The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-04-29
THE BLOCKADERS.
Preparations For Fight That Did Not
Come OF.

On Board the United States Flagship
New York, off Havana, April 25.-The
Puritan. Nashville, Marblehead and
Ericsson arrived from Key West Satur-
day morning. At 10 O'clock that morn
ing the Puritan, the Cincinnati, the Ma
rhias, Nashville Castine, Newport Foote
and Winslow left the squadron to block
ade Matanzas, Cardenas and Mariel.
They formed separate divisions, and af-
ter they had passed out of sight the re-
mainder of the fleet took up a regular
formation, having drifted some Is miles
from Moro castle.
About half an hour after the squadron
was well under way the Cincinnati was
seen on the eastern horizon She had
been headed for Matanzas and evidently
had turned back to chase some vessel.
The object Of her pursuit was soon made
out. standing we'll in toward the coast.
The flagship, the Marblehead and ths
Wilmington Immediately turned out OF
course to head the warship off. Then
the shout went up, "She is a Spaniard."
For the next 10 minutes The excitement
was terrible. The distance which sep
arated the vessels rendered ii impossible
to make out the warship's identity. She
was thought to be the Vizcaya or the
Almirante OquendO, heading hard for
Havana. The men at the guns shouted
with gIee. The stokers off duty below
cheered vociferOusly and begged to be
allowed to go on deck to help shoot at
the first armed enemy met, The officers
crowded on the quarter deck as eIated
as the men, though under better con
troll. The bugler blew general quar-
ters" All hands flew to their posts
Down came the shrouds with a rattle
The lifelines vanished from the deck
Rear Admiral Sampson standing on the
bridge, said deliberately to Captain
Chadwick, Yes, the Oquendo or the
Vizcaya," and then added, Il should like
to bag them both" Then it was seen
that the vessel was flying the Italian
flag; but this was no proof that behind
her still invisible guns Spaniards were
not concealed, ready to shoot under ad-
vantage or subterfuge. All the guns on
the New YOrk's port side and in the
forward and after turrets were trained
on the stranger.
A few minutes later, when about 1900
yards separated the New York from her
target the American flag was run up by
the warshp; and then 1t was known she
was not a Spaniard. puff of smoke
issued from her sides and the boom Of a
gun sounded across the waters 1t was
only a salute. The stranger was then
made out to be the Giovanni Bausan, a
rather powerful cruiser. Without fur
Their formalities she pursued her course
and entered Havana harbor. Thus an
exciting incident ended in disappOint-
ment, but it served to show how anxious
all hands are for a real fight and how
splendid the discipline is when a con-
tingency seems imminent.
The salute of the Bausan had scarcely
been returned before a schooner was
seen on the coast. The torpedo boat
Porter, which had been following close
to the flagship, was dispatched to cap
ture her. The Porter fairly flew through
the water; and after a few hots fired
from her one-pOunder the schooner
Mathilde hove to. Captain Fremont did
his work well and quickly. When he
towed the Mathlde back to the flagship
it was found she was from Sierra Nor
ena, east of Cardenas, and bound for
Havana laden with sugar and manned
by Spanish naval reserve meE. thus
proving quite a good prize. The cap
tain of the schooner was brought on
board and the Mathilde was toWed back
to Key West by the Dauntess.