Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-02
Observation-Disclosures
1t Has Its Attractions and
| Drawbacks.
||THE DAUNTLESS N |. .ll||lll|ug[H /
How the Warships Are
Stationed.
NOT PUNCHED ToGETHE I'Z
isE7i SE4svgs 9sss SsEsf5s
Pen Picture OF Havana Under sis ockaksss..5
Famine In the City Not Conaaed 80
to Keconcentrados Now.*sas s 800
Incidents ola }lss'
Night. !, SssFs
NOT PUNCHED TOGETHER

l
ON BOARD THE $pA1rnTrTRssS
DISPATCH BOAT OF THEsAssGT1I..aa
ATED PRESS. MIDWAY BEyrWTsEstq;
= Az. V4Aa N AND KEY WEST, FI.A.:a5
-, apri. zs.-News gathering at sea, has
| rs attrac tdons, but 1T also has It's draw
nacks. Incident after incident could IA
"rinten, describing how out of thg aenii..s
darkness rushed a long black torredOS
ooat, and the hoarse order to heaHe to-,
Followed on the instant ny the
threat of a shot. Then there have been
Times when aid steam was called 6or.s
because we We're in grave doubt sWheth-3
er an approaching stranger VASE an
american or Spanish, and i'm 10 tip11iht;
at all as to what o.lr fate would he:
should the unknown vessel prove ytp be-
Spanish gunboat. for the Spanielrs1s
would rather gather in the DaugtleaS
than almost any other craft that sails
| these waters. &c f,s$&k M a -
OF Matanzas the other night, mans
-of-War's man assured SOME OF the Crew.
or the Dauntless that two Spanish gum.
boats had escaped the blockade at Car
denas, and were cruising on tsidey seek
Ing to capture any unarrned craft car
| fylnG United States codory.
Probably rhe yarn was false, hut IT'S
effect on the crew was far from Lreaa-5
Surng, and 1T was positive comfort
the next night off Havana,, to be hailed
Dy the Indiana. ordered to heave so
and boarded by one officer who wanted
TO De we'll assured OF our Identify The
big bart leship gave a sense of absolute
security, and now none Of the crew be-
lieveS any Spaniard brave enough to
come within a score of miles of this
and similar Instruments OF protection
and of offense 4As
AT sea- and visiting them day after
day, the personality Of the warslips
grows anew, and your regard is entirely
different from THAT which you feel
toward the same vessels when they are
in home harbor or peacefully cruis-
a ~ " S,rS2 <yfE
they seem griTnMer, they certainly seem
greater for defence, for honor. for sue
cess. ;Sss
If any persons have the idea that the n
ships Of the 'blockading squadron Off
Havana remain punched together oDpo-&
site Moro and the harbors mouth
they should ait once change their notion.
Last night the distance between the
Wilmington, on the east flank, and the :
Iowa, on the western, could not nave &
been less than thirty miles. Looleouts
in the lofty tops. with long telescope
glasses, can sweep the coast dine and
the sea for many miles without letting
the smallest Of coaSting vessels escape
their observation and as long as the
blockading vessels are Within signaling
distance one with another. the longer
the blockade line. the more effective 1t
is. fEit's&s$s@
Results In the way OF captures have
proven the truth of this. None 1.-THE
less true is it. however. that Rear Ad-
miral sampson could use to great adj
vantage number OF small vessels. II
They would render the blockade abso-
lutte, and, at the same time, relieve the
crews OF the bigger ships from constant
cells to quarters. These are harasslng.
and as only one out of .,sn probably
amounts ITO anything are eipt to prove 4
Irritating as well. 4;sssssSs4s
Newspaper boats give the fleet much
| trouble a. night. 1t is unintentionai, OF \
course, but true for all that. AL the \
war vessels are as dark as pitch at II
night, and THE correspondents boats 1
often run directly within the prescribed
limits OF approach before they nave, Tire
faintest notion Of the proximity OF sass
CT user or batrleship. The IHoon. which
is nightly waxing in power. will help
greatly in quick identih cation, but the
Dauni less recently succeeded in getting
a night order for signals Which will be
| better still. Sitting near the Daunt-
| less pilot house recently OF Ell Morros
| With a pair Of marine glasses thar
brought the saffron 'baStions Within q :
| half mile, it was impossible to keep
| from specializing on the condition or
| things within that city. where tor TWO
months many OF us lived ON patience
and the hope of bombardInent. which
| it now seems, is not to occur. We knsW
] as we'll as if we were eyewitness.
| that famine Is within and that 1t IS not
confined to reconcentrados. most sssof
whom must be dead by this time; bus:
embraces the lady OF quality, and her
!iege lord, the professional man and
his family and the small store-keeper
and his brood, the artisan and his help
mate. $500;
Probably. as yet. the Spanish officer
| and the wealthy contractor have food
enough, or the wherewithal ito buy 1t,
even with beef at $3.50 pee pound 1.-THE
last quotation reaching us). Beyond
question a large majority OF the Ha-:
vanese would welcome the bonnbard-
| ment that they daily expect. if assured
| that when 1t was over and the city tn
tine hands Of the United States forces
food conditions would change. anu 1neS
awful uncertainty as to what the NEXT
hour might bring forth be resolved into l1.tt
| certainty in the crGcible OF action
| When might came we could see the re-
| lection in the city OF the lights In
parque Central and Frado. We knys
as we'll as # we We're at the lnglaTeTras
Hotel that along the broader streets.
1.-The voluntarios were marching arc
counte1-marching their officers swtsarlng
| the 1.-the canes they are 50 tond o. and
their buglens in vain trying TO Keep tune;
4 to their own music. We hoped Ssoanss
Of these volunteers were hungry, since
lthey certainly deserve TO ne, aaegS aTs
II