The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-04-26

Spanish steamer MIGUEL JOyer yester-
day morning. The lovers cargo is
composed of cotton and slaves. The
prize is estimated to value 100000,
her cargo alone being worth $150OOO.
she belonged to the Pinillo line, Bar
celona.
The Helena did not sail with the
feet on Friday morning, but remained
here until Yesterday when she steamed
out to sea- She was cruising about
$50 miles in a southwesterly direction
when the Jover, steering a SoutheaSter-
ly course, hove in sight. The Helena
fired a blank shot and the Spaniard
instantly hove to. The Helena then
put a prize crew of twelve marines
and engineer and sixteen blue jackets
on board. The gunboat conveyed the
prize into port. The Jover was bound
from New Orleans for Barcelona, via
Havana. She has a crew of tifty-two
men.
New York, April ga dispatch to
the Press from Key West Says: The
gunhoat Wilmington captured the
Spanish schooner Candida with a
deck load of charcoal intended for Ha-
vana, where it is extremely valuable
for fuel
At this writing the Gushing is bear
ing down on a schooner to the south
east. The breeze is slow, and while
she has OH all sail the Gushing will
overhaul her shortly. She has the
start but the Gushing has the steam.
The torpedo boat Porter captured
the Spanish schooner Antonio, laden
with sugar for Havana. The Antonio
was sent to Key West with a prize
crew of four men under Naval Cadet
Duboise.
Key West, Fla, April 26.-The Asso-
ciated Press dispatch boat Dauntless
arrived in this harbor, having in tow
the first sailing vessel prize of the
campaign, the schooner Mathilde of
Havana, sixty tons, loaded with rum.
When the Dauntless left the main
fleet under Rear Admiral Sampson at
1915 o'clock on Friday afternoon what
seemed thorough blockade of Havana
had been successfully effected. The
fleet range from eight to ten miles
from shore, along which they are eX-
tended for fully twenty miles. MORO
castle and the city of Havana are in
good view of the flagship with glasses,
but the coast, as is always the case, is
covered with a haze. No news of
what is occurring in the blockaded
city has been obtained, and the news
paper men are equally in doubt as to
the intentions of Rear Admiral Samp-
son and the United States govern
ment Soon after o'clock Saturday
morning the Amphitrite, Puritan, Gin
cinnati, Castine and three torpedo
boats, after much
interchange of Signals,
parted company with the flagship,
sailing in a nOrthwesterly direction,
presumably to blockade Matanzas,
Cardenas and Sagua la Grande. Ow-
ing to her late arrival on the previous
night and with necessary delays on
the following day, the Associated
Press dispatch boat Dauntless saw the
last boat of the naval and newspaper
fleets leave Key West harbor on Fri
day morning with her anchor still
down. At 1876 a. ~. the Dauntless got
under way with plenty of steam up
and with a. determination prevailing
among those on board not to be the
last to pass Sand Key light. She sped
along at a tWelye-knOt rate, and as
she passed out a hearty cheer was
given for the Nashville and her prize,
the Buena Ventura. Then she squared
away for the fleet. not even the smoke
of which was visible at that time. At
II o'clock the Dauntless passed the
cruiser Wilmington, at the rear of the
long Strung-Out line, with it's torpedo
boat fiankers.
Captured the Pedro.
At 1870 the order was given to
slow down. the DauntleSs then being
to the eastward and abeam of the
flagship New York and in the lead of
the long thanking line of newspaper
tugs and yachts. When the flagship
New York, after the hills of Cuba had
been sighted, had started off at 20
knot clip to capture the Spanish
steamer Pedro, the DauntlesS veered
and followed and was in at the death.
Those on board the Dauntless saw the
first hostile shot fired, and as the flag
ship swung around for her chase after
what proved to be a German trading
steamer, they gave the New York the
first cheer After a night of rolling in
the rough heavy sea to get under way
in the morning, the better to see the
Iowa and the Indiana in fighting trim
start seward and better STILL to fol-
low the New York as she raced east
ward to intercept what proved to be
the Italian man-of-war Giovanni Ban
SAP, from which vessel Rear Admiral
Sampson received his first rear adj
miral's salute from a foreign warship.
came the stirring incident of the Ma
thilde, followed by the determination
to return to Key West with dis
patches.