Evening star., 1898-04-22
SIMPSONS Key West Fleet Now En-
Route to Cuba.
MON lT0RS WERE LEFT BEHIND
Animated Scene in the Harbor
During the Night.
ORDERS TO ADE

KEY WEST, April 22-The North At
lantic squadron, excepting the monitors
Terror and Puritan and the smaller
cruisers sailed from Key West at 5:4j
o'clock this morning headed for the Florida
Straits.
Besides the two monitors the ships left
behind are the gunboat Helena, cruiser
Marblehead, dispatch boat Dolphin and the
torpedo boats Gushing, Dupont and Porter.
The Dauntless, dispatch boat of the As
sociated Press, left here with the fleet.
Throughout the night there was unusual
activity on the vessels of the fleet. Watch
ers on shore realized that the long awaited
advance on Havana was near at hand.
though there was nothing in the way of
official news on which to found that belief.
Washington advices of yesterday afternoon
indicated the probability of a movement
during the night or today. but the naval
men ashore disclaimed any knowledge OF
orders. They averred that their condition
of uncertainty was still unchanged. Early
in the evening. however, came the first
realization of the fact that the tedious
period of inacIion was nearing its close.
When signals were hoisted recalling all
the men to the ships without delay, many
interpreted this as a precautionary meas
ire especially in view of the fact that a
number of officers, including several from
the fiabship, remained ashore and had
Leave for the night.
Change in the Situation.
About II O. clock there occurred decided
change in the situation. when a special
boat hurried from the flagship with orders
t. all stiH ashore to Immediately return to
70 ri
OF gold braid and blue jackets. with which
it has grown so familiar. Save one or two
recacitrant jackies whose convivial pa
tr:otism had run away with their sense OF
Guty there was not naval man to be
found in town.
For many days past the flagship was
anchored about seven miles out, fanked
by the Iowa and the Indiana. The great
smokestacks were barely visible from Key
West.
The inner harbor. however. offered
striking picture, crowded. as 1t was, with
guhboats, monitors. cruisers and torpedo
boats. When twilight fell last night this
scene was unchanged The signaling be-
tween the distant trio of ships and those
close inshore had been the custom ever
since the assemblage Of the fleet here, but
their messages across the skies almost
without cessation.
The first streaks of the morning light
were discernible and two bells had just
been struck on the ships when tiny and
to unfamiliar eyes almost imperceptible
line of fire appeared on the sky above
where lay the flagship. A moment or two
after and the signal staff of the Cincinnati,
lying off Fort Taylor in the inner harbor,
flashed into colored light, acknowledging
the call
Others Joined in the Signaling.
The Puritan and Helena joined in the In
candescent conversation, and soon the
skies were Kaleidoscope, as ship after
ship answered New lights flashed mes
sages fraught with the gravest import and
creative of history. What words, of course,
no one ashore knew, but the few. who
watched with stralning eyes from sea and
docks needed no interpreter to tell that 1t
meant hostile action.
The message was not long in delivery,
but sunrise had fully come as the last
letter fiickered and went out. Then tn !,
witnesses saw that the movement had ac-
tually begun, under cover of the night.