The record-union., 1898-05-29

pCuO- DOaIS rogers ana FoOte, ana
which made the monitors roll very
heavily. The sharpest kind of a look
out was kept, and more than once the
fleet went into battle formation owing
to over-anxiety upon the part of some
man occupying the lookout on the tops
who thought be saw the smoke of five
Spanish warships on the horizon. Alb
solutely no lights were shown at night,
and signals We're constantly exchanged
between the flagships and the scouts.
The latter generally were the New Or
leans, Mayiiower and Machias
The latter, which started miles ahead,
or were on the flanks, or on the stern of
the fleet. were always busy. Their 10
cation was learned every few hours
by the faint CLEAN of their private sig
nal lights. They have special signals
to display in case the Spanish fleet is
sighted.
The eagerness with which the blue
Jackets in the tops looked and prayed
for that particular colored light was a
delightful exhibition of the spirit which
prevails through the fleet. There have
been no wild exhibitions of patriotism,
but there has been a quiet, healthy evil
dence of real love of country and grim
determination to annihilate the enemy,
if possible. officers and men alike seem
fully to realize that naval warfare now
adays is almost entirely a matter of
science and knowledge.
The steady hand and clear eye now
do the work at 1000 yards. 1t does
that which in olden days was done
when ships grappled together, by slash
ing cutlasses, pistols, axes and pixies in
the hands of almost frenzied men. So,
When once or twice during the past
week 1t was thought that the Spaniards
were in sight, the crews of the United
States were a pretty cool lot with tel
escopic sights to adjust, delicate am
munitiOn-hoisting machinery to watch,
score of levers to look after, and
everything depending upon the perfec-
ton of technical detail 1t has been
observed by those who have been in ac-
ton this month that the gunner's mate
and his crew have no time to wave
their hats and utter patriotic shouts
On Thursday and yesterday the
squadrons cruise was made in better
weather. The moon, too, hghtened the
work of peering after the Spaniards,
and chase last night was the only
event worth recording. The New York
had left the fleet far behind, and was
speeding toward Key West, with the
Nesuvius as consort. AS the sun was
going down a sail was sighted. Incl
dentally, the New York has a habit
of getting prize the minute she leaves
the fleet. Consequently the jackies be-
came jubilant, and the propellers
churned the water as they had not
ho
laggard out of the fleet and the New
York with them. With foam swisning
from her bow, the flagship steamed
toward the strange sail, then growing
dim against the fading background of
the dying sunset Like the sunset
scene off Cuba, it was glorious, more
beautiful than any remembered even
by those who have cruised in the trop-
les. For two hours the smoke poured
from the New York's tunnels The sea
was perfectly calm, and the flagship
was going as she. went when she cap
tured the first prize, the Spanish
steamer Pedro, on the first day Of the
war.
Gradually the strange sail loomed
black against the light cloud There
was no need to fire a gun, because the
flagship was going up alongside the
stranger, though down below stood the
gun captain with itching fingers Sud
denly the searchlights were turned on
the chase, and there, like living pic
ture, shed on a dark screen, was an
old-fashioned bark under full sail The
rays of the searchlights just embraced
her from the waterline to her royals
She lay there like a second flying
oI,,o
man at her wheel shaded his eyes from
the searchlights' glare, and her crew
gathered about the deck house. On
her poop stood a phlegmatic looking,
red bearded man, wearing a blue shirt
open at the neck. Apparently he was
the skipper Of the bark.
What boat is that?" asked Lieuten-
ant Marble the officer of the deck. from
the bridge of the New York
In answer came a torrent of words in
an unknown tongue, from the red
bearded man on the poop of the sailing
vessel.
Again Lieutenant Marble shouted his
question, when with a German accent
thick and remarkable came the reply
Bark Varonica. Arundel Norway
from Apalachico to Queenstown with
lumber"
BY this time her name had been made
out on her stern. The Varonica was
evidently what she purported to be,
so no boarding party was required
I'VE wish you a good voyage" shout
ed Lieutenant Marble.
''Eh En- asked the Varonica's skip
per in tones which embraced fear.
In order to set at rest the disturbed
mind of the barks commander. the
Lieutenant shouted his message again.
"Ah,'' was the exclamation of relief
and intense satisfaction which came
from the skipper of the varonica in an
accent so thoroughly German that it
caused a roar of laughter to arise from
the decks of the New York. running for
ward to where the men were thickly
clustered and extending aft to the.
quarterback where the Admiral was
sitting with his officers near by. Then
the searchlights We're turned off. and
the Varonica changed instantly from
a picturesque white bark. with men and
merriment on board of her. into a dark
shadow that a few seconds later was
lost sight of in the night.
The above is a characteristic incident
of what has happened often since the
New York first set sail for Key West.
though few of the chases have brought
out so vividly the picturesque and light
side of war as did the Norwegian bark
Varonica.
CUTTING CABLES.
How the st. Louis Accomplished
the Work at Cienfuegos.