The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-27
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New York Times: I wouder Il the good
people at home, from Whose pockets.
come the EineWs OF war, FUZZY realize az
NC Csccmforts and tribulatinng entni-
"a tipon those whose duty II j. 70 main
tain q strict blockade Of the various
ports along the Cuban eOast. How
Hiany, times at the mess table one hetEs
4 Willingness expressed on the part OF
varioub Individuals TO exchange all their
debts Tor a chance at q SODA fountain.
STA. the want OF cooling beverages =,
infer a while. less and less Of grew
ancO, the enTthen monkey or q wafer
baF hung un In the air cools the water
81 That II auenches the thirst, and the
appetfte Is less hearty than In our more
bracirg climate. Electric fans are one
OF the greatest ana moRt endless sources
OF relief, and their cheerful buZZlnB nIlls
one to E,eep and makes him comfortable
throughout The Right
g.eeplng below In the close confines OF
a hammock Is not thought Of. and the
decks, particularly the poop and fore
caa,ie. thct are somewhat higher than
the others, are thiekly peopled with
tctsping humanity, whom It - hard to
move. even though the boatsWaln's MAZE
rtidely bHwls. Rouse up, there, ard 80
I below out OF the rain" This one has to
DO IN rpiie OF ail. The surgeon's orders
about keeping dry and not exposing
ones self are very strict and are rlgldly
carried out. backed as they always are
by the full force OF the captains author
lty.
{ About sundOWn, 'Out al lights and
aIr with the battle ports are the orders
4, At which the lights about the decks are
eStinElished and blank metal shutters
repIace the glass air ports. Not even
the usual running or steGming lights
are carried, for II Is all important In this
blockadiuE that the position Of the vigil
/ keepers should be kept from the enemy.
| There are two very important reasons
| among a number OF others, for these
precautions. One Is It's well that the
| enemy should not know your exact 10
cation, lest you should become too
easy prey to his guns or his torpedo
| boats, Then, too, vessels approaching
the port, with the intention Of running
in, have to proceed cautiously for fear
| OF stirring up hornets nest, and
should your fights be showing. they will
know Just what to avoid.
Half the ships company are on duty
at time, and those not on lookout or
at the guns Of the secondary battery
are grouped about the other guns Of the
armament ready to spring up at a mo-
nlent'B warning. Orders 10 assemble
for battle stations are hardly necessary,
except as an Indication OF what the cap
tain intends doing, as long before the
cali ceases the gun crews are in readi-
ness, and every coign Of vantage Is Oc.
| cupied with men peering through the
Darkness to get sOme kind Of notion
Of the bearing Of the stranger Many
and many an experience during the past
month or two tells OF misunderstood
signals. followed by a blank shot, and
the order to stir up all fires and turn on
the forced drnught ready for a chase.
Occasionally something more urgent
than n blank cartridge has been used,
| but before serious damage has been
done, hnils have been exchanged and
| doubts set at rest.
Electricity here again has come to the
rescue and made an interchange OF Sig
nails easier and more rapid than we have
ever had in former times. Stlll. II sig
nails are at all doubtful. everything is in
readiness, and from the numerous I'M
stances OF high speed being rapidly got
ten up, II would appear as though every
department was on the qui vive. Sail
no! during the daytime breaks UP the
slesta, causes the with-the-shove
to work his brnwny body and brings ev-
erybody to the t4p-top Of expectancy.
Away goes the cruiser, headed so as to
cut of the stranger, and when within
short range, bang goes her gun, I'M
shotted. to be sure, but its sound hardly
dies away before the stranger, II a SAIL
ing craft, puts down his helm. let's fly
his head sheets. and brings his craft
into the wind. where she remains until
boarded by a boat from the war vessel.
II her papers are straight and correct,
she Is allowed 10 proceed, II any doubt
attaches to them, the captain OF the
cruiser judges as to the extent she Is In
vOlved. Should It be evident that she
IS q bit crooked then an officer and q
half dozen or more men are put on
board and she Is ordered to port for adj
publication.
Every now and again saucy little
Spanish gunboat will poke her nose out
from behind the manErove bushes or
sugar cane growing near the entrance
to some one Of the bloclSaded ports and
let fly u shot nt the nearest jallOr and
then, as IL Kicked back by the recoll OF
her own gun, fly at once to shelter al
most before gooG aim can be taken ut
her. The smOkeless powder and the
far-carrylng Mauser, with Its SMALL
ca9ibre bullet. are also dangers that
make themselves heard and felt when
one approaches little too near the
shore. The dissipation OF the smoke so
soon follows the noise OF the discharge
or the singing OF the bullet that 1t Is very
difficult to locate the offender and send
him a similar message. The spaniards
are rather ahead Of US In this matter OF
powder. as with the exception Of one or
two vessels, We stll2 are supplied with
the brown powder. and when the wind
Is toward the enemy we cannot fire with
very great rapldity. for the target Is en-
tlrely hidden At the present rate It
looks as II the war would be entirely
over before We are supplied with the
most moaern and approved appliance.