The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-11
THREE SPANISH GUHBOATS
A Rafting Sharp Fight in the
Bay Of Oardenas.
THE WINSLOW A WINNER
She's Not So slow - the Rear Part OF
Her Name Would Seem 70 indicate.
One OF the Enemy's 0unboats
Badly Smashed.

New York, May lO.-A olSpatcn 10
the World from Key West says: The
torpedo boat Winslow engaged three
Spanish gunboats Oh Cardenas bay
Sunday afternoon. She disabled n
and came out unscathed. Lieutenant
Bernardno, Ensign Bagley n the men
Of the winslow found their one-pound-
ers q fair match for the Spaniard's six
Founders. 1t was q brilliant minor
engagement.
chias were on the blockade OF Car
denas yesterday. The harbor Is thickly
strewn with mines and tOrpedoes. In
the entrance to the ann three small
gunboats have been bottled up since the
beginning OF the war. Occasionally
they have stolen out towards sea, but
never venturing beyond the inner har-
Dor. running like rats at the sight of
the American ships.
Torpedo boats have tried TO draw the
enemy out by lodging inside as far as
safety allowed. A few days & a buoy
was moored by ~Spaniards inside the en-
trance of the bay to mark the position
for entrance of the gunboats. A signal
station on the shore opposite was In
structed to notify the gunboats inside
when the torpedo boats were within the
limit distance marked by the buoy.
The scheme was that the g~unboats
could run out, open fire at the one mile
range thus marked of for them, and
retreat without the chance Of being
cut off. The men of the Winslow eyed
this buoy and guessed its purpose.
On Sunday afternoon the Machias
stood away to eastward for q jaunt, and
the Winslow was left alone to main
tain the blockade. The Winslow steam
&c in nearly to the range buoy. when
the gunboats slipped their cable and
I ron IN THAR So fotv limit
The six-pounders were trained at p
900 yards. In a few minutes there
were signals to the Spaniards that the
torpedo boa was in range. The six
Founders cracked and three shells
threw water spouts around the Wins
low. But this was not struck. In
stead of running away she drove
ahead. attacking the boats.
Lieutenant Bernardno no sooner saw
the first white smoke puffing from the
Spanish guns that he gave the word.
and two forward one-pounders dropped
shells in the middle of the fiotilla. On
plunged the Winslow to within 1,500
yards of the ~gunboats. while the row
raised by the rapid-fre ~one-pounders
was like a rafting tattoo. The Span
fierce onslaught ~singlehanded, and fired
wildly.
The winslow now swung around
b~roadside to bring her two after guns to
bear as the Spanish fleet scattered and
lost formation. The Winslow soon
so that she was peppering
all three boats at once. The sea was
very heavy, and the torpedo boat rolled
so wildly hat II was impossible to do
gun practice from her decks. but the
rapidly of her fire and remarkable eff
fectiveness under the circumstances de-
moralized all three opponents, which.
after the Winslow had fired about 30
shells, began gradually to work back
toward the shelter of the harbor. They
were still ~hammering away with their
s~ix-pounders. but their fire was wild.
Several balls passed over the WINS
low and exploded 100 feet astern.
At last one Of the shells of the Wins
low struck one OF the ~gunboats. appar-
emily exploding on the inside. The
Winslow men yelled. The gunboat
stopped, evidently disabled, while one
of her comrades went to her assistance.
BY this time the Spanish boats had re-
treated nearly into the position where
they could not be followed because OF
mines. The Pinzon got under way
slowly and limped homeward with the
help of a tow line from her consort.
During the engagement the Machias
had returned. and when within the two
mile range let fly two four-pound shells,
which accelerated the Spanish night.
The fotilla managed to creep back into
Cardenas harbor in safety. This Is the
Il Va thS "e
waters up to date. although II was in
miniature, so to speak. The Spanish
gunboats at Cardenas are small, unar-
mored craft. about the length OF the
winslow. but mounting heavier guns.
When the Three Friends came near
Havana at IL o'clock Monday afternoon
a tangle OF lasts and a murky smoke
cloud northeast from MORO castle for
about 10 miles looked as II he feet
was assembled In a marine convention.
1t proved to be the Norwegian mer-
chairman Bratzberg. "surrounde by
the gunboats Newport and Mangrove,
a small Spanish schooner and two news
paper dispatch boats. The Bratzbere
had been captured in the morning,
eight miles east of Moro. by the New
port, which picked up also a deep lad
en- Havana fishing schooner. The
B~ratzberg seemed high and light. HeI
decks were built high with cattle pens
which were empty. The steamer was
trying 10 run the blockade at Havana
when overhauled by the Newport. and
was summarily stopped by a shot
across her bows. This Is the steamer
which was captured several days age
from Mexican ports. bound for Havana
with a cargo of live cattle. h wal
taken into Key West. but released or
condition that the cargo would be TAX
en- to a neutral destination.
The Bratzberg sailed away with thu
Norwegian flag flying. with promises o.
being good. She turned up again to-
day with her cargo OF cattle missing
and headed for Havana Her paper
were not satisfactory. nor was her con
duct approved. A prize crew from
" ..-og mai nj. hnoY I'd and m.