The herald., 1898-05-15
INSPECTED CIfNFUFGOS
AND REPORTS ON DEFENsEs AND
CONDITIONS
MODERN GUNS NOT MOUNTED
Blockade Prices Charged for Food and
the People Live in Fear Of
Starvation


Associated Press Special Wire
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May IA cor
respondent of the Associated Press, who
passed through the Cienfuegos blockadeon
| the steamer Adula on Monday last, sue
| ceeded in entering that city and getting
good idea of the situation. He left Glen
| fuegos on the steamer with number of
refugees on Tuesday, and last evening he
sent the following dispatch ashore from
| the quarantine station:
| When about forty miles off Cienfuegos
on Monday afternoon we sighted the Amer
lean blockading squadron. consisting of the
Marblehead, Nashville and Eagle. The
| flagship, the Marblehead, bore down upon
us at full speed and fired a blank shot
across our bows. We came to and were
boarded by lieutenant. We showed him
a permit from the state department to pass
| the blockade for passengers on condition
that we carry no cargo, and were allowed
to proceed.
The officer of the Marbehead said the
flagship thought the Adula was Span
ish troop ship, which is expected daily.
When about 400 yards from the narrow
entrance to the harbor, Spanish twenty
ton gunboat, mounting one quick-firing
one-pounder aft, poked her nose out from
the mangrove-covered reef and stopped
us. Our papers had been vised by the
Spanish consul at Kingston, and soon we
were allowed to enter the harbor The
harbor entrance of Cienfuegos is about $50
yards wide, and there are forts on either
side of 1t. These forts have long rows
of old-fashioned guns, and just inside the
harbor there is q modern fertilization
building of timber, earth and sand.
The British vice-consul, Mr.. Fowler, told
the correspondent of the Associated Press
that the Spaniards have eight or ten mod
ern high-power guns to mount on the new
works. Their calibers were four to six
inches. Inside the harbor were three tiny
gunboats. The only warship of conse-
quence in port was the third-class cruiser
Galatea. The correspondent counted four
guns in her main battery and she had one
quick-frer aft
The Galatea went outside the harbor
few days ago to engage the United States
auxiliary gunboat Eagle, Commander
Sutherland, a vessel about one-third the
Galateas size. The engagement was short,
sharp and decisive. One of the Eagles six
pound shells splintered the corner of the
Galateas deck house and the Spanish
cruiser quickly retreated into the harbor.
Besides the warship there were two 1000
ton merchant steamers, the Rio Janeiro
and the Alava Of Bilboa, and three coast
ing steamers inside the harbor of Glen
fuegos. These vessels were caught in the
harbor by the American blockade fleet and
will doubtless fall into the hands of our
sailors in due course of time.
A crowd of about 1000 curious pepole gath
cred at the wharf to meet us and the corre-
spondent was told there had not been so
much excitement in Cienfuegos since the
preceding Saturday week, when few
shells were thrown at the American war;
ships during an attack made on the Eagle.
No one was hurt.
The correspondent went ashore and
walked through the principal streets of the
city. About one shop in four was open
and business was utterly lifeless.
Blockade prices for food are charged in
Cienfuegos. Flour sells at % cents per
pound, meat costs 40 cents a pound, and
II you want milk you must pay 20 cents
a quart for it. On the other hand, bread
fruit and plantains are plentiful at S Of
cents a pound. The correspondent was
told there was food enough in the city to
last forty-five days, still Interpolation are
afraid the blockade will result in starva-
ton. There are at least 80 900 to 10000 peo-
pie in Cienfuegos and it's vicinity includ-
ing about 1900 regular Spanish troops
and 5000 volunteers. The townspeople and
the soldiers were talking about a vaguely
glorious battle said to have been won by
the Spanish forces at Havana.
General Pando left here for Havana on
Sunday and heavy fighting took Mace on
Tuesday about thirty-one miles from the
city.
The British consul, who was the char
terer of the Adula, has sent to Jamaica his
family, several Cuban-Americans and
forty of the best Cuban families In Cienfue-
COS, in all 297 persons. AS the Adula was
only provisioned for 100 passengers, they
were short of rations, but nobody grum-
bled, all being glad to get out Of the block
AIDED city.
The Adula steamed out of the Cienfuegos
harbor at 1880 a. M, at which time the
blockading squadron had been increased
by a large fighting ship, whose name was
not discernable.
Nothing is known here concerning the re-
ported bombardment of Cienfuegos by the
United States squadron. but as the squad
ron was reinforced it is possible that the
| commander may have felt strong enough
to engage the batteries of Cienfnegos.