Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-22
WILL BLOCK CUBAN PORTS.
Squadron Was On the Move at 5i45 a. m.
Today
ORDERS GIVEN YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
1t Took Only Few Hours for the Great
warships to Move Out to
Hattie.

Key West. April 22,-The North At
lantic squadron, except the monitors
Terror and Puritan and the smaller
cruisers, sailed from Key West at 5:45
O'Clock this morning headed for the
Florida straits.
The skies were growing gray with
the coming dawn when the formidable
| family of destroyers quietly and I'M
ostentatiously steamed away, presum-
ably for the shores of Cuba. Besides
the two monitors the ships left be-
hind are the gunboat Helena, cruisers
Mnrblehead and Detroit dispatch boat
Dolphin and the torpedo boats Cush-
ing, Dupont and Porter.
Throughout the long night unusual
activity on the vessels OF the fleet
told weary watchers on shore that the
long awaited advance on Havana was
near at hand, yet there was nothing
official on which to found that be-
| lief
Early In the evening. however, came
the first realization of the fact that
the tedious period of inaction was
nearing its close When signals were
ships without delay many interpreted
this as a precautionary measure, es-
pecially in view OF the fact that
number OF officers. including several
OF the flagship. remained ashore and
had leave for the night.
About II o'clock there occurred a de-
cided change in the situation when n
special boat hurried from the flagship
with orders to all still ashore to i'm
mediately return to the ships. Mid
night found the city empty of gold
| braid and blue Jackets with which It
| had grown SO familiar. Save one or
| two recalcitrant jacks whose oonvivial
| patriotism had run away with their
sense of duty there was not q naval
man to be found in town.
The theater of action was trans
ferred to the harbor where glittering
panorama was enacted until daybreak
| appeared slowly over the waters of the
gulf.
For many days past the flagship
majestically swung Mt anchor about
seven miles out, flanked by her gor-
geous sisters, the Iowa and the Indi-
ana, TO the eyes OF Key West the
great smokestacks were barely visible
while the hulls lay like indefinable
shadows In the distant waters The
inner harbor. however. offered strik-
ing picture, crowded with monitors.
cruisers. gunhoats and little but sim
lister torpedo boats, fitting noiseiessly
in and out of the maze of greater
vessels lying at anchor.
When twilight fell last night this
scene was unchanged. The signaling
between the distant trio OF ships and
those closer in shore had been the
custom ever since the assembling OF
the fleet here, but last night vari-
colored lights glimmered across the
skies almost without cessation.
Washington advices OF yesterday
Indicated the probability of a move
ment during the night or today, but
the naval men ashore disclaimed any
knowledge of orders. They still
averred that their condition OF uncer-
tainty was still unchanged early this
morning.
The first streaks of the morning light
We're crossing from the east and two
bells Just sounded from the ships when
a tiny, and to familiar eyes. an almost
imperceptible line of fire appeared on
the sky above where lay the flagship.
A moment or two after and the sig
nal stan OF the Cincinnati. lying on
Port Taylor in the inner hsrbor flashed
into coiored light acknowledging the
call.
The Puritan and Helena Joined in the
incandescent signals and soon the skies
Were kaleidoscopcd as ship after ship
answered and new lights licked mes
sages fraught with the gravest impor-
tance and creative OF history.
What words OF course no one ashore
knew, but the few who watched Won
straining eyes from sea and docks
needed no Interpreter to .ell that 1t
meant hostile action.
The message was not long In deliv-
cry but sunrise had fully come as the
last letter fiickered and went out. Then
the witness saw that the moement had
actually begun under cover Of night.
The big ships could still be discerned
In the distance, but the others had
moved toward them, the fiagship draw
ing other ships Of the squadron to her.
The Wilmington and Amphltrite had
slipped from their anchorage and ad-
yanced within hailing distance % the
flagship,
New York without unnecessary display.
moved pompously and slowly toward
The outer water Of the quiz The red
Light flashed the signal to eager eyes
on the following fleet and told them to
get in motion at last.
To those ashore It looked rs II the
New York was somewhat In advance
of the line with the Iowa and Indiana
following on either side, but separated
from her by a good stretch of water.
as the line advanced toward the hor-
icon. the ships spread out until perhaps
there was n distance of three miles
between the tips of the crescent
The ships of the inner harbor had
stepped ont one by one and stopped by
various stations until the entire form
alton was ready to move. The exact
order OF the ships could not be ascer-
tined from the shore. From the highest
point in Key West, the line was semi
circular, The ships TINT followed the
three leaders were the cruisers Cinein-
natl, Detroit, Nashville, aT.i the gun
hnats Wilmington. Castino. Machlus
Newport, monitors AmphitrNte MN
grove and Mayflower and the
torpedo boat Foote. Why the power
full monitors Purtn and Terror did not
accompany the feet could NOT bs ofHcx-