The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-28
TURNS THE KEY.
Continued from First Page.)

light draft boats to Batabano, whence
IS carried by rail into Havana Only
a day or two ago, word reached here
that 500 head of cattle were rounded up
at a point on the Mexican coast near
Yucatan awaiting transportation to Ba-
taoano.
There has been no running of the
blockade by these cattle ships notwith-
standing the Spanish stories to the con-
trary; all of the ships that have en-
tered Cuban ports, with supplies, have
done SO at places not within the block
ade such as Batabano and Manzanillo.
The vessels for the additional blockade
service will be supplied almost entirely
from the patrol fleet which under Com
modore Howell, has been guarding the
North Atlantic coast from Maine to
South Carolina. This service has been
abandoned, because the only available
Spanish warshipS are with Admiral
Camara, thousands of miles away from
the nearest point on the Atlantic coast.
The vessels are already on their way
southwark having been reinforced by
several of the new torpedo boats, which
their light draft for blockade duty in
the shallow waters lying behind the Isle
OF Pines and Cuba
Sigsbee's Good Work.
The blockade of San Juan proclaimed
today is in reality already in effect,
having been initiated by Captain Sigs-
bee last week, when he turned back
from that port British steamer laden
with supplies. The difficulty of main
tanning a blockade at this port, in the
face of the Spanish forts and three
Spanish war vessels in the harbOr,
would be considerabI BILE had not Captain
Sigsbee, by disabling the other formid-
able one of these vessels made the task
easier. AS it is, the character of YES
sells required to maintain the blockade
at San Juan, necessarily must be, of a
type superior to the ships required for
the blockade on the southern coast OF
Prnha hlV such vessels
the Detroit or the Montgomery will be
assigned to the task.
In defeating the Terror, Captain Sigs-
bee has rendered almost important ser
vice to our navy and indeed to all
navies. He has not only deprived
SIMPSONS fleet of apprehension of an
attack in the rear some dark night by
this vicious little boat, but he has
demonstrated that an auxiliary cruiser
is amply able to take care of herself
against a. torpedo gunboat. showing
that the offensive power of this craft
has been very much OVerrated.
The torpedo gunboat was an untried
quantity in naval warfare up to thia
time Swifter than a torpedo boat,
seawOrthy, and possessed of the arma-
ment of which the torpedo boat is void,
the torpedo gunboat has been a terror
in Imagination to all naval men, The
presence of such a Spanish gunboat,
the Temerario in the river Platte in the
pathway of the Oregon on her cruise
around South America, was for several
weeks a cause Tor great anxiety at the
navy department. Now Captain Sigs-
bee has shown that with an unarmored
cruiser armed with only 5-inch guns,
the torpedo gunboats are not feared, at
least not in daylight.
The Terror is of English build, hav-
ing been turned over at Clyde Bank in
1896. She is a low lying steel craft,
with steel tunnels, is of $40 tons, 22O
feet long, % feet beam and five feet six
Inches draft. The boat is filled with
engines and boilers, her horse power
being 5000, capable of driving her at
a speed of % knots with Norman boil
ers While the ordinary torpedo boat
carries only a little one-pOunder gun,
the torpedo gunboat is armed with
formidable battery for a vessel of her
size. consisting of two 14-pounders, two
six-pounders and two one-pounders, all
quick firing and having two fourteen
inch torpedo tubes on deck.
The other Spanish cruiser referred to
by Captain SigsDee in his report as
joining in the attack upon the st. Paul
is supposed here to be the Alfonso XIII
an iron bark rugged cruiser, built
in 1887, OF 5000 tons. While an old
vessel, she has pretty good battery
made up of Il HontOria guns, of var
ious calibres, five machine guns and
two torpedo tubes.
AS soon as Captain Sigsbee's report
department Immediately recalled the
fact that the Spaniards had last week
sent out a bulletin describing the fight
of an American cruise4 before two
Spanish vessels off San Juan and that
particular engagement was identified
as the same referred to by Captain
'Sigsbee.