Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-05-08
MORE Guns. S:iI|I[|..E::NCED
Sharp Engagement Off Ma
tanzas Yesterday Morning.
sPANlARDs PUT TO Rou7
Torpedo Boat Dupont and Cruiser Rornet
Fire on Troop Of Cayalary and
Then Bombard the
... Forts.
(BY TeleRraph.l

KEY WEST, FLA, May THE tor
pedo boat Dupont came in tonight and
reported q sharp engagement Off Ma
tanzas last night and this morning:
The Dupont and the auxiliary cruis-
err Hornet were cruising near the shore
last night and when about six hundred
yards from land were fired upon by
body of cavalry, about 200 strong.
which was spread along the shore on
the lookout for filibusters. According
to the Dupont's story both United
States vessels returned the fire, scat
tering the Spanish troops and then
bombarded the Matanzas fortifica-
tions. These were in the nature of
sand block houses, nine in number.
The bombardment lasted from to $50
O'Clock. The Dupont men say that
their shells toppled over the barricades
in course of erection and are sure that
many of the Spanish soldiers were
killed. they afterward saw wagons
taking away dead or wounded The
survivors fled to the hills. This morn
ing the Matanzas Notifications opened
fire, sending four eight-inch shells at
the Dupont and Hornet. They were
line shots. but the boats had got out of
range. The Dupont and Hornet then
resumed the bombardment and contin-
ued it until half-past eight o'clock.
The Dupont meSS think they have eff
fectualiy silenced what the big fleet
left of the Notifications and that in the
two engagements the two boats fred
about 200 shots
The cruiser Montgomery, Captain
Converse. is the first ship Of the Amer
lean squadron to acquire the distinc-
ton OF capturing two prizes in one
day which she did yesterday. The
captives are the Fras1uito and the
Lorenzo, both small boats Of no great
value as compared with the big steam
ers taken during the first days of the
war.
The Montgomery was cruising about
SO miles off Havana when the Fras-
quito two master. came bowling
along toward the Cuban capital. When
the yellow flag of the enemy was
sighted the helm was swung in her d.
rection and a blank shot was put
across her bows. The Spaniard wise
ly hove to and the customary prize
crew was put on board. They found
that the Frasquito was bound from
Montevideo for Havana with q cargo
of jerked beef. She is of about 14O tons
register and halls from Barcelona The
prize crew took her to Havana waters
and the Annapolis assigned the cutter
Hamilton to bring her into Key West
A few minutes afterward the Mont
gomery encountered the Lorenzo, a
Spanish bark, bound from Barcelona
to Havana with a cargo of dried beef
She was taken just as easily and En-
sign Osborn brought her over here this
evening.
| Commodore Remey today formally
| hoisted his flag on the Maintonomoh
and the ships In the harbor gave him
| a commodores salute OF 10 guns. Some
apprehension was felt here throughout
| the day when a brisk ''norther" arose
but late this evening, after a sharp but
short squall, the skies cleared and the
wind moderated so that shipping may
| navigate the gulf tonight.
Ever since the blockade of the Cuban
| ports was established the only real ap-
safety Of the fleet has been due to the
possibility of a storm which might
drive some OF the smaller ships on the
coast OF Cuba. They are on a lee shore
with every iharbor on the coast in the
possession of the enemy and more than
one naval officer has shaken his head
as he limited at the possibility Of an
| other Samoan disaster. The only place
Off the north coast of Cuba where a
refuge might be found is in the lee of
Salt Key shoal, about so miles north
east of Cardenas.
The large ships could easily weather
any storm likely to rage at this sea-
son. The principal anxiety was for
the torpedo boats which were not built
to stand heavy weather at sea. The
hight draught gunhoats, like the Will
mlngton and Helena. which draw nine
1eet each. and the Castine, Annapolis
and Vicksburg, which draw twelve
feet. are like can bouys when their
hatches are battened down and their
machinery is heavy enough to keep
them off shore in anything short of a
| hurricane.