The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-04-24
THE FIRST CAPTURE.
The Buena Ventura Carried Lumber,
Cattle and Some Coal.
PATRICK MULLEN FIRED FIRST SHOT
Commander Maynard Is Happy Over
the First Prizc.
SPAIN SAYS IT WAS PIRACY.
fhey Claim that HostiIiIcs Are
Supposed TO Have Not Yet
ueRun.

an offcial report OF the first capture dur
Ing the war between Spain and the unised
States:
Secretary OF the Navy. Washington.
Key West, Fla, April ~, 1898. Tie
Nashville went to sea this morhlng Sc
turned at 10 o'clock with the span
ish steamer Duena Ventura, prize,
taken oil Sandy Key light. Bound from
Ship Island to Norfolk loaded with
lumber, deck load OF cattle and gone
coal. Harrington.
Harrington is Captain p e. Harrington,
commanding the monitor Puritan at Key
West. He is a senior commander.
New York, April 23.-The Journals cor
respondent gives the following account Of
tho capture:
The first gun of the war was fred shorty
after the fleet got away from Key West.
II was the gray dawn of the morning when
the gunboat Nashville sighted the Spanish
steamship Buena Ventura, lumber laden,
bound from Pascagouia, Miss, to Rolter-
dam. The seizure of the Buena Ventura
came surprisingly quick after the sailing
of the fleet from Key West. Her captain
was astonished when he learned that war
had been declared. Two shots were neoeg-
sary from the gums of the Nashville to
convince the Spaniard that 1t was no Joke.
NO resistance was offered by the Span
iards when boarding crew of six inen
climbed over the side OF their vessel end
took charge of 1t az though they owned IL
Tor years. Captain Maynard, the com
mander of the Nashville, and all his crew
are naturally jublant. The first sho. lirci
at the Spanish merchantmen was from the
i-inch gun aft. on the port side. The
gun division was in charge OF Lis'itenalt
Dillingham; and G,alner Patrick Mullen had
the honor of firing the first shot OF the
war.
No effort was made to come close To the
Spaniard, 1t being supposed that she would
naturally stop at the signal. with a wnole
war fleet in plain view But he Sponacd
showed no signs OF stopping. so a SEC md
shot was fired across her bows and yhe
hove to with suddenness that Jared her
machinery
Within three minutes the Nashville was
alongside, every gun OF a. broadslde flown
Ing on the crew Of the merchantnan Who
were gathered along the rail Sazlg with
unaffected surprise at the trim ginboat.
boat was lowered from the Nashville,
and a prize crew OF six men, uridsr Ensign
tura Captain Lutarraga quickly conlpre-
hended that his ship had been seized by an
American man of-war. He shrugged lis
shoulders and told Ensign Magruler to Go
as ho pleased. The PAYERS of the snip
We're seized and Ensign Magruier wrote
a report and sent 1t to Commander May
uari of the Nashville who in turn sent it
To the flagship. The fleet thon steamed
toward Cuba -aI but the Nashville. ahich
had been ordered to escort the .irst rr;ze
of the war to Key West
New York, April ga special to this
Herald from Key West says: Patrick
Mullen fired the first shot in the war be-
tween Spain and the United States and
the big Spanish freight steamship Buena
Ventura is the first prize of this country.
She was captured this morning eight
miles soNth of Sand Key light. when the
fleet of Rear Admiral Sampson had been
gone from here scarcely an hour on its
way 10 Havana. The Spanish vessel was
brought 10 this point When the Nash
Vile with her prize dropped anchor in
the outer harhor, Commander Maynard,
OF the Nashville consedted TO receive me
on board his vessel. At once offered him
CONGRATULATIONS on behalf OF the Herald
and the American people. which he re-
ceived with the simple statement that he
was happy. indeed, 10 have the honor OF
bringing In the first prize, even though
the catch was easy
We had proceeded unier orders from
the flagship" he said 'and were about
twenty miles from Key West, when. ut
ten minutes past o'clock the watch re-
ported strange craft on the por; hand.
We made her out to be Spanish freight
.F ss,1. "a a.
was given 10 our signal aud the stranger
wes seen 10 bc in fun flight Admiral
Sampson ordered us to make the capture
ana Patripk Mullen. gunner, was orisred
10 ARE n siy-pouAder over her bow, The
Spanlard made no answer TO this, except
To Increase her snned With.tha another
shot was sent within hfty feet of the
spanssrf. who. seeing that 1t was sink
or surrender chose the latter alternative
and hove 10. Ne sent a prize crew with
Ensign Magruder IN charge. aboard tho
huena Ventura, and they were received
with the greatest courtesy bv Captain
Ircarrara WHO merely entered. nm o-t,i-
merry protest He announced that asswsr
h'd hson declared. h. WINS bound 70 he
capipred as he was heading for Norfolk
for Honl and water.
''T'hn Buena Ventura was from galveston
hound fnr pct,erdam. carrviny carso OF
humber SD her captain sac hus W. l. soo
deem In the water for lnmhsr MN NOV
-oi'cs q beavv iisf To nnrt. wh,ce would
hardly he caused hy shifting lumber.
Madrid Aprn eN--rNe couture Of the
sranish steamer prepr veptura hy ,hs
United ststes gunhoat Neshvilie. or Key
West yesterday has aroused the rrca.et
INDIGNATION, the Snaninrds cisiming ,hst