The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-11
VEST POCKET FIGHT"
on card,nn.-rhs Little Torpedo Boa,
,,Ir.io,y jIns fua With three Spa nish

m card,na.-rhs Little Torpedo boa,
w,u.iow Has fua Will, three Spanish
con.t Guard Gnnboai,.
tcopyrlght, 1925. by the Associated Prcas.)
'OS BOARD THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS DISPATCH BOAT SPENCER,
OFF cARpENAs. May 0. via KEY
WEST. Fla, May lo.-The little torpe-
do boat winslow. yesterday morning
rrcc!pltatcd tie first naval engagement
fought In Cuban waters. On a recon-
r%oissanca In Cardenas harbor she drew
the fire OF three Spanish coast guard
vcsscls and q lively vest pocket sea
srSt followed With the tiny gunboats.
As tho Wlnslow was decidedly In the
Minority she ran for the ooen sea.
where her bis station mate. the gun
boa, Machlas. which had been called
up by the firing. took n hand In the
game with her four-lnch rifles and
tossed several shells over the low sand
spI, behind which the Spanish boats
were sheltered. It was impossible to
gee where they landed. The Winslow
woy not touched, hut she claims to
have knocked q few spllnters out OF the
lager coast guard boat.
The most important result OF the
WInslow's reconnaissance vas the dis.
coyery that Cardenas harbor is mined.
II there we're any batteries on shore,
me Span!ards did not think It worth
while 20 disclose their position. That
there are mines In the channel Is i'm
por,ant In view OF the report that It Is
Cardenas and not Matanzas where the
landing OF United States forces Will be
made. as
Cardenas IS one otsthe largest bays
olong the coast. the little town OF the
same name, lying at the southern end.
from the western shore Icicas Point
reaches out like q long index finger, al
mos, touching Pledras Key Light,
which In peaceful days beaconed the
harbor entrance. Tho light house has
gone In darkness and deserted for
many nights.
Feeling safe In The desolation Of the
light house and the silence ashore, the
little Winslow c:ept quietly In. under
the early morning haze, for a closer In
spection of-the harbor. There evidently
had been q lookout among the dunes
along the sand pit, for the Winslow
was allowed to feel her way into the
harbor, taking notes OF changed buoys
and false marks. designed to lead a
hostile fleet on to torpedo fields. But
suddenly there was a pun OF smoke
from among the mangrove clumps along
one OF the inlets and a six pound shell
screeched out OF the bushes. Crack
came another from the shelter OF q tiny
key In the bay and q. third from further
down the coast. Then three coast
guard boats. darted from their cover,
under a full head of steam, like q big
gar pike after a minnow. The Win
slows crew jumped to the ~two-pound-
ers fore and aft and let the Spaniards
have it. port and starboard, as they
chased IN. The little gunboats came
along. shooting, but after the usual
Spanish fashion, hit nothing but the
adjacent scenery Then the Winslow
scuttled along for the open sea, using
her after gun as a stern chaser and
defantly shooting as she went along.
The Spanish boats wasted about sixty
shots. and the biggest boat, mounting
a twelve FOUNDER, kept up the lombard
ment as long as the Winslow was in
range. The Spaniards. who had prob
ably heard the news from Manila. were
as mad as a uest OF hornets and kept
up the chase until all four OF the little
craft were rocking in the swell past
PIedras Keys. Just then there was a
crash and a roar to seward and the
Machias, bearing In under n canopy OF
smoke. sent q shell smashing into the
pursuing fleet. The little boats turned
about like water spiders and ran 20
shelter beyond the sand spit. The Ma
chias sent a few shells skipping In be-
tween the Sand dunes, but with what
effect could not be seen.