The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-24
DISPATCH BOAT DAUNTLEsS.
Her Cruise With the Fleet on its Re.
cent Trip to Porto RieO-Her In,por.
tant Service to the Warships

cent Trip to Porto RieO-Her
tant Service to the Warships
Correspondence of the Associated
o. Press, Copyright by Associated
Press.)
On Board the Associated Press Dis
patch Boat Dauntless, Key West, Fla
May 18.-The Dauntless was a member
Of Admiral SIMPSONS fleet during the
l~atter's cruise to intercept the phan-
tom Spanish squadron. The dispatch
boats voyage lasted fifteen days and
extended from Key West to ST. Thorn
as and returned, with two side trips
to Cape Haytien, Hayti, the total dis
lance of $500 miles being travelled and
against 1900 by the fleet. The Daunt-
less occupied a grandstand position at
the battle of IA Juan and bore the
first details of the engagement to the
st. Thomas cable station.
dmiral SIMPSONS fleet, which left
Key West May 3rd, was Of
the battleships Iowa and Indina, the
cruisers New York, hagship), Mont
gomery and Detroit, the monitors Am
phitrite n Terror, the torpedo boat
Porter, the coal ship Niagara. the tug
Wampatuck and the Associated Press
boat Dauntless.
The Dauntless Immediately on Join
ing the fleet in the outer harbor al
Key West was ordered by the admiral
to take station within hailing dis
lance Of the New York and to remain
there.
On the first day of the cruise the
Dauntless towed a coal lighter from
Key West to the Indiana to enable
the battleship to fill her bunke on
time; later, she carried dispatches to
Cape Haytien and st. Thomas, and
her distribution of news, bananas,
newspapers, plantairs, chickens and
pineapples made her very popular. On
one occasion she was able to furnish
baking powder to a vessel which had
run short.
When the Dauntless was obliged to
separate temporarily from the fleet,
she was provided with light signals
and sailing course, SO that she readily
overlook the fleet and was never
held up" as suspicious.
Early in the cruise, the Terror and
the Indiana became troublesome be-
cause of mishaps to their boilers. The
monitors were from the outset & drag
upon the progress of the fleet and
during most of the trip to San Juan
the New York tOWed the Terror and
the Iowa pulled the Amphitrite, the
Porter often hitching on behind the
Terror. The officers of the fleet had
IlldHy uIlhIIlu lllHSS 1 say dDOUL Tie
GRABS" as they called the monitors.
On May 18th the Montgomery went
into Cape Haytien to send dispatches
to Washington n next morning the
Dauntless entered the same port for a
like purpose The MOntgOmery's call
Caused some stir, it is said, at Port
Au Prince, where it was reported that
the whole north Atlantic squadron
was about to enter Cape Haytien and
coal. Cape Haytien's little pile of
slate coal, price $25 per ton, would not
fill the bunkers of one Warship. The
Haytien government is said to have
ordered the general of the port to en-
force neutrality to the letter. The
Haytiens are almost unanimously in
sympathy with the United States
against Spain.
The Dauntless returned to the fleet
on May 9th with dispatches from
washington. When the Daunt1ess
reached the fleet she was sent in again
for further news and in order that
President Sam might not become ex-
cited, the Dauntless' captain stated
that the steamer had returned for a
bill of health. On this visit the Daunt-
less obtained from the American con-
sui a circumstantial report that a fleet
of thirteen Spanish warships had
been heading for Porto Rico. In this
report the naval officers placed some
credence and the bOmbardment Of
San Juan was planned in the hope that
the Spanish fleet was in the harbor.
The fleet moved slowly eastward on
May 10th and 18th and in the after
moor of the latter day the Dauntless
was ordered to be ready to carry dis
patches to St. Thomas at II o'clock
next morning.
At day light on May 18th the fleet
bombarded San Juan, the seaport and
metropolis of Porto Rico. The Daunt-
49, - - w nvr a nd
viewed the bombardment and the re-
ply of the forts, a description of
which event has already been cabled
from ST. Thomas and Key West.
After the battle, the Dauntless wait
ed for an hour for Admiral Simpsons
dispatches to the navy department and
Immediately On receipt of them steam
ed for st. Thomas. The Dauntless
hoped to reach Charlotte Amalie. the
port of the Danish islands OF st.
Thomas, before dark, but darkness
dropped down all of a sudden and the
steamer, pushing on to the town lights,
gave mortal offense to the Danish
hail. He expostulated a long time.
There was no delay in filing to the
Associated Press at New York the bat
ties description prepared hours De-
fore.
On May 18th the cruiser Montgom-
cry, the auxiliary cruiser die III IL
French gunboat Rigault de GenOuilly
came into port and there was much
more saluting by the warships and the
castle.
Before midnight of the 18th, the
Dauntless, carrying a few precious
New York newspapers, set out to over
take the fleet, then moving SLOWLY
back to Key West.
Early Sunday morning, May 18th, Oft
Puerto Plata, a Domingo. the
Dauntless was Joined by the hospital
ship Solace ard the auxiliary cruiser
ST. Louis. The ST. Louis, towing the
Wampatuck, left for Santiago de Cuba
on the morning of the 18th to cut the
cable that connected Spain and Cuba.
The Porter went to Puerto Plata to
send dispatches, n the New YORK
went cruising, leaving the Iowa, lnol-
ana. Amphitrite. Terror. Detroit and
..iagara, and the Iowa pulled the Am
phitrite.