The times., 1898-04-25
THE SQUADRON CLOSING IN
Easily Intercepts Vessels Leay
ing Havana Harbor.
THE FIRST PRIZES OF THE WAR
The Gunboats Got Taste of Block
nde Duty in the Gulf Stream with
Contrary Winds Bio.vinE-Nen on
Torpedo EcHts Have an Unfortm-
nntc Time.

Key West, Fla, April H.-The cap
tured Spanish steamer Buena Ventura ar
rived in Key West soon after 10 o'clock
on Friday night. There was intense ex-
ctement ashore and afoat. At the time
the monitors Puritan and Amphitrite
had a schooner lashed between them
from which they were replenshing their
coal supplies, while the Marblehead and
Detroit were earlier engaged in like
fashion. All were working with energy
and the enthusiasm borne of excitement
caused by the arrival of the first prize of
the war of Spanish expulsion, but they
found time to stop work and cheer the
arrival and then laugh at the sight of a
cow and her calf pastured on the quarter
deck
At this time the Sun yacht was
bound out. en- route to havana. in the
wake of the squadron, which now had
nearly thirty miles start. 1t was not
until about o'clock in the afternoon
that the squadron was overhauled. The
blue cast line of Cuba was then in sight
dead ahead. 1t was a most beautiful
evening in the trade wind region of the
tropics as the squadron approached
shore.
1t had been joined while yet disposing
of the prize Buena Ventura. by the moni-
tor Terror. cruiser Cincinnati, torpedo
boats Dupont Porter Ericsson and Wins
low, SO that the squadron consisted of the
flagship New York, battleships Iowa and
Indiana, monitor Terror. in line to wind
ward, and the Wilmington Machias,
Newport, in another parallel line, half
mile away down wind. There were also
the tug Leyden and five torpedo boats
that went at pleasure gait among the
larger boats of the squadron.
The voyage to Cuba was uneventful and
| except for torpedo boats a comfortable
! trip across. The sea was just heavy
/ enough to roll the rails of torpedo boats
under water on an average of six or
| eight times per minute.
| Just as the coast was sighted a large
! Spanish ship was seen leaving Havana.
| bound eastward. The New York, being
! the nearest of the squadron, started in
pursuit, leaving the rest of the fleet to
take their places off the harbor. The
/ New York had scarcely left her place in
! line when increasing clouds of smoke
were seen flowing out of the strangers
| tunnels, showing that she was firing up
and would make dash to escape. The
| word was passed to the engine room of
the New York and answering smoke
clouds rolled from her funnel. Away the
two ran in the first race of the war.
The sunset that night was a glorious
| spectacle and there is no officer on board
the New York who is not alive to such
beauties, but not one saw the sun go
down. Every man of them whose duty
! tod nd
eyes looked into the thckening gloom as
the chase ahead. with lights out, reached
away for liberty. The efforts of the
chase were unavailing. for in spite of the
grass on the New York she soon reached
a speed of sixteen knots. and the stran-
ger was not able TO sustain anything near
that.
Yet SO well did she run that she was off
Matanzas when a shot from a four-inch
rife across her bow brought her TO- En-
sign BrumDy anG six men in a whaleboa
were soon alungsiie and the briefest eX-
animation of papers showed that she was
the Spanish liner Pedro, en- route to San
Juan, Porto Rice and Cadiz. The depart
ure of the suu1drnn from Key West had
not been cabled TO Havana, and the Pe-
dro had sailed Usual She was much
more valuable prize than the Buena Ven
tura, and neT cargo included a consider
| able quantity of tobacco. number OF
|
bound 70" Spain IN anticipation of war
The contents of the cIp,u"eG mails were
not made public. ]-ieut- Capehart, with
Two junior OH ccrs. fur marines and
eight sailors took charge If the vesse
and sailed with her to Kew West, where
| they arr't.l yes. srt, ~ n0~ai ~
In the meantime the squadron had
stretched out in two lines. perhaps three
miles off the port of Havana, the cruis-
ers and gunboats being next to shore
An unknown bark was seen heading from
port for open sea. The Cincinnati and d
torpedo boat went after her. When neal
enough blank shot was fired from the
bow gun, but the captain of the bark ap
parently did not understand, for he hello
on his way serenely. A minute later Z
| fiVe-inch solid shot went whiStling across
his bow At that the captain howled fol
'all hands" and hurrying about tbs
deck made the sailors grin and say things
Her mainsail was hauled up in jiffy anc
the next minute the main yard swung
across the wind, leaving her rolling
easily over the trade wind swells. The
Swedish flag was at the gaff
Lieut.. Craven, with an ensign anC
eight men, pulled from the Cincinnati il
whaleboat. They learned that the yes
sci was the Swedish bark Yom Fruland
with a neutral cargo. and after writing
notice of blockade in the ships log Lieut.
the Cincinnati.
! During this time still another bark wa!
seen under sail to the westward, heading
north a torpedo boat was sent to over
haul her. Her name was not learned bu
she was detained long enough TO formally
: serve the notice to neutrals.
AS night drew on the clouds gathered
and there were flashes of lightning tina
at first looked as If there was a search
light signaling on shore. The lighthouse
on MORO Castle flashed out at regular in
tervals AS soon as the sun went down
the myriad lights of Havana came pierre
ing through the gloom. At o'clock
big steamship, showing many por
! | lights came out of the harbor.
/ Th gunboat Wilmington. with the tor
pedo boat Ericsson, went in chase. Tn
! latter brought her to and found she wa
the German steamer Remus. She Sool
went on her way.
T BY o'clock the wind freshened up ant
n the gunboats, especially the Wilmington
5 began to get taste of what the block
J. ade duty in the Gulf Stream, with con
y trary winds blowing, amounted to- Wit
= one accord they turned stern to the swell
/ and drifted away down the wind 70
y three or four miles, and then came aroun
o and steamed up head to wind under sloy
y speed 1t was the best way to ease sh
- in the swell, but they rolled in spite of
$ in a most aggrdvating fashion, but
o working of gunboats was wearisome I
/ the crews life on the torpedo boats wa
[ simply distressing.
d The torpedo boats We're obliged to g
l. cruising about as messengers regardles
Y of the direction of the wind or sea. The
= plunged and the solid water rose to tn
: feet of the men and spray flew owe
f them in such clouds as to hide the me
d on deck from view drenching everyon