile of Moro and our ships fully four miles
| further out, when hame leaped from the
batteries Of Santa Clara and clouds of
| white smoke drifted up the coast. Half q
minute later a dull heavy roar Of q great
| gun came like deep diapason of an
organ on high treble Of smaller guns.
| 1t was from one Of the twelve-inch Krupps
| mounted there, and an S5o-pound projectile
plunged into the water half q mile In
side Of the American line, throwing up a
tower OF white spray. 1t ricochetted and
| struck again half Z mile outside. The
mask was now OF. Maddened by tho fail
ure OF their plot. the spaniards continued
| to fire at intervals OF about ten minutes.
In all thirteen shots were fired. but not
one struck within 200 yards Of one of our
ships. AZ soon as the battery opened Com
1 mander Lilly signaled and his neet stood
OF shore. Captain Mckenzie. on the bridge
| Of the Vicksburg, watched the fall Of the
| ammunition At that distance. He appease6
the desire Of the men at guns, however, by
letting 60 . final broadside at the Spanish
ships. in chance hope Of making them pay
| for their daring before they gained the
harbor, but they steamed In under Moro'l
guns untouched and a. they disappeared
fired several shots. Several shots were SEM
after them at that moment by the An.
l napolis which dropped inside the harbor
probably creating CONSERVATION among
scores Of gunboats on the water front.
At the close Of the action. just at sun
down, the Associated Press dispatch boa,
Kate Spencer ran up alongside of tn,
vicksburI. Her men, many of them strip
Ped to their trousers and pistol belts. wer,
still at the guns. The oncers received tn,
news Of 1ampson's capture OF San JuaI
| with cheers that reached the Mayfower