Evening star., 1898-05-14
Engagement Between American Gun
boat and Spanish Cruiser Galatea.
OFF HARBOR OF CIENFUEGOS
Spaniard Soon Got Enough and
Retired Into the Harbor.
PEOPLE FLEEING FROM CUBA
Copyright. 1898 by ASS ciated Pr ss. }

Copyright. 1898 by ASS ciated Pr; ssh
KINGSTON, Jamaica, May IA corre-
spondent of the Associated Press who pass
ed through the Cienfuegos blockade on the
steamer Adula on Monday last succeeded
in entering that city and getting a good
idea of the situation there. He left Glen
fuegos on the steamer with a number of
| refugees on Tuesday, and last evening he
sent the following dispatch ashore from
the quarantine station:
when about forty miles off Cienfuegos
| on Monday afternoon we sighted the Amer
ican blockadng squadron, consisting of
the Marblehead. the Nashville and the
Eagle. The flagship, the Marblehead, bore
down upon US at full speed and fired
blank shot across our bows. We came to
| and were boarded by a lieutenant. We
showed him a permit from the State De-
partment to pass the blockade for passen-
gers, on condition that we carried no cargo,
and we were allowed to proceed
The officer of the Marblehead said the
flagship thought the Adula was a Spanish
troop ship which is expected daily.
stopped by u Spnniard
When about 400 yards from the narrow
entrance to the harbor Spanish 20-ton
gunboat. mounting one quick firing 1-pound-
grove-covered reef and stopped us Our
papers had been vised by the Spanish con-
sui at Kingston. and SO We were allowed to
enter the harbor
The entrance harbor of Cienfuegos is
about two hundred and fifty yards wide
and there forts on either side of it,
These forts have long rows of old-fash-
ioned guns, and just inside the harbor,
har iS .farr, ifiant
timber, earth and sand.
The British vice consul, Mr. Fowler told
the correspondent of the Associated Press
that the Spaniards have eight or ten mod
ern high power guns to mount on the new
works Their calibers are probably four
to six inches.
Inside the harbor were three tiny gun
boats. The only warship of any conse-
quence in port was the third-class cruiser
Galatea. The correspondent counted four
guns in her main battery and she had one
quick firer aft.
The Galatea went outside the harbor
few days ago to engage the United
States auxiliary gunboat Eagle, Com
mander W. H. H. Switzerland, a vessel
about one-thfrd the Galatea's size. The
engagement was short, sharp and decisive.
One of the Eagles sx-pound shells splint-
cred the corner of the Galateas deck
house and the Spanish cruiser quickly re-
treated into the harbor.
Two Merchantmen in HnrbOr.
Besides the warships. there were two
2,0O0-ton merchant steamers, the Rio ia
no and the Alava of Bilbao, and three
coasting steamers, inside the harbor of
Cienfuegos. These vessels were caught in
the harbor by the American blockade
fleet and will doubtless fall into the hands
of sailors in due course of time.
A crowd of about two thousand curious
people gathered at the wharf to meet us
and the correspondent was told there had
not been so much excitement in Cienfuegos
since the preceding Saturday week, wnen
a few shells were thrown at the forts by
the American warships, following an at
tack made upon the Eagle. But no one
was hurt.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press went ashore and walked unmolested
through the principal streets of the city.
About one shop in four was open and busi-
ness was utterly lifeless. There were no
trucks or carriages in the streets and many
of .--e dwellings were closed.
Blockade prices are charged for food
Flour sells at % cents per pound, meal at
40 cents a pound, and if you want milk
you must pay 20 cents a quart for it. On
the other hand, yams, bread fruit and plan
tains are plentiful at or cents pound.
The correspondent was told there was food
enough in the city to last forty-five days.
Still, the population is afraid the blockade
will result in starvation.
There are from thirty-five to forty thou
sand people in Cienfuegos and its vicinity,
including about fifteen thousand regular
Spanish troops and five thousand volun-
teers.
The townspeople and the soldiers were
talking vaguely about glorious victory,
said to have been won by the Spanish
forces at Havana
Gen. Pando Has a Fight.
General Pando, the commander of the
Spanish forces in the field. left here for
Havana on Sunday and heavy fighting took
place on Tuesday about thrty-one miles
fl ON the city.
The British consul who was the charter
er of the Adula, has sent to Jamaica his
family several Cuban Americans and forty
of the best Cuban families in Cienfuegos-
in all, 297 persons AS the Adula was only
provisioned for 100 passengers, there were
nobody grumbled, all being glad to get out
of the blockaded city.
The Adula steamed out of Cienfuegos
,harbor on Tuesday afternoon, at which
time the American blockading squadron
had been increased by large fighting ship
whose name was not discernible and by a
big collier.