Evening star., 1898-06-07

case OF capture because OF certain evidence
he bears of q common religious faith with
the Spanish nation. This is a devout repre-
sentat1on tattooed on his chest. I have no
personal knowledge that Jimmie was
nlfbuster. He was on shore one night swap
ping "reminiscences with three Cuban gen.
erals That might be taken circumstan-
tial evidence. The captain also may have
kEoWn something of landing expeditions in
Cuba in the old days.
F1libustering," he told me one afternoon,
is no risk compared with this work. In
nllbustering all you have to do Is to keep
ciean out OF sight Of everything. In this
newspaper business you've got to run up to
everything you see, and it's as likely to be
Spaniard as one of own folks. I
reckon" he added inquiringly, we're out
to run into trouble
His reckoning was wrong. The dispatch
boat was out to run into news possibly by
sighting some Spanish warships, probably
by happening to be around when Sampson
or Schley sighted them.
Actually, on this trip it ran into neither
news nor trouble, for, not being near Santi-
ago when Commodore Schley located the
enemy's ships there, the dispatch boat cir
COMMUNICATED Cuba and took into Key West
a corps OF newspaper correspondents, who,
when they learned what had happened,
were agreed that naval warfare Is lottery
with only blanks for those who wish to
witness 1t. However, this does not concern
the way of getting to Santiago and the
course that is likely to be followed in the
future as in the past.
Display of Naval Strength
The afternoon after leaving Key West
Admiral SIMPSONS squadron was sighted
coming west in the direction of Havana
Ihe admiral, while awaiting advices from
Washington. had been putting his ships
through their PAGES, cruising far east as
the Bahama banks. There were nearly a
score of them in ALL battle ships, monitors,
cruisers, gunboats, torpedo boats and aux
-aI rnH-inx
wmch is only a review-gives quite the
same impression that a fleet met out at sea
IN IN war time gives. On this occasion the
New York, the Indiana and the monitor
Puritan formed the central column with
the light cruisers and the gunboats spread
out ike wings. All were moving in unison
since the morning in April when the fleet
steamed across the straits from Key West
to establish the blockade of Havana there
mas been no such exhibition Of strength and
beauty seen in those waters. 1t is purely
an individual impression, but when the
New York, with the admirars pennant fly
ing, is discerned 1t always appears to me
like floating cathedral while the Indiana
seems New England meeting house adrift
IN tne current and borne on in undertaking
channel. The New York and the Indiana
both have chaplains, yet probably Captain
Chadwick and Captain Taylor would think
the idea whimsical. The naval mind NAV
not see the illusion which could confound
these two types of floating war engines
with church or cathedral but the layman
who catches his first glimpse of them a
long way off across the waters will under
stand the comparison.
A Lonely station.
1t was certain no ships of the enemy
would come up through the Bahamas while
SIMPSONS fleet was cruising there Our
dispatch boat held its course through the
banks alone. 1t was not necessary this
time to hail the lighthouse keeper at Lo-
bas Key to learn if warships of either coun-
try had passed that way, though Lobas
Key likes to be hailed. Small wonder
mere are seventeen inhabitants, subjects
OF Queen Victoria. They do not often have
the chance to talk with passing vessels
One of the dispatch boats coming back
from Porto Rico promised that on the re-
turn trip the photographer should take the
picture of the seventeen inhabitants. That
is one of two events to which the little
world of this isolated station is looking
which, it has been told may come off with
in its sight and hearing.
From the Bahama banks it is not a long
run till within sight of the coast, which is
uninteresting. The long stretch of KEYS
covered with mangrove bushes seems end
less. Yet 1t does end and not so long after
the port OF Nuevitas is left behind the
mountains appear. They might be the
Blue Ridges of Pennsylvania If they were
hlgner, and there were more of them. The
gentle slopes are bathed in the same blue
maze, while the fiat tops with the white
ing crater bowls. The range is not a lofty
one, but 1t is high enough to form a back
ground for the sea. And the sunsets, too,
are worth the voyage l would not like to
be the painter who has to choose for his
canvas, whether to depict the coioring of
the sky here on the other side of the
Island. If he were a great painter and a
wise one he might not try at all. Perhaps
ne could paint the tapering mountains until
they were lost in the mainland. That is a
sign that the eastern part of the island
may soon be reached and Capt Maysi be
rounded. Cape Maysi light must be a pow
er1ui one. Our course took us far out from
land, through the Windward passage We
were running blind that night which
means that no ship lights were shown
When cruising with the squadron it is a
regulation to run this way, SO that the
enemy II he is hovering near, may not have
the advantage of the signals When in
what is thought to be the enemy's marine
territory 1t is safeguard against discov-
cry.
Santiago From the Sea.
BY this time enough war maps have been
printed to teach everybody that Santiago
is hundred miles or so around the eastern
end of Cuba, on the south coast The war
maps can hardly give an idea of the jum-
bled and ragged mountains which frown
over 1t. From the sea the country around
looks like the teeth of a harrow for an in
Vading force. We shall know more about
that later. Whatever the future NAV have
in store, the voyage hitherward need not be
duil. II the troops are coming, those who
have kin or friends among them may follow
the course of the conveys and TRANSPORTS
and judge for themselves whether the vow
age is likely to be the more pleasant if It
Is taken through the Yucatan channel and
along the south coast or along the north
coast and through the Windward passage.
CHARLES M PEPPER