The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-16
Two WarShlpS Sent Out Of Havana
HarhOr.
WARSHIPS OFF SHORE WARY,
The Americans Too Sharp to Get
Caught.

Engagement off Havana: Copyright, 1898,
by the Associated Press.
On board the Associated Press dispatch
Boat Kate Spencer, off Havana, May IA, s
p. M, via Key West, May Is, 5 a. m.-Capt.
Gen. Blanco, two hours before sundown
tonight attempted to execute ruse, which
If successful, would have cleared the front
Of Havana of six ships on that blockad-
ing station.
Unable to come out to do battle, he
adopted the tactics of the spider and cum
ningly planned to draw the prey into his
net, but though a clever and pretty
scheme as an original proposition, it was
practically a repetition of the trick by
which the gunboat Vlcksburg and the lit
tie converted revenue cutter Morrill, were
last week decoyed by a fishing smack un-
der the big Krupp guns Of Santa Clara
batteries.
Thanks TO bad gunnery, both ships on
that occasion managed to get out of the
range without being sunk though some
of the shells burst close to the ships, and
the Vicksburgs Jacobs ladder was cut
adrlft.
The wary are never caught twice In the
same trap.
Late this afternoon the ships on the
Havana station were dumbfounded to see
two ships steam out of Havana harbor
and head east.
Dense smoke was streaming like black
ribbons from their stacks and glance
showed that they were under full head
of steam. BY aid OF glasses Commander
Lilly, on the Mayfower, which was fly
ing the pennant, made out the larger YES
sci of the two which was about 200 feet
long and about $500 tons displacement, to
be the cruiser Alphonso XII and the
smaller one to be the gunboat Legazpi,
both of which were known to be bottled
up in Havana harbor.
AT first he supposed that they were taxi
ing advantage Of the absence of the heavy
fighting ships and were making a bona
fide run for the open sea. AS senior Of
ficer, he Immediately signalled the other
ship on the station, the Vicksburg, An
napolis, Wasp, Tecumseh and Osceola,
which were moving in, to form column
and charge and en- echelon with the gun
boats on the right flank, the little squad
ron moved in obliquely toward the fleeing
spaniards, keeping up a running fire as
they went.
The Alphonso and her consort circled in
shore about five miles below Havana. ana
after running In for half a mile headed
back for Morro Castle.
Our gunboats and their skinned vessels
of the Mosquito feet did not follow them
In.
Commander Lilly saw that the WHY
Spanish ruse was to draw them in under
the guns of the heavy batteries, where
Spanish artillery officers could plot out
the exact range with their teiameters ana
pot them.
So the return was made in line ahead
parallel with the shore. Commander Lilly
had not been mistaken. As his ships
came abreast Of the Santa Clara battery
the big guns opened another fire and fred
thirteen shells at distance of about five
miles.
The range was badly judged, as more
than half the shells overshot the marx
and others fell short some as much as
mile.
The Associated Press dispatch boat Kate
Spencer witnessed the action, which last
ed over an hour.
As a spectacle the greatest master OF
stage craft could not have evolved a finer
setting The low sun, in bank of came
lion, dyed the Cuban hills a royal purple.
against which Havana's white walls
cleaned ike alabaster.
Morro's gray sides and yellow tower
stood out against the blue waters Of the
Gulf, while directly behind sprung a broad
band OF the rainbow woven in and out
through dence gray clouds until lost at
the zenith.
,rhe big Alphonso and her convoy steam
ed swiftly from the dark shadow Of the
harbor'g mouth, and, turning sharply east,
ran along the coast as though 10 slip
through The Gordon Of blockade. II was
bold trick and not at first transparent, al-
though the folly Of n created a suspicion,
as there was no hope Of ultimate escape
and no object in escaping the Mayiiower,
u,hich stauding well out like cat with