The herald., 1898-05-27
THE BEST COOK IN CAMP
SCHLEY WOULDN'T WAIT
THE PRESS BOAT CHASED AFTER
HIM
Correspondents on the Dandy Have a
Taste Of the Dangers Of
the Sea

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, May 25.-After
journey of almost thousand miles
through binding rain and seas which
almost ceaselessly swept the deck from
stem to stern, the Associated Press boat
Dandy steamed into Montego Bay, short
ly an hour to spare. The aft water tank,
wrenched open by the ceaseless straining
through a choppy sea- had been drained
of its contents thirty-six hours before land
was sighted, and the coal bunkers, emptied
by an unexpectedly long and hard cruise,
were cleared almost to the planking when
rift in the fog revealed the shore of
Jamaica to the anxious captain and crew.
Another three hours would have left the
sturdy little 1O0-ton boat helplessly adrift
on the sea, for she has no masts to aid her
in such an emergency. When the port
was reached, however, it was learned that
the damage to the tank could be quickly
repaired
The Dandy sailed from Key West early
last Friday in pursuit of Commodore
Schley, who had left almost "a hours be-
fore. 1t was believed at Key West that
Cienfuegos was his destination, but with
out definite information the Dandy was
compelled to go far out of direct course
in order to speak the blockading squadron
off Havana. The run to the beleaguered
city was pleasant but the quest was fruit
less, for not one of Commodore Watsons
ships had seen a spar of the flying squad
ron. Captain Murphy of the Dandy looked
grave over the prospect of an unescorted
cruise to Cienfuegos, where obtaining coal
would be impossible, while the Dandys
shortage of coal would make her escape
from the Spanish gunboats, known to be
at Cienfuegos, extremely doubtful.
Early Saturday morning the sighting of
a battleship set all eyes strainng to the
northward at the unpleasant possibility
of meeting Spanish man of war; 1t added
to the satisfaction which resulted when
the ship was recognized as the U. 8. bat
t1eship Iowa, for she had left Key West
the day after Commodore Schley's de-
parture and was evidently on her way to
a rendezvous with the fleet. Shortly after
noon the u. s. torpedo boat Dupont, which
had been left at Key West with Rear Ad-
miral Sampson, came racing from the
northward and delivered message to the
Iowa. Without the loss Of moment the
lOruludUle llttle CIdlL TuSHeO on TO Glen
fuegos, and the battleship, with increas-
ing speed, headed for the waters between
Cape San Antonio and the Isle of Pines.
When, at nightfall. the entrance of the
passage was reached she veered Off with
the evident intention of patrolling between
the cape and the island, and there was
nothing for the Dandy to do but to go on
alone. Saturday night the weather rough
ened, and before morning the damage to
the tank which SO nearly resulted serious
ly, occurred The water in the forward
tank was already exhausted and when, at
noon on Sunday, the chief engineer found
the after tank dry. the prospect ahead of
the Dandy was not the brightest. Hard
driving against a heavy sea had eaten up
her coal twice as rapidly as had been an
ticipated, and with little fuel and no
water the chase after Schley was aban-
doned and the race for safety begun.
Montego Bay was the nearest friendly
port and for that the boat headed. The
tank for drinking water was almost empty
and the small supply of mineral waters on
board was dealt out sparingly among fif-
teen men. The weather grew decidedly
worse. and by Monday morning the Dandy