The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-25
ITALIAN WARSHIP HELD UP

SHE SALUTES and THE MISTAKE
PROVES NOT SERIOUS.
A German Steamer is Also Intercepted
Shots Fired Across Her Bow Before She
is Brought to "Heave To''-AsI Soon as
Her Nationality is Known She is AL
lowed to Proceed-Occurrences Must
Have Been Seen From the Shores of
Cuba.
(on board the Associated Press dispatch
boat Dauntless)
Key West, April 24.-The Associated
Press dispatch boat Dauntless arrived
in this harbor yesterday before mid
night, having in tow the first sailing
vessel prize of the campaign, the
schooner Mathilde of Havana, sixty
tons, loaded with rum. When the
Dauntless left the main fleet under
Rear Admiral Sampson at 3:15 o'clock
on Friday afternoon what seemed a
thorough blockade of Havana had been
successfully inaugurated. The fleet
ranged from eight to ten miles from the
shore, along which they are extended
for fully twenty miles in the following
f~oy fn Nav
flower, Iowa, Newport, Detroit Marble
head, Indiana, New York and Whining
ton, with the torpedo boat Porter at
tending the flagship.
Havana in Good View.
Morro Castle and the city of Havana
are in good view from the flagship with
glasses, but the coast, as is always the
case, is covered with a haze. No news
Of what is occurring in the blockaded
city has been obtained and the news
paper men are equally in doubt as to
the intentions of Rear Admiral Samp-
son and the United States government.
Soon after O'Clock yesterday morning
the Amphitrite, Puritan, Cincinnati and
several torpedo boats, after much inter
change of signals, parted company with
the flagship, sailing in northeasterly
direction, presumably to blockade Ma
tanzas, Cardenas and Sagua LeGrande.
"Is it peace or warp HAS Spain
backed down, or is she Fastening her
fleet westward with orders to attempt
to raise the blockade, which, despite all
stories to the contrary, cannot be long
resorted to in Cuba?" are samples of
scores Of similar questions which are
puzzling every one in the fleet, unless it
be Rear Admiral Sampson, who, as
ever, keeps his own counsel.
Nashville and Her Prize.
Owing to her late arrival on the pre-
vious night and with necessary delays
on the following day, the Associated
Press dispatch boat Dauntless saw the
last boat of the naval and newspaper
fleets leave Key West harbor on Fri
day morning with her anchor still down
at 7:50 o'clock, when the stern of the
United States dispatch gunboat Dol
phin nearly fouled her while the lat
ter vessel was swinging out from a coal
pier. The captain of the Dolphin sang
out: II guess you are all right. We
usually ram with the other end" AT
7:55 a. M, with her anchor apeak, the
Dauntless got under way with plenty
of steam up and with a determination
prevailing among those on board not to
be the last to pass the Sand Key light.
She sped along at a twelve-knot rate
and as she passed out hearty cheer
was given for the United States cruiser
Nashville and her prize, the Buena
Ventura. Then she squared away for
the fleet not even the smoke of which
was visible at that time. The Daunt-
less dashed ahead until o'clock, when
many black streaks were seen marking
parallel lines across the southern hori-
zon. Ten o'clock and the vessels of the
fleet could be counted, even to the tor
pedo boats. The manoeuvres Of the
squadron were noted, but, of course
their purpose was not understood.
Dauntless Catches the Fleet.
At IL o'clock the Dauntless passed
the cruiser Wilmington, at the rear of
the long strung out line, with it's tor
pedo boat fankers. Then until noon
there We're more or less exciting
brushes with one or the other of the
newspaper boats. At 1880 p. m. the
order was given to slow down, the
Dauntless then being to the eastward
and abeam of the flagship New York
and in the lead of the long flanlzing line
of newsnaper tugs and Yachts The
Dauntless left Key West one hour and
twenty minutes behind the other boats
but in four hours and half she was
at the head of the procession; and
quiet Captain Floyd who knows the
boat better than any other person liv-
ing, remarked: "She can't beat four