Evening star., 1898-06-28
A TRANSPORT FLEET
Story Of the Voyage From Key West
to Santiago.
A SPLENDID LOT OF SHIIS
Most Of the Way the Water Was
Smooth.
SIGHTING SIMPSONS FLEET
staff Correspondence of The Evening Star.
Copyright, 1898. by Chas. NJ. Pepper.)
ON BOARD s. S. OLIVETTE,

This is the story of the transport fleet
which bore the troops to Cuba.
| The departure may be fixed at Tuesday
| evening of June A. 1t was then that Gen.
| Skaters flagship, the Seguranca, swung
down from Port Tampa 10 the bar where
most of the troop ships were waiting, and
/ passed out beyond Egmont light at night
| into the waters of the gulf. The Olivette
| and two or three of the speedier war ves-
| sells Joined the fleet of Dry Tortugas late
| the following night, Rebecca light having
| been designated for the rendezvous. Thurs
day morning the entire squadron, a history
| making fleet was headed directly on its
| course. This lay to the southeast, through
the Florida straits. The direction settled
| what to some had been a doubtful question,
| for it had been whispered that the first in
vasion of Spanish territory was to be made
| in the western part of Cuba. But an east
erly course could mean only Porto Rico or
a Junction with Admiral Sampson some
where off Santiago. An authoritative state
ment on the flagship that Santiago was
the place left no room for further guessing.
The booming guns that morning were a
reminder that the expedition was mill
| tary one. They were from the battle ship
Indiana, commanded by Captain Taylor,
and were the salute to Major General Shaft
er, in command of the expedition The
formation of the ships as they moved
through the straits was almost perfect
The Indiana led the central column with
the lesser war craft heading, thanking and
bringing up the rear of the right and left
columns. The transports We're four or five
hundred yards apart, in triple line. The
waters were smooth and they were able to
proceed in precise order. With two score
of troopships and nearly score of war
vessels of various kinds the picture which
spread itself over the waters could not have
been otherwise than impressive to the dull
est imagination. The naval escort was
worthy Of its convoy. Technically. 1 be-
lieve, the movement was what the military
people call that of security and informa-
tion- Besides the Indiana the gunboats
Helena and Castine We're in the front. while
one of the torpedo boats secuted far ahead
of them.
Hardly visible in the distance on the right
flank was the cruiser Detroit with the tor
pedo boat Porter as tender. On the left
nank the Ericsson was in tow OF the auXil-
iary tug Osceola, saving coal and water
for later period of the voyage. Some
times the gunboat Annapolis was in front
sometimes in the center and sometimes in
the rear. The same was true of the Ban
croft. The revenue cutter Morrill, the con-
verted yacht Hornet and others of these
vessels had their stations along the outer
lines. The seas were thoroughly secuted
for miles, that the approach of an enc
my could have been detected and notice
given to the guard ships. 1t was thus the
fleet moved day after day with the troop
ships and their living cargoes protected at
every point. Their security was complete.
The Order of Progress.
During the afternoon the fleet passed
through San Nicolas channel. Eyes were
strained for a sight of he nj h,,t
In vain The course was purposely far out.
Toward evening the vessels punched a lit
tie closer together. When night came on
they We're all within signaling range of
the Indiana. Mast lights We're shown and
it was like the struggling street of a float
ing city The practical man aboard said it
reminded him of moving lamp posts. The
signals were flashed at a lively rate for a
time like a string of colored lanterns
swinging from the masts. Then quiet set
tied over the waters and the ships held
their way slowly. On the Olvette every
body sat out on the hurricane deck and
sought to find the southern cross among
the consultations. Then the talk fell into
military channels. Some one recalled that
the Spanish Armada had carried only a
few thousand more men than this expedf-
ton which is to mark the end of Spanish
dominion In the continent discovered y
Columbus.
The Englishmen who were along told how
much bigger the expedition to Egypt and
the Soudan had been. and how Beaconsfiald
had brought the troops from India when
he was cOercing Russia into granting peace
with honor at the time the Turkish i'm
brogio threatened the peace of the world.
Yet while as Britons they could lot admit
that this army afioat and its naval escort
was without parallel in this generation,
they were willing to allow that the move
ment was really a creditable one.
The foreign military attaches were inter-
ested in the means adopted for protecting
the tranSnOrtS- Several of them had wit
messed the French naval maneuvers when
some wonderful work had been done by
the torpedo fiotilla, which had managed to
place entire fleet at its mercy. Natur-
ally then the talk drifted to the chan ces of
Spanish torpedo boats shooting out from
shore and the holocaust that would follow
If they succeeded under cover of darkness
in making their way among the soldier
laden transports. There were good reasons
why this would not happen. Whatever
Spanish torpedo boats were in these waters
were thought'to be accounted for and under
watch of American warships and torpedo
destroyers. Admiral Sampson might fairly
be presumed to have them where they
could not run cruise Of destruction. Be
sides, the guard which was accompanying
the transports was strong enough to af-
ford security. This was the opinion of the
military attaches, yet they admitted a GER
tain degree of doubt because torpedo war
fare has in 1t SO many elements OF surprise.
The professional thorough hess with which
nervous parsons who were undergoing their
first experience of the kind to 81. up all
night and peer into the darkness looking
for cigar-shaped objects, while others went
to bed and dreamed. of long, black mon
sters darting out of the shadows. After
two or three nights they slept better.
on the Bahama Banks.
Friday morning the squadron was sail
ing in bluish-tinged waters and every one
| was noting the expanse of ripping maroon
surface which stretched away to the south.
| The line was so clear that it might have
been traced. The signal came from the
Indiana, Look out! Bahama banks! Dan
gerous.'' and in few minutes the fleet
| had changed it's course to the southeast.
| The blue tinge was the sign of the shall
| low waters which make th, Bahama banks
perious When the course was shifted the
ships spread out for time in Irregular
| order, each one apparently going as 1t
pleased. Later the regular formation was
resumed. Paradero light house was sight
| ed on the south, but the squadron did not
run In close enough to distinguish the
coral reefs or the keys covered with man.
grove bushes. In the afternoon Lobos Key
light house was made out to the northward.
The light house seen far off Is q plain