The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-04-29
AMONG THE ~BLOCkADERS
The Dauntless Gets :Among the Tor.
pedO Boats at Night-Thc FOOte Fired
on from a Masked Battery

'Ocps lNCd ny <AsSo1AdlVI ANs@F
On Board the Associated Press Boat
Dauntless. Matanzas, Island of Cuba,
via Key West. Fla, April 25.-.:42 a.
m.-Between 8 and 10 o'clock last night
the Associated Press dispatch boat
Dauntless was steaming quietly to-
wards M~atanZas. whose lights were re-
Elected on the sky a few miles south
eastward. A large fire on shore was
exciting comment on board the dis
patch boat and wonder vas rife as to
where the United States blockading
fleet was to be found. Suddenly, a
lookout on board the dispatch boat
reported: Torpedo boat astern. Com
ing up fast"
A or so later. by her lights
two red and one greenland by a rock
ct which she sent up, the torpedo boat
Dupont was made out. The rocket was
answered by the glare from the search
lights on board the cruiser Cincinnati,
the beams being thrown full on the
Dauntless and IN the Dupont. The
dispatch bOat of the Associated Press
a come, within three
miles of the Cuban shore and far inside
the prescribed limits. The DauntleSS
made known her identity and 500 a
boat from the Cincinnati. in charge of
an ensign, pulled toward her. The pa
pers and log Of the Dauntless were ex-
dI1lIlcu ana 1OuIO TO De satisfactory.
We exchanged news and the Cincinnati
having ordered the Dauntless to lay-to,
permission was requested to return to
Key West, Ensign Mcintyre said he
would transmit the request to the Gin
cinnati. The Cincinnati was also in
formed that the DauntlesS would cheer
fully take back any mail. In ten min
utes a boat returned with this mes
sage: Captain Chester's compliments,
and he will be obliged if you will take
in his mail. You can go. / advise that
you steam due west six miles when you
make your first course, or you may
get into more rOuble."
The Instructions were Obeyed literal
ly and the DauntleSS set off on her re-
turn. Before she had gone six miles,
we saw a torpedo boa astern, evident
ly keeping an eye on us. Then we saw
the Cincinnati's search lights sweep
the horizon, and soon afterward we
heard four shots in succession. AS they
were not followed by Others, we pre-
sumed that sOme other boa had been
O~verhauled. Certainly there was no
bOmbardment of Matanzas commenced
at light. The DauntleSS made a good
rum, the north gale having abated and
the water being smooth in the straits.
She arrived off San Key light at 5
o'clock this morning.
TORPEDO BOAT FOOTE UNDER
FIRE.
The United States torpedo boat
FOOte, Lieutenant w. L. Rodgers, COM
handing, has the honor of having been
the target for the first shots fired by
the SpaniardS at the American flag
during the var just begun. The firing
occurred between 5 and 6 o'clock on
Saturday afternoon while the torpedo
boat was taking soundings in the lar
Dor of Matanzas. She was within two
or three hundred yards of the shore.
Suddenly a Spanish masked battery
on the east side of the harbor and not
very far distant from the Foote fired
three shots at the torpedo boat. They
all went wide of the mark and the
FOOte returned leisurely to the Cincin-
natl, where she reported the result of
her ~sOundings and then announced she
had been fired upon. The Cincinnati
was anxious to steam instantly and
reduce the Spanish batteries, but she
was not permitted to do so.
No captures are reported by the fleet
off MatanZaS.
1t is alleged that two Spanish gun
boats were seen in shore. but the re-
| port could not be verified.
AMONG THE BLOCKADERS.
Matanzas, Cuba, via Key West, Fla.
April 25.- 7:45 a. m.-The Dauntles
dispatch boat of the Associated Press,
| Gill HUH VII havana " Tie lOCh-
aiding squadron off Matanzas yester-
day, being the first dispatch bOat to
visit the United States vessels cruising
off this part Of the coast. The Daunt-
less left the squadron at Havana just
after flagship New York sailed, pre-
sumably for Key West. She was along
side the Indiana for a while. The Will
mingtOn, Detroit and several other YES
sells were further in shore. The Iowa.
following the orders of Rear Admiral
Sampson. was far enough off Havana
to scape any fire from the shore bat
teries.
There has been no incident worth
noting since the CAPTURE of the Spanish
steamer Catalina and two schooners in
the early morning.
The Nashville and the Castine are.
doubtless. still off Cienfuegos. On her
way from Havana to Matanzas, the
DauntlesS passed the torpedo boat
Winslow, going to report to the flag
ship.