Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-27

Part in an Incident of Any Sort.
The Men Are in Fine Fettle, and
the Ship is Ready for Immediate
Service-Captain Clark Briefly
Describes His Cruise.
Fey West, Fla, May 26.-The
United States battleship Oregon ar
rived here tbs morning from Jupiter,
Light.
The United States gunboat Hornet
came in from the blockade this morn
ing. She reports everything quiet
along the line of the blockade.
Captain Charles Clark and other Off
GERS of the Oregon, came ashore at 10
o'clock and reported all well on board
and the ship in good condition.
The Oregon left San Francisco on
March 10, arrived at Callao on April
4, left there on April 7, and passed
Sandy Point on April q, arriving at
Rio Janeiro on April 80 The battle
ship reached Bahia on May s, and
touched at Barbados on May IS. At
the latter place the warship was quar-
antined, but she was only detained one
day.
The battleship arrived off Jupiter
Light on May "a, and then commune
Gated with Washington.
The Oregon picked up the cruiser
Marietta and the dynamite cruiser
Nictheroy between Rio Janeiro and
Do 10 l,,,t oh ],
them after few hundred miles
Captain Clark said the crew of the
Oregon had suffered much from the
heat in passing through the tropics.
''All the way along" he said, 1--WE
were wondering where the Spaniards
were, and we never ascertained that
fact until we reached here"
do you know now?" Captain Clark
was asked.
well" he replied, 81 imagine we
can make very adequate guess
The Oregon will remain here for
orders.
The Oregon coaled four times on her
trip, at Callao, Sandy Point, Rio
Janeiro, and Barbados, and reached
here with plenty of coal and water on
board
The first news the officers and crew
of the Oregon had of the Manila vic
tory was at Rio Janeiro, where Captain
Clark received a telegram from Wash
ington.
On leaving the Barbados, the Ore
gon sailed almost directly north, going
TO the north part Of Porto Rico, about
$50 miles. The northerly course was
continued until the Bermudas were
sighted, when she sailed for the east
coast of Florida. Captain Clark ex-
plains that tae reason for going to
Jupiter inlet instead 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 knowl-
edge of the situation after leaving Rio
Janeiro on April 80. During the en-
tire trip the crew expected momentum
lily to meet the Spaniards Only once,
however, was there call to arms.
This was shortly after midnight on
leaving Rio Janeiro. AS the Oregon
was ploughing through the black
equatorial sea, a dark object was dis
covered ahead. The call to quarters
was sounded, the men rolled out of
their berths with the enthusiasm Of
boys on circus day, and almost in
stantly every gun was manned. The
Oregon left her course, and circled
around her black pursuer, only to find
it a harmless bark instead of a Spanish
WarShip.
Back to their berths crept the men
with mutterings of disappointment
and disgust.
At Rio Janero Captain Clark was
told that the Spanish torpedo boat
Temerafio was following him. This
report gave new interest to the trip
for a day and night, but at the next
port of call he was informed that the
Temerario had gone into dry dock at
Rio Janeiro just after the departure of
the Oregon.
The cruise through the Straits of
Magellan was most Interesting. 1t was
at this far southern point of the nem-
isphere that the crew expected to re-
ceive a visit from the Spaniards In
many places the channel is very mar
row 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 lev
winter. For more than a month they
had been sailing under tropical skies
and now the blasts of December whis-
tied among the crags above them and
ice at night lay on the decks
But the Oregon did not lag. Captain,
Clark had no idea of giving the Span
iards, if they were there, a chance to
catch him mapping. If the great battle
ship were to be caught, it should be a
catch on the wing The engines were
warmed up to their best work and
wherever it was safe and possible, the
Oregon bowled along at Is knots an
hour The machinery worked well, and
on occasions the speed was increased
three knots in a few minutes. A stop
of three days was made at Sandy Point,
where coal was taken on and other sup
plies secured.
The Oregon's twenty-five officers and
her crew of 425 seamen were we'll and
happy when the battleship cast anchor
off Sand Key Lighthouse at half-past
six this morning. The Oregon is in
first-class shape and ready for another
cruise as long as the one Just ended.
The excellent condition Of the men af-
ter their sixty-six days voyage is
perhaps even more remarkable
throughout the entire trip there were
no cases CT serious illness on board and
the men are as eager for immediate
activity as if they had Just come from
a vacation in the mountains.
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