The age-herald., 1898-05-27
OREGON ANCHORS
 AT KEY WEST All Nell on Board and Ship in Good
 Condition. STORY s dERLONG JOURNEY Alargg ,o RumorS Met the Vessel at LsS leFy Port She Entered. 7 S6 THROUGH THE STRAITS It Was There That Capt. Clark Expected 10 Receive Visit From the spaniards
 Received News of Dewey's
 Victory at Rio.

Key West, Fla. May 2s.-The United States battleshp Oregon arrived here this morning from Jupiter, and is now anch- ored near Sand Key Light.
 Captain Chase Clark and other officers of the Oregon came ashore at 10 o'clock and reported all well on board and tho ship in good condition. The Oregon left San Francisco on March 19 arrived at Calloa on April A. left there on April and passed Sandy Hook on April 21 arriving at Rio Janeiro April O.
 The battleship reached Bahia on May 8. and touched at the Barbadoes on May IS. At the latter place the warship was quar- antined, but she was only detained one day.
 The Oregon picked up the cruiser Mari- etta and dynamite cruiser Nichteroy be. tween Rio Janeiro and Bahia, but she parted company with them after a few hundred miles.
 Captain Clark said the crew of the Ore- gon had suffered much from the heat in passing twice through the tropics. "All the way along" he added i've were won- dering where the Spaniards were, and we never ascertained that fact until we reached here"
 Do you know now?'' Captain Clark was asked.
 Well, I imagine we can make a very accurate guess"
 Will Await Orders
 The Oregon will remain here for orders
 The first news the officers and crew of the Oregon had of the Manila victory was at Rio Janeiro, where Captain Clark received a telegram from Washington.
 Alarming rumors met the Oregon at ev- ID a report that dynamite had been found in the coal, and at Calloa the officers were informed that plans had been discovered to blow up the ship.
 All these startling reports proved to be groundless.
 On leaving the Barbadoes the Oregon sailed almost directly north, going to the north of Porto Rico about 150 miles, The northerly course was continued until the Bermudas were sighted, when she sailed for the east coast of Florida Captain Clark explains that the reason for going to Jupiter inlet of putting in at Key West was to enable the Oregon to be ready to go either to Key West or Hampton Roads in short order after getting information from Washington.
 Captain Clark had no official knowledge of the situation after leaving Rio Janeiro on April 3O During the entire trip the crew expected momentarily to meet the Spanish. Only once, however, was there call to arms. This was shortly after mid- night on leaving Rio Janeiro. As the Ore- gon was ploughing through the black e1ua- tcrial sea a dark object was disc svered ahead The call to quarters was sounded, the men rolled out of their berths with the enthusiasm of boys on circus day and almost instantly every gun was manned. The Oregon left her course and circled around her black pursuer only to find a harmless bark instead of @ Spanish war ship.
 The Men Disappointed
 Back to their berths crept the men with mutterngs of disappointment and disgust.
 At Rio Janeiro Captain Clark was told that the Spanish torpedo boat Temeririo was following him. This report gave new interest to the trip for a day and night, but at the next port he was informed the torpedo boat had gone into dry dock at Rio just after the departure of the Oregon.
 The cruise through the Strait of Masel- Ian was most interesting. It was at this far southern point that the crew expected to receive visit from the Span ards In many places the channel is very narrow and crooked, with hidden bays and coves and back of them mountains towering into the clouds on either side. Moreover they were in the land of icy winter. For more than a month they had been sailing under tropical stars and now the blasts of De- cember whstled among the crags above them and ice at night lay on the decks.
 Rut the Oregon did not lag. Captaln Clark had no idea of giving the Spanlards, if they were there, chance to eaten nm mapping If the great battIeship were 10 be caught 1t would be a catch on the wing. The engines were warmed up to their best work and wherever 1t was safe and possi- ble the oregon bowled along at 15 knots an hour. The machinery worked well and on occasions the speed was increased knots in a few minutes. A stop Of three days was made at Sandy Point, where coal was taken and other supplies secured.
 The Oregon's 25 officers and her crew or 425 seamen were well and happy when the cast anchor of Sandy Key light house at 6:S0 this morning. The Oregon Is In frst-class shape and ready for another crluse as long as the one just ended. The excellent condition of the men after their sixty-slx days voyage Is perhaps even more Throughout the entire trip there were no cases of serious Illness on board, and the men are as eager for im- mediate activity as If they had just come from a vacation in the mountains. IVY LEAF COAL. g per ton. Telephone