Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-28
A FALSE ALARM.
SIMPSONS Fleet Loses an Opportunity to
Show Their Mettlc.

Copyright, 1898 by The Associated Prcss)
On Board the Despatch Boat Daunt-
less, Associated Press, via Key West,
May 27.-S15 =. Mp to II o'clock,
this morning (Friday), nothing has
been seen of the Spanish fleet.
Neither Rear Admiral Sampson nor
the naval officers with the feet appear
at all sanguine that the Spanards, un-
less hard pressed, will attempt to run
| the gauntlet into Havana.
| Admiral Cervera, since he reached
| the Caribbean sea. has shown any
| thing but disposition to fight and our
| officers arc Inclined to think that, if he
| is driven out of the waters south of
| Cuba he will double back to San Juan
de Porto Rico, where his ships could
coal under the protection of batteries
as powerful as those at Havana, as
| Rear Admiral Sampson ascertained
when he bombardcu the forts there two
weeks ago.
But the unexpected might happen
and if it does, Admiral Sampson Is
prepared. Should Ccrvcra run into the
arms Of our fleets as now constituted,
his surrender or annihilation would bc
| inevitable. There are but two pass
, ages by which he could enter the
Florida straits, Viz: The Bahama
IA. 4 fnn ~
The latter route is long and torturous,
fully 1900 miles from Cape Maysi, the
eastern point Of the island; while the
former is a scant Goo miles, almost in
an air line. Were the Spanish fleet to
cunc up through the WindWard pass
age and around Cape Maysi, it would
have to choose between these two.
The United States flee, makes an i'm
posing spectacle as il moves majcsti-
cally along with every ship hrlstling
with guns and stripped for action.
Lookouts are always in the military
tops sweeping The horizon With their
telescopes. During the day the adj
mlrars orders are wig wagged from
Tie flagship, while general orders as u
manoeuvres in the fleet are communi-
Gated by streams OF signal flags.
Tne newspaper dispatch boats are
obliged by the adulirals orders to main
tain 4 position not nearer than tivc miles
astern in order to be out Of harms way
Several times each night the scouts far
ont on the horizon fash reports To tho adj
miraI skmmn2 through the water as
fast as railroad trains ana firing c3lored
rockets aloft into the blackness Of the
night,
Tho only exciting incident Of til, cruise
occurred about II O'Clock. Tuesday mora
ing before a number OF shins which
Jftcrward joined the fleet had arrived
The fleet WAS stcamina eastward in col
uInn abreast when the smoke from three
strange ships was made out On the hori-
zon dead ahead. Euglrs sounded the call
to generals quarters. and the admiral
commands were flung back from ship to
ship.
From the pauntloss. with Our glasses
we could see the men 1T quarters strip
ping to the waist. Netting to catch
splinters were stretched in the chart
rooms and bridges and everything WIS
made ready for the fray. Meantime the
military tops Of two OF the three stran-
gers had removed all doubt as to the
character of the vessels, II was a false
alarm ana the disappointment OF our
jack tars must have been keen Judging
from the remarks they made aftcrward.
Long before the correspondents. pcrchcd
on the tops Of the pilot houses Of their
boats were able to recognize tAc new
corners. the lookouts on the warships had
identified them as two of the United
States monitors and = supply Ship which
had been dispatched in attendance on the
main body Of the feet