The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-26
HAVANA BEGINS TO SUFFER
Blockade Has Raised the Price
of Food Enormously.
NO CHANCE TO GET SUPPLIES
Only Once Has n Vessel of the Amer
lean Fleet Missed n Blockade Run
ner-TripIe Vigilance of the Of
6cers and Men-The DOiphin's
Losing Chase.


/ West. April 26.-Through breezy days
and starlit nights, with constant vigil
lance and ceaseless steaming, cheerfully
Obeying orders whether they be to block
ade or lombard, TO starve out or to
storm. the North Atlantic squadron con-
tinues TO picket off the north coast OF
Cuba.
What harbors in addition to those of
I Havana and MatanZas are being block
AIDED your correspondent is not permit
ted TO say, nor to what extent the naval
/ operations are being carried on.
But that the blockade is effective no
one who has watched the operation of
the feet can doubt
To see Havana sealed up day and
night like a cork you can readily. under
stand why the price of fresh beef has
gone up TO more than 81 a pound.
The warships guarding these various
ports stand near inshore or far out from
! shore. just as the state of the atmos-
/ phere prescribes that they should. II the
weather is hazy the circle is contracted,
the vessels come closer together, ana
/ sometimes scout can hear the chal-
4 lenge of the Spanish sentines.
A light is sighted in the distance, and
quick as flash the New York or Detroit
or Marblehead is out to see what IL is.
How ihorough is the vigil. how the
blockadiiig work overlaps. numerous in
cidents will show. Take the Catalina,
which was taken yesterday by the De-
troit. The Catalina left Havana, and
while the Detroit was bringing her out
the New York fired across her bows and
made her heave to- not knowing she had
been captured already.
AS the Catalina was proceeding TO Key
West under her own steam with a prize
crew on board she was overhauled again
by the Dolphin, which was bound out to
the feet with mail for the squadron.
This is only one of many instances that
could be given Of prizes being overhauled
again and again by different ships. In
stances in which craft escape are very
few
Sometimes little sailing craft go creep
ing up the coast and run into creeks to
escape, but when they do they are forced
to remain there.
The only case Of an unsuccessful chase
of steam craft occurred Sunday to the
Dolphin. AT 10 o'clock at night she sight
ed a steamer and started in pursuit. The
stranger put out her lights and fed To the
south. The Dolphin followed at her high
est speed. but was unable TO gain on her.
The chase lasted two hours and three
SntllH were iiiths bAA NiAllouN NAitNA- II
was not Capt. Lyons fault. IL was the
Dolphin's speed.
As a spectacle at night the blockade is
a success that would rend with envy the
heart of pyrotechnic artist
What is the Fall Of Babylon in 4
acre lot on Coney Island to the blockade
of Havana. with the beautiful rolling and
/ tree-crested hills of Cuba as a background
and the Gulf stream, ever swinging east
ward and westward, as the theater of
operationsf
Take Sunday night, for instance. 1t had
been a day almost of rest. Since noon
no hostile craft had appeared to get them
selves chased. When your correspondent
steamed up alongside of the war vessels
during the day divine services were be
ing held. on the Indiana the band was
playing THE Star Spangled Banner"
and playing II well.
But when night came the apparent rest
ceased. The big ships lazly cruised under
bare steerage way. except when an un-
known craft was sighted, and then they
went for il at full speed, with the crew
beaten to quarters and the guns ready for
a broadside. Scarcely light showed from
shore. except at the entrance to Havana
harbor
There the light on MORO had been dis
continued. but in its stead appeared a
brilliant searchlight, which flashed
across the entrance to the harbor at fire.
quent intervals. This light was used
Sunday night for the first time. but IL
was Ineffective. because it was not pow
erful enough to disclose our ships to the
enemy.
Across on the other side of Havana
harbor another searchlight had been
placed. This seemed 10 watchers on the
flagship TO be located at the Santa Clara
batteries. and both were evidently TO
discover any attempt TO land troops I'M
der cover Of night. These Spanish search
lights. Illuminating sea from land. met
in midwarer the outer edge of the pow
erful lights from the ships.
These played necessarily. Now they
shot vivid shafts across the deep lever |
with the skyline. Now they swept |
the horizon from south clean around to |
south again. |
breeze was blowing off shore bring |
ing with il dark clouds over the Cuban |
hills. and soon the searchlichts of the /
sky began also to play on the Santa /
Clara batteries and the American men /
of-war. Beautiful beyond description was
the scene on the sky. Beneath. the plac-
i'll waters of the Gulf mirrored inces- /
sanity million phosphorescent stars |
every time the ships rose to the swell /
and over 81 all flowed the radiance of a |
moon that was young. and of stars that |
shone with the splendor of a tropical |
night.
Thus the night sped. and at break of |
day the ships were still lazily cruising |
the last nights watch with dropping eve
lids were doing off to sleep. and the |
searchlights on MORO and Santa Clara
were out.
AS for the officers and men on ships,
they were well, happy. loyal, and con-
tented. They were getting all the food
they needed. They were weary. but filled
with the satisfaction that comes from
work well done.
Admiral SIMPSONS flagship drew up at |
her station off Boca de Jaruco. and he re-
ceived reports from his captains and went |
over the work of the day. He was smil-
ing, tactful, self-poised. How closely he |
attended to details of the work of the |
day and night ahead was shown by the |
fact that il was II o'clock before he sat |
down to breakfast.
A sail is sighted in the distance. Away
goes the flagship New York to make il
give an account of itself. transport
is to be overhauled for new duties and
no torpedo boat is at hand. OFF flies the |
New York TO overhaul it. There is enough
novelty about il TO keep "Jaeky'' at his
work uncomplainingly. There is enough |
prospect of close quarters in the future 10 |
make his eyes sparkle with eager ex-
But what is the situation in Havana.
where they have little 10 do and little TO |
sat?
How fares IT with Blanco and the Span
sh soldiers? Badly no doubt They have |
anime prices now, and are down to salt |
unk.
something of the situation there say |
4