The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-02
NOTES FROM KEY WEST
REPORTS BROUGHT IN BY VESSELS
ENGAGED IN THE BLOCKADE.
BIOckhoase Destroyed Nothing
Known About Capture of the Alton
XIII-The RestOrmeIs Cargo.

KEY WEST, Fla, June 1.-The American
auxiliary gunboat Uncas arrived here this
morning from the Cuban coast. She re-
ports that on Monday last when about a
mile and a half west of Matanzas light
house, she sighted a Spanish bockhouse on
shore. Taking up a position about 600
yards off shore. the Uncas fired two shots
at the house and two shells went clear
through the building, which was wrecked.
During the fight the auxiliary gunboat Ley
den came up and also fired a couple OF
shots. 1t is not known whether any Span
iards were killed, but they probably fled
at the first shot. The blockhouse made no
reply. This action upon the part of the
| Uncas and Leyden is in accordance with
the policy Of the patrol boats in Smelling
any blockhouses they may come across. The
crews enjoy this target practice very much.
All was quiet on the Havana blockade when
the Uncas left last night.
A war ship just in front of the blockade
reports that on Sunday morning a small
| gunboat came out of Havana and ran along
| the line of batteries, close in shore. Yes
terday she again came out, venturing over
two miles from land. She was chased and
one shot was fired at her, whereupon she
scudded back to port. On Monday night a
WAT snip VI the DlOChdu0 SQuduAOh dP-
preached within five miles of Havana, clear
| ly distinguishing whole miles of lighted
streets, thus contradicting the rumors of
Havana being in darkness. The command
| er of the war ship said new Notifications
are in course of construction on MORO
heights. A small donkey car carrying earth
| and sand is running night and day.
| AS to the result of a battle at Santiago
| de Cuba there is but one opinion among
naval men here--the American fleet is
strong enough to cope with the whole Span
ish navy, let alone Cervera's light squadron.
Advices from the blockading fleet off Ha-
| vana say there is nothing stirring there
| Every morning one Spanish gunboat skulks
| out of the harbor and moves along the line
of forts, protected by them, as If sent by
| Blanco to tell the Americans he does not
| fear them.
The stories about a Spanish cruiser being
seen in the straits of Florida and even chas-
| ing American ships have become the sub
ject of laughter among naval officers who
say they would dearly love to see any such
ship. Nearly all the newspaper boats have
gone to Santiago. Naval men consider
blockade duty a very undesirable assign
nient, owing to its monotopy.
Admiral Cervera's coal ship, the big Brit
| ish steamer Restormel, has been moored at
| ~
| picked Welsh coal will be unloaded. Naval
officials have an idea that they will find
something besides coal In her hold. 1t was
| the RestormePs failure to reach Santiago
that made it impossible for the Spanish fleet
| to escape,
The dispatch to the New York Journal
| from here saying that the Spanish troop
| ship. Alfonso XIII, with troops and coal on
| board, was captured on Monday off Cape
| Maysi by the auxiliary cruiser st. Paul,
| Captain Sigsbee, and that the St. Paul fired
seventeen shots, before the troop ship sur
| confirmed here The last report received
| from Commodore sSchley, dated Saturday
night, said nothing about the reported cap
ture of the Alfonso XIII by the st. Paul or
any other vessel. The officers Of the St.
Paul have heard nothing of the affair.
Judge Locke ordered the Contamination Of
| the cargo Of 400 tons of coal on the British
steamer Restormel, captured off Santiago
| presumably to deliver coal for the Spanish
| fleet. The case of the steamer will come up
| tomorrow. Judge Locke also ordered an in
vestigation of the charges made by Naval
| Cadet Needham L. Jones against the deputy
marshals and prize commissioner in charge
of the prizes and requested Commodore
Remey to appoint naval officer to be
present at the hearing.
| On April 27 Cadet Jones, who brought in
| the prize steamer Catalina, complained to
Admiral Sampson that the Cubans and ig-
norant Americans employed by the marshal
| GERS and crew with indignity, jeering at
| them, making insulting remarks about
| Spaniards and using nagrantly olScoufteOuS
| language to the prisoners, also that the
deputies and Cubans who were permitted
| to come on board plundered the ship. Similar
abuses had been committed on the Pedro
and the Miguel Jover, Cadet Jones alleged.
Rear Admiral Sampson, in transmitting the
| letter of Cadet Jones to Secretary Long, said
| that the offenses alleged were in violation of
| law and common decency, and he suggested
| that owing to the large negro and Cuban
| population of Key West and the consequent
| prejudice against Spain, it might be wise 10
| send future prizes further north to Savannah
| or Port Royal.
| Naval officers here, discussing the reports
| of the naval bombardment of Santiago, are
| of the unanimous opinion that the plan is to
| reduce the Notifications there and destroy
| or capture Admiral CerveraS ships or any
| others without delay.
Seventy-five naval reserves from Chicago
| and lat from Iowa and Illinois arrived to-
| day on the steamer from Tampa, under
command of Lieutenant Porter. They were
| taken on board the Lancaster. All were
| well except one, who was taken from the
| steamer Colon. The reserves who arrived
| last week have been distributed among the
| vessels n fleet