Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1898-06-01
The Exciting Race of the Great
Battleship Vividly Told.
FROM HEAT To COLD AND AGAIN To HEAT
Thirteen Thousand Miles the Ship Travelled
and Reached Key West in Safety and
Without Sighting of the Enemy.

KEY WEST, May 26.-The battle
ship Oregon arrived here this morn
ing from Jupiter Inlet and is at
anchor at Sand Key light.
Capt. Charles Clark and other Of
ficers of the Oregon came ashore at
10 O'Clock and reported all well on
board and the ship in good condition.
The Oregon left San Francisco March
10, arrived at Callao April 4, left
April Z, and passed Sandy Point
April 2l, arriving at Rio Janeiro
April 30. The battleship reached
Bahia May 8, and touched at Barba-
does May Is. At the latter place the
warship was quarantined, but was
only detained one day. The battle
ship arrived off Jupiter light May "a,
and then communicated with Wash
ington. The Oregon picked up the
Marietta and dynamite cruiser
Nictheroy between Rio Janeiro and
Bahia, but she parted company with
them after few hundred miles.
Capt. Clark said the crew had suf-
fered much from the heat in passing
twice through the tropics.
"All the way along" he added, ave
were wondering where the Spaniards
were, and we never ascertained the
fact until we reached here"
"Do you know now?'
"Well," he replied, 81 imagine we
can make a very accurate guess"
The Oregon cOaled four times on
her trip, at Callao, Sandy Point, Rio
Janeiro and Barbados, and reached
here with plenty of coal and water
on board. The first news the officers
and crew of the Oregon had of the
Manila victory was at Rio JaneirO
where Capt. Clark received tele-
gram from Washington.
Capt. Clark explains that the
reason for going to Jupiter Inlet,
instead of putting in at Key West,
was to enable the Oregon to be
ready to go either to Key West or
Hampton Roads in short order after
getting information from Washing
ton.
Capt. Clark had no official
knowledge of the situation after
leaving Rio Janeiro, on April 80.
During the entire trip the crew ex-
pected momentarily to meet the
Spaniards. Only once, however,
was there call to arms. This was
shortly after midnight on leaving
Rio Janeiro. AS the Oregon was
ploughing through the black
equatorial sea a dark object was
discovered ahead. The call to
quarters was sounded, the men
rolled out of their berths with the
enthusiasm of a circus day, and al
most instantly every gun was man.
ned. The Oregon left her course and
circled around her black pursuer only
to find it harmless bark instead of
q Spanish war ship. Back to their
births crept the men, with mutter-
ings of disappointment and disgust.
At Rio de Janeiro Capt. Clark was
told that the Spanish torpedo boat
Temerario was following him. This
report gave new interest to the trip
for a day and a night, but at the
next port of call he was informed
that the Temerario had gone into
dry dock at Rio, just after the de-
part ure OF the Oregon.
The cruise through the straits OF
Magellan was most interesting. 1t
was at the most extreme point of
the American hemisphere that the
crew expected to receive a visit from
the Spaniards. At many places the
channel was very narrow and crook
ed, with hidden bays and coves back
of them and mountains towering
into the clouds on either side. More
over, they were in the lands of icy
winter. For more than a month
they had been sailing under tropical
skies, and now the blasts OF winter
whistled among the crags above
them and the ice at night lay on the
decks.
The Oregon did not lag. Capt.
Clark had no idea of giving the
Spaniards, if they were there, a
chance to catch him mapping. If the
great battle ship We're to be caught,
it should be a catch on the wing.
The engines were warmed up to
their best work and whenever it was
safe and possible, the Oregon bowled
along at Is knots an hour. The