Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-01
atlisttllaneous &eadins.
CERVERA IN A BAD WAY.
Fleet Left Curacao Short of Coal, Vizcaya
Foul and Slow.

New York Sun, Sunday.
Captain B. S. Osbou, of 81 Columbia
Heights, Brooklyn, who used to pub
lish a shipping paper here, and who
was rear admiral of the marine parade
at the opening of the Harlem river ship
canal, arrived yesterday morning on
the Dutch mail steamer Prins Frederik
Hendrix, from Curacao, May 16, with
the news of the visit paid by the
Spanish Cape Verde fleet to the Dutch
port. He told the following story to a
Sun reporter
81 left La Guayra on May 13 on the
Prins Frederik Hendrix. At daylight
on Saturday, the 18th, we were ap-
preaching Curacao. About five miles
away, or perhaps more at first, for
they were hull down on the horizon,
we saw a fleet. AS they came nearer
we recognized the Spanish fleet from
what we knew of them by their pic
lures. got their names later. They
were the Cape Verde squadron, advan-
cling in line abreast. At the left was
the flagship Infanta Maria Teresa.
Then came the Vizcaya, Cristobal Col
on and the Almirante Oquendo. At the
right were the two torpedo boat de-
stroyers Pluton and Furor. | learned
later that the Terror had been left at
Martinique for repairs. As we watch
ed them the flagship raised a signal
and the destroyers turned toward
shore, going at about Is knots, which
seemed TO be their best pace with what
coal they had, while the cruisers fol-
lowed at II knot gait. We were
then perhaps seven miles Oft shore.
The two smaller boats went within
half mile of shore in Curacao harbor
and anchored about a. IN. Our boat
got into the harbor about 9 o'clock.
The other boats of the Spanish squad
ron Law off shore at first. saw pl-.
lot boat come out to the Pluton, l think
it was, and take a Spanish officer
ashore.
II landed and went to see the Amer
lean Consul l.. B. Smith. / found the
Spaniards wanted permission from the
Dutch governor of the island to bring
their fleet into port for coal and pro-
visions. You ss:sx when two powers
are at war then .>o;isNcan enter nell
tral waters when driven by necessity
only for the purpose for getting pro-
visions and sufficient coal to carry
them to their next stopping place,
While the government was debating
Consul Smith sent in written protest
against allowing the fleet to enter the
harbor. This was against my advice.
NV idea was 10 let the fleet in and
keep them as long as possible, while
we cable to the state department and
to Admiral Sampson to come down
and trap them in the harbor.
"The governor finally decided that
he would allow two boats TO come in
for necessary provisions, and at II
o'clock the Maria Teresa and the Viz
caya steamed in and dropped anchor
in the harbor. The Oquendo and Co
lon anchored two and half miles out,
and the Pluton and Furor were allow
ed to stay where they were. The war
ships exchanged national salutes Of
81 guns with a little Dutch gunboat
which lay at the head of the harbor.
81 started in TO learn all / could
about the Spaniards, and so did Smith.
He employed couple Of agents, and
as l have many friends at Curacao, l
was able to get seven men to help me.
The Spaniards were in a bad way.
They were so short of rations that the
officers had been living on beans for
four days, and the men on half rations.
They were so. short of coal and provi-
sions that their usual water line was a
couple of feet above the water at the
bow, took two photographs which
show that clearly. The bottoms of
the ships were all overgrown with long
punches of green sea grass. One tor
pedo boat destroyer had four masts
and | counted 81 men on her decks.
There were probably more below. The
other boat had but three masts, and
had evidently lost one. Her foremost
was held up by stays, as it were. l
saw 3S men Oh her deck. 1t was ru-
mored that the flagship had had a gun
disabled in some way. | know they
left one gun carefully covered with
canvass, so it could not be seen. The
men of the ships looked haggard and
discouraged. The Negroes hooted
them when they went ashore, and |
did hnar naEpr
heard them raise cheer or make any
demonstration as our sailors do when
they get ashore.
"The Spanish officers started at
once to get in all the coal and pro-
visions they could. All the coal to be
had was was 800 tons of slack coal,
condemned by the Dutch government
and so poor it had been there for two
years without finding purchaser |
was glad to see them buy it, for |
think it will almost put their fires out.
The Dutch government had not Il
pound of coal. The American consul,
who is also merchant, had 800 tons
of good coal. He could have got S23
ton for it, but he said he would not
sell it for its weight in gold. During
the afternoon the ships took on the
coal and bought provisions. They got
in all $4,000 worth, every cent OF
which they had to pay in cash, either
gold or drafts on London. The Dutch
merchants would not look at them Oh
any other terms.
"They got 26 head of cattle, 300
barrels of flour, rice, potatoes, onions,
yams plantains, 5 casks of wine and
7 of brandy. They cleaned out every