The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-31
CAPTURE OF THE RESTORMEL
BRITISH SHIP VAS NOT SKULKING
 AL0NG THE SHORE.
Sailing Openly and Honestly for Santi- ago-Captain Talked Frankly and Said He Was Bound for the Cuban Port Could Not Possibly Have Escaped the St. Paul as She Was Leaking Badly.

St. Paul as She Was Leaking Badly.
 Key West, Fla, May 30.-7 D. m.- According to Lieutenant J. A. Patson, who is in command of the prize crew
 that brought in the Restormal, ner capture was a very commonplace af-
 fair He says: About o'clock last
 Wednesday morning the St. Paul
 scouting off Santiago harbor, sighted the Restormal twelve miles away, ap-
 parently heading for the port. She was going in openly and honestly and not skulking along the shore. The St.
 Paul took a course to cut her off and
 when within hailing distance, fired a
 blank shot. The pursued steamer paid
 no attention: but she hove to immedi-
 ately when a solid shot was fired across her bows. About o'clock went with a prize crew and took possession with out protest. The captain talked frank ly, saying that he was bound for San tiago, though he had sailed from Car diff on April 21 for San Jdan. This was before the declaration of war was received. At San Juan he was ordered
 to proceed to Curacao and from the latter place to Santiago de Cuba.
 There never was any possibility of her escaping from the St. Paul as her best speed was only eight knots. She was leaking badly and her boilers were | out of order. In fact, according to her captains account, she had been leaking | for twenty days because of a sprung | plate, and the leakage was increasing. | The capture was made less than four
 miles from Morro Castle, but the forts were silent and perhaps, asleep, like | tine San Juan Notifications when Ad
 miral Sampson began his attack The | only exciting part of the adventure came after we left Santiago for Key | West The leak grew worse constantly
 and all hands manned the three pumps
 night and day, crew, marines and off, cers. I have not taken off my shoes
 or been in bed since we started, five l days ago. At times we were about to
 give up hope of keping the Restormal I dllUdL dUu u SdNlllS Oul olNGo 1 if she went down. We were all glad when Key West was sighted. The
 story that there were Spanish officers
 aboard the ship is false, but there is no use denying the coal was destined for
 the Spanish fleet"
 | When the Restormel arrived here it was believed it would be necessary to beach her to to take out her coal on Ilighters, then repair the leak and raise
 her, but later it was practically decided to tow her to the government dock and
 unload the cargo there. Interesting 1 light is thrown on Admiral Cervera' S plans by the log of the Restormel. She | sailed from San Juan de Porto Rico, where the Spanish expected to coal.
 San Juan being deemed unsafe, Cara
 cao was selected, but the collier failed ito connect with the fleet there and was
 ordered to Santiago. Owing to her l leak she did not reach Santiago in time, the Spaniards remained in port short of coal and so were caught.
 l The prize commissioners have been
 busy all day taking testimony in the l Restormel case and as a result of the
 hearing the ship and cargo have been libeled and will go before the court in
 the same form as the other prize cases.