The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-02
ENEMY'S SHIPS IN BAD SHAPE.
So a Captain Reports who Saw Them
at Curacao.

50 captain reports Who Saw Them
at Curacao.
From the Springfield Republican.
Capt B. S. Osbon returned Saturday
from Laguayra, Venezuela, on the Royal
Dutch mail steamship Prins Frederik
Hendrix. The vessels came by way of
Cnracao, Jacmel, Aux Cages and Port-au-
Prince. Capt. Osbon said to an interview
er: II wanted to act as a naval scout.
and had written to Secretary Long for
permission to do so, but received no reply
up to the time we left Laguayra. We had
peen a month without our mail, as there
was quarantine al Trinidad We left
Laguayra on May 10, and arrived at Gu
facao the following morning While about
twenty miles of Curacao we sighter a fleet
winch bore down on us from the eastward
Soon we made the strangers out to be
spanish war vessels. We landed and /
watched the Spanish fleet sail for, the
harDor entrance.
The authorities refused to allow the en-
tire fleet to enter the harbor and after
some discussion, the flagship Infanta Ma
ria Teresa, the Nizcaya and The torDedo
destroyers turor and Pluton were allowed
TO enter. The flagship locked so close to
the Prlns Hendrix that l could look out
OF the portfolio of my stateroom and see
everything that transpired on the deck
OF the Spanish man-of-war. The vessels
looked as if they had experienced heavy
weather. One of the destroyers had three
masts and the other four. The first had
lost her foremost. Both boats were in
most dAapdated condition. They had
been originally painted white and the
lead-colored war paint had been put on
over the white. The war pant had worn off
III PAGES, and the notified colors gave TO
the boats an appearance anything but well
conducted war vessels. The flagship and
the Nlzcaya had very little coal and pro-
VISIONS. They rolled and pitched even in
tne harpor' and Calling gun might easily
haVes sunk the torpedo destroyers. was
SO close to the vessels that l could connt
the men as they stood about the deck. In
al candor must say that a more hungry
starved, detected or dirtier looking lot of
sailors never saw before, even on a tramn
steamer. The bottoms of all the boats
We're covered with grass and barnacles.
Inc flagship was in a particularly had
condition. Her sides between the load
water line and the water We're covered
with long sea grass and barnacles I real
ly felt sorry for the men, The ofticers
went ashore and bought twentv-six head
OF cattle, but they got only twenty head
ABOARD the ships. They bought every fowl
turkey and duck in the town and all ~
very badly, but nobody would sell To 90
ships, until they found 800 tons of slack
winch was almost like slate. and nrscti.
cally useless This was. purchased ar
fabulous price and was put aboard The
large ships, together with seven cases Of
VINE hve casks of brandy, macaroni
beans, peas, sugar and rice RTadicai
stores were purchased also. and in m
they expended $4,000 in gold drafts an
London. When we landed / went asboro
ana hunted up the United States ,ons,l
H. g. smith, and gave him the names of
the other boats, which remained about
three miles off shore They were The
Cristobal Colon and the Almirante Oquen-
do. l suggested that he hire Watchers II
keep tally of the movements of the enan1
iards, and | hired watchers myself Tbe
watchers reported 90 me every hour ana
l had two OF them on board the dapsbin
twice. During the day / mingled with
the Spaniards and. understanding their
language learned that the sailors had
been on snort rations for three days and
thaJ Tor lVe days prior to their arrival
they had subsis led entirely on beans.
ION Sunday May Is, two cable dis
patches were received on board the aap
ship, and they created a sensation. nv
watchers lea fned that one of the dis
patches confirmed the report of the nom
bardnent OF san Juan, but the nature of
N-4N N-~NANN vas tlOt dStEIAdllGQ. MN men
did learn that orders were received "a
sail at O'clock on Sunday. but the gbips
did not get away until O'Clock. althougb
the crew worked night and day shipping
stores We were able to keep the shir,s
in sight until half-past 10 that night. ana
then thelr lights disappeared. They left
a req ort that they were ordered to ,nal,o
for Porto Rico but l guess that was a
blnFl On Monday night, the Prins Frad
eriB Hendrix left Curacao. but before cur
departure I purchased a lot of blue lights
in case we sighted the American 0eet
" 18th the assistance of the brothers. VIII
lBam Clare and Give Davis of Washing
ton, kept a lookout until we arrived i'm
Sight Of New York. but we saw nofb,1g
but peaceable merchantmen"
Not His Moneys Worth-Ringolslsl-
Poor Grabstein! His vas a sad deatn. .,
Cohenstein-'Ad der theater wasn't id9,,
n -