The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-06
Anxiety
-Of Our
=. sIlwF.5yf
70 Fighters


cloud of smoke may mean a fight. That
is the first thrill that comes with each
new discovery, bat sober second thought
says: Mono such luck as that Tho
dons are not hunting trouble.
Still, IL not the Spaniards. it may be
dispatch boat with definite news Of
their whereabouts Admiral Sampson
has swift naval scouts always out below
the horizon, whose first duty is to como
steaming in with news wherever they
find IL. II smoke ON the horizon comes
up fast, 1t is probably the smoke Of
dispatch boat. If the smoke comes -
slowly and dies away at intervals, then
it is probably collier or supply ship
with coal or food for the feet
A glimpse Of strangers top hamper.
as she looms up over the lip Of the
ocean, suffices to tell her class II it ~
dispatch boat, she comes in speedily,
with two white shoulders Of foam rolling
of her sharp bows, and makes straight
for the New York at the head Of the
slow moving squadron. A boat quickly
boards the flagship, and after anywhere
from 10 minutes to an hour signal haes
Of every shape and color will crawl to
the yards Of the great cruiser and flutter
down again, telling other vessels -
much as they need to know Of the news
or else the wigwag man, sitting bare
legged astside the big searohlight like
Gambrinus on his caslr, nipfaps ues-
sage to the nearest vessel, whence IL il
passed on for miles down the length of
the feet, while from the top Of every
pilothouse another man with his red
and white rag wigwags back that the
message is understood or asks further
questions.
The fleet Ia at signal work Of one sort
or another almost every hour Of the day
and night, too. for that matter, for aft
or dark there is Q string Of red and
white electric lamps in the rigging Of
each vessel that takes the place of the
flags and there winks and flashes In
I heliograph code from small keyboard
worked on deck In the daytime, too,
| Official messages are not the only ones
transmitted by wigwag. A red bandanna
/ waved by Jackie against the gray Of
the Indiana's turret will flutter mes
sage to another Jackie on the New York
half mile away without aid of glasses
There is never dispatch boat laid
alongside the New York but what scena
/ crafty seaman aboard of her, from the
I shelter Of q gun or awning forward
| will signal to an appreciative audience
ON the flagship all the latest news OF the
scouting expeditions. While the Daunt-
less was lying of the fiagship's quarter
waiting for the Vesuvius to get away
two seamen perched ON top of the dyna-
mite cruisers cabin were carrying OH an
animated wigwag conversation with q
| crowd Of seanden and marines gathered
ON the great cavern Of the New York's
midship gun port.
One of the men of the vesuvius was
doing the talking with his hat, and his
remarks induced great hilarity on board
the New York. The officer on the bridge
| Of the dynamite cruiser vesuvius turn
ed and watched the signals for min
ute. From the lieutennnt's action it
was judged that Jack muss' have been
] passing forecastle criticisms on the feet
officers or the feet management. for the
officer watching him first frowned.
stepped forward as though to hail the
unconscious signalman, and then, still
| reading OF the signals, broke into =
smile, bit his lips and turned his back
where he GOULD not read the message
| whatever IL was, and therefore wae
| under no Official obligation to stop Il
The Vesuvius is the swiftest Of Ad-
miral Simpsons ocean scouta She ID
rated at 81 knots and can make Is In
service, which 10 pretty good, consider
ing how rating and service speed usu-
ally disagree. She Is the only one Of
the vessels that has not taken on dull
lead color but retains her invisible
| green, like her little consort, the tor
| pedo boat, whose larger sister she really
H. She can dash away from the feet In
the late afternoon, while IL is cruising
up toward the Salt key banks, get into
Key West and get back again not long
after midnight She Is the envy Of
every correspondent who follows the
feet, and not one Of them but would
gladly pirate her and maroon her crew
in walking distance 20 some Florida
coast hotel II he could appropriate the
swift little destroyer to his own use.
The New Orleans formerly the Anna
xonas), which joined SIMPSONS fleet
for the first time ON the present cruise,
is nearly always kept ON scout and dis
patch duty. and when she is coming in
hurry she is usually alongside the
NV York within an hour after her
sextet Of fighting tops has shown above
the horizon. She is essentially pretty
boat, markedly different from several
lines Of the American light cruisers.
with more of holdings. gold scroll work
and surprisingly recessed gun pcTts,
which latter give her widc ilgi,i:'g
horizon with each piece. Her o!'ccrs
say she will prove fighter, and Ike
are eager to test her.
The Cincinnati is another CT rho
scouts, another of the eyes Of ihc fNt-
and every return Of these ocean fiic' ~
| eagerly haiied tn tfrB hope thar siIr- q n