The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-16

Key West. May 15.-On Board the
Associated Press Dispatch Boat Kate
Spencer. off Havana, May 14-Captain
Blanco, two hours before sundown to-
night, attempted to execute a ruse
which, If successful would have
cleared the front of Havana of six
ships on that blockading station. Un-
able to come out to do battle. he
adopted the tactics of the spider and
cunningly planned to draw the prey
into his net, but, though a clever and
pretty scheme as an original PROPOSE
tion. ii was practically a repetition of
the trick by which the gunpoat Vicks-
burg and the little converted revenue
cutter Morrill were last week decoyed
by a fishing smack under the big
Krupp guns of Santa Clara battery.
Thanks to bad gunnery, both ships on
that occasion managed to get out of
range without being sunk, though
some of the shells burst close aboard,
and the Vicksburg's ladder was cut
adrift.
ne wal are ltNtl caught t"ltt III
the same trap. Late this afternoon the
ships on the Havana station were
dumbfounded to see two ships steam
out of Havana harbor and head east.
Dense smoke was steaming like black
ribbons from their stacks, and a glance
showed they were under a full head
of steam. BY aid of glasses Com
mander Lilly of the Mayhower which
was flying the pennant. made out the
larger of the two vessels, which was
about 200 feet long and about $500
tons displacement to be the Alphonso
XII. and the smaller one to be the Le-
Gazpi. both of which were known to
be bottled up in Havana harbor. At
first he supposed they were taking ad-
vantage of the absence of the heavy
firing ships and were making a bona
fide run for the open sea.
As superior officer he signaled the
other ships on the station. the Vicks-
burg, Annapolis. Wasp, Tecumseh and
Osceola, which were moving in, to form
a column with gunboats on the right
flank. The little squadron moved
obliquely toward the fleeing Spaniards,
keeping up running fire as they went.
The Alphonso and her escort 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
fleet did not follow them in. Com
mander Lilly saw that the willy Span
ish ruse was to draw them in under
the fires of the heavy batteries, where
the Spanish artillery officers could plot
out the exact range with their teleme-
tres and pot them. So the return was
made ahead and parallel with the
shore. Commander Lilly had not been
mistaken. AS his ships came abreast
of the Santa Clara batteries the big
guns opened fire at distance of
| about five miles. The range was badly
judged, as more than half the shells
overshot the mark and others fell
short, some as much as a mile.
The associated press dispatch boat
Kate Spencer witnessed the action,
which lasted over an hour. AS a spec
| tacle the greatest master of stagecraft
| could not have evolved a finer setting.
The low sun. in a bank of red. dyed
| the Cuban hills a royal purple against
Havana's white walls, which cleaned
like alabaster. Morros gray towers
stood out against the blue waters of
| the gulf. while directly behind sprung
| a broad expanse of the rainbow, woven
| in and out through the dense gray
| clouds until lost in the zenith.
| The big Alphonso and her convoy
steamed swiftly from the dark shadows
! of the harbors mouth. and turning
| sharply east ran along the coast as
| though to slip through the Gordon of
| blockade. 1t was a bold trick anS not
| at first transparent. although siie folly
| of il created a suspicion. as there was
| no hope of ultimately escaping the May
| flower. which. standing well like a cat
| with mouse. gave a slight start, then
| swinging her engines and tiny squa-
| dron into line, dashed in to cut them
| off. The Spanish boats crowded on
| steam and stood along the coast as
| long as they dared. to give zest to the
| chase. The Mayfiower signaled her
| escorts to CLOSE in and charge" Word
| was flung on from ship to ship as they
1 steamed in column.
Seeing the bait had apparently been
| taken. the Spanish vessels veered.
| bringing their sterns so as to bear on
| the Americans. and doubled back for
| Morro. Ii was a beautiful running
| fire viewed from where the Kate Spen-
| Ger lay. seven miles of MORO castle.
| Little puffs of white smoke burst from
| the sides of the gunboats, and occasion
/ ally an explosion of a shell in the air.
| like a spark of fire. could be discerned
| with the aid of glasses. The fash of
the Spaniards guns was plaintly Wis
| ible: reports of the same were dull and
indistinct. Two shells from the Vicks-
burg burst in the rigging of the Alphon-
| so, and some of IL came down, but II
| was. of course. impossible to know
| whether any fatalities occurred. The
| American FIRE was more accurate than
| the Spanish. as every shell of the lat
| ter fell short of their purpose. The
/ Spaniards were a mile of Morro. and
our ships were fully four miles out
/ when flame leaped from the batteries
/ of the Santa Clara forts and clouds OF
smoke drifted up the coast. Half a
minute later dull. heavy roar Of a