The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-30
WITH SCHLEYS SHIPS
A Pleasant Cruise Off the Cuban
Coast.
STOPPED AT CIENFUEGOS
SOON DISCOVERED THE SPAN
IARDS WERE NOT THERE.
Remained at That Port While the
Sailors Christened Their Guns
Blockade of Cienfuegos Had Been
Abandoned Through Fear of Span
ish NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Trip.


Copyright. 1898, by the Associated Press.)
Of Cienfuegos, Cuba, May 23.-The
squadron assigned to special duty
which found it's name from its first
nucleus the Flying Squadron" left
Key West on Thursday, May 10. 1t con-
sisted of the armored cruiser Brooklyn,
flying the commodore's flag of Winfield
Scott Schley, and under command OF
| Captain Francis A. Cook; the battle
ship Massachusetts, commanded by
Francis ]. Higginson; the battleship
| Texas, commanded by John w. Phil
lip. and the Scorpion, converted yacht,
| commanded by Lieutenant Commander
Adolph Mark. Commander Schley's
orders were to proceed to Cienfuegos,
where he would be joined by the Iowa,
then taking coal at Key West; the
Marblehead and Nashville, and two tor
pedo boats. The Iowa, first class bat
tleship, in command of Captain Robley
| Evans; the Marblehead, third rate
/ cruiser, in command of Commander
Bowman H. McCalla, and the Nash
VILE third rate cruiser, in command of
Washburn Maynard, together with the
torpedo boats, and perhaps some fast
gunboats, it was believed, make an in
vincible squadron.
On Friday morning at 9 o'clock when,
just in sight of Cape San Antonio
light, the lights of two steamers were
made out on the horizon. A call to
the guns and to prepare for action
awakened the greatest enthusiasm
among officers and men, and much dis
appointment was manifest when the
strangers were made out to be the
United States cruiser Cincinnati and
the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius. Captain
Chester of the Cincinnati came aboard
the Brooklyn and the commodore gave
summary Of their patrol work about
the coast. They had not seen the Span
ish fleet or any indications of it.
INDIFFERENCE OF INSURGENTS.
To Captain Cook the captain of the
Cincinnati said that he believed it to
be of no utility to attempt to land mu-
nitions of war on the coast. unless we
landed troops also, for absolutely no
dependence could be placed upon the
insurgents for assistance. He believed
that the arms and ammunition already
landed were in the hands of the Span
ish. Maceo, the inSurgent leader, had
not shown any interest in the matter,
but had claimed to have been insulted
because communications sent him a.
great risk of life were not officially ad-
dressed
On Saturday at o'clock Cienfuegos
was sighted. Sunday morning at 1890
while at breakfast, a torpedo boat was
seen near the entrance of the harbor.
There was a quick call to general quar-
tiers. but the boat disappeared, and
breakfast was resumed.
A close inspection of the harbor of
Cienfuegos failed to reveal any indica-
ton of the Spanish fleet, although the
shore batteries defiantly raised their
Spanish standards. a group OF caval-
rymen was seen at one point. hut no
attempt was made to fire on them. At
noon the Iowa steamed within sight and
Joined the squadron.
Commodore Schley allowed the men
to cheer. and Fighting Bob" and his
splendid ship We're cheered to the echo.
NO SPANISH SHIPS.
At 3 o'clock Commodore Schley took
his squadron, now a most formidable
aggregation of ships, and ran close into
Cienfuegos harbor, discovering that
there We're no warships there, but only /
a few schooners and small gunboats.
1t is the Spanish squadron I'm look |
ing for" said the fighting commodore, /
and not few almost ruined Spanish /
subjects in Cuba" and so not a shot !
was fired.
At 8 o'clock the Scorpion was sent
away to Santiago de Cuba, 500 mics /
distant, for the purpose OF communicate /
ing with the Minneapolis or the tar Z
ward, either OF which is supposed to
be there, so that they could take dis 4
patches from the fleet to Hayti for di- /
rect cable to the United States navy .
department. The Minneapolis, which is .
still attached TO the flying squadron, I
left Hampton Roads one day later f.
than the rest of the squadron. and
rest OF the squadron, complete circle /
of the island.
GUNS CHRISTENED
Sunday evening on the flagship took
the place of a christening day. The |
men in the port eight-inch turret had
signs painted to put over their guns,
and labeled them the Dewey" and the
"Schley," and those in the starboard
turret they named the "Farragut' and
the Gushing" while the others were
named the kid Mccoy and John L.
Sullivan" One of the fve-inch guns
was nance Paul jones'" and in Lieu
tenant RuSh's after eight-inch turrets
two big guns were named the Law
renee" and the Perry"
On Monday morning, May %, great
excitement was caused by news that
the Spanish fleet was at Santiago de
1
Hawk, the converted yacht, which
came from Key West with the gunboat
Castine, and the collier Merrimac. Her
captain said that the Minneapolis.
which had been sent scouting through
he Windward passage, had discovered
he fleet on Thursday morning. ana had
'un TO Hayti and cabled. The Hawk
anne down with all speed. Much con-
,ern was felt for the safety of the /
which left Sunday night
Fearing dispatches from Commodore
;chley and the Associated Press CORE
pondent.
The work of coaling all the vessels
vas proceeded with Immediately. and
-ctively continued all the morning.
PLANS WE'RE CHANGED.
Off Cienfuegos. May 24.-The plan to ,
eek the Spanish feet at Santiago de I
Cuba, where it was believed to be,
vas changed on May "a, by the infor- I
nation brought by the British ship :
Adula, stopped outside of the Glen
uegos blockade by order of Commo- !
lore Schley. Lieutenant Edward Simp- !
on of the flagship Brooklyn was sent =
o board her and received valuable in a
Captain Walker said he was bound v
or Cienfuegos with an order of Consul i
Dent. at Kingston, Jamaica, to bring V
fl Seaman Hoffem of the United 7
tates ship Niagara, lying in the hos :
ital there with a broken leg, and
UGH neutrals and other Americans as +
c could find there. He had visited {
his same point some ten days ago +
nd had taken 327 passengers, of v
rhom only four were citizens of the a
United States. He was in Santiago .
e Cuba on May II last, on his way =
} Jamaica. and while in port there.
ne batteries opened fire on two Ameri-
an Warships living off the harhnr The