Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-04
SEARCHING FOR cERvERA
Story of the Guard Kept by sigsbee at
Santiago.
Captured British Vessel With Coal
for the Spanish Fleet Within
Rbrge of the Forts.


city to report to the Navy Department. is
full of interest According to letter writ
ten by an officer on board the st. Paul to
the Philadelphia Press. the vessel left Key
West for Cape Haitien Wednesday, May 10.
at 8 pm, in obedience to orders from
Washington. Before leaving Capt. Sigsbee
went on board Admiral Simpsons flagship.
doubtless to communicate his orders. AT
IL at time everybody was wondering where
the vanishing Spanish fleet was. 1t had
teen reported at Willemstad, Curacao, Oft
the coast of Venezuela Sunday, May 10,
where it had coaled. Sunday evening it
departed. Since then Eothing had been
heard of it. 1t was believed that the fleet
would make for Santiago or Cienfuegos,
and the Navy Department took steps to
cover those points. Commodore Schley left
Key West, going west through the Yucca
tan passage, and remained in front of Glen
fuegos until he was satisfied the Spanish
fleet was not inside Capt. Sfgsbee, on the
81. Paul, went east to stand guard at San
tisgo. Meanwhile the Windward passage
and other outlets from the Caribbean were
guarded. Capt. Sigsbee ran down the
game. The officer who tells the story says:
Our course lay through the Windward
channel. and during Friday night we recog-
rized the lights of several vessels Of the
patrol fleet stationed there. Friday after
neon we met the ST. Louis steaming to-
ward us from the westward. When within
hailing distance we announced our dcstina-
tion. and Capt. Goodrich replied that he
had left Santiago on Wednesday, and had
the armed tug Wampatuck had engaged
the forts, silencing two batteries and had
cut one cable and possibly destroyed an
other. This was the firing reported by the
18TH ''i ''''
I'VE reached Cape Haiten on Friday
morning and found the Yale already an
chored there. We were Immediately hand
ed dispatch directing to proceed to
santiago de Cuba without delay the Span
lsh fleet having gone in there on May
u Not having yet anchored, we turned
ahout and made for our new destination.
CT Santiago.
Saturday morning, May Il, found us off
the harbor of Santiago. 1t is difficult
place to find. The shore of this part of the
island is skirted by low range of hills,
5o) feet high. The range continues to the
westward mile after mile; then a narrow
break occurs, hardly noticeable. The range
continues, and some distance further to the
west merges with loftier The mar
70" break is the entrance to Santiago har-
Dor 1T Is half a mile wide, but tho channel
IS only hundred yards. The channel is
SNAPPED somewhat like sickle with it's han
uie toward the entrance and the curve to
the westward.
All day Saturday we lay off the harbor.
| When evening fell our usefulness was end
ed for the time, and it became our duty
| to withdraw some distance from the land
| to avoid the Spanish torpedo boats. These
pesky objects are harmless to a watchful
| almost invisible. and, like the tarantula,
| are recognized only after they have stung
and the sting of torpedo is DEATH
sunday, the 22d, the Yale appeared and
renamed with US during the day. On
Monday the Harvard and the cruiser Min
neapolis arrived. We had thus for awhile
| four vessels on the station. The Mime
apolis soon left for ports unknown, and on
Tuesday the Harvard went to Key West
for coal.
Coal Supply Captured.
"The next day, Wednesday, the c5th, our
good fortune came At daybreak the look
| out spied steamer close in shore, making
all speed for Santiago harbor. We headed
her on right under the guns of the fort.
They did not fire on U.s. Perhaps the SOL
diers were not awake yet! Two shots
across her bow finally brought the stranger
10, but twenty minutes more and he would
have made the harbor and we would have
lost the most important prize of the war
Inc result showed the wisdom of Captain
Sigsbee In always making land at day
| break The vessel proved to be the Eng
lish steamer Restormel from Cardiff load
ed with coal for the Spanish fleet.
Her captains story made it plain to US
that the Spanish admiral was short of
coal We had just captured 1900 tons that
| he needed. and he was prisoner in SANTA
go without the means of escape. The Brit
ish captain had done his best, but when he
| bridge: Look out for the other two Golfers.
bound for the same place We came to
| the conclusion he did not want to be the
only man to go back to Cardiff who had
been captured by the Americans. We kept
diligent lookout for the other two GOLFERS
but they never appeared. Doubtless they
had been warned and gone elsewhere.
The Flying Squadron Arrives.
During all these days we had been anx-
iously awaiting the arrival of the flying
| squadron. Finally, on Thursday afternoon
the Minneapolis again mysteriously appear
| ed from the unknown and signaled us that
Commodore Schley would appear shortly.
| At the same tims the Yale reappeared Upon
the scene. Within an hour the SQUADRON
was seen approaching. Friday morning
nothing was done. Finally, in the after
noon, the flagship signaled us to remain at
our station, while they steamed slowly to
| the westward We felt it was but a tenn
porary departure and suspected 1t was done
in order to coal up the Texas, which was
short OF fuel, from the collier. and this sur
mise proved subsequently to be correct.
After the fleet had departed we spent Fri
day afternoon and Saturday mainly in chas-
ing newspaper boats. The correspondents
are everywhere
Sunday morning at daybreak found US
again approaching the harbor after Our
nights offing. At the same time we dis
covered the smoke of several vessels which
we believed were Schleys fleet returned. AS
we neared the flagship strange thing hap
pened. Two large vessels and two much
smaller appeared at the mouth of the har-
Tor, which all the week had seemed desert
ed. The two large vessels were recognized
at once from our ships the Cristobal CO.
lon and Santa Maria Teresa of the Spanish
fleet, and the two smaller as two torpedo
boats We drew near to the flagship to
communicate this discovery to the commo-
dore, when he informed us that he also had
seen and identified the same vessels
so the Spanish fleet ware really there
and our watch had not been in vain The
Spanish fleet was almost impregnably en-
trenched in the harbor.
In few minutes the flagship sent us
some dispatches for the department with
Instructions to take them at once to Mole
st. Nicholas (west coast of HATH, 40 miles
away. We arrived there in seven hours. a
rate OF twenty miles an -Four"