The San Francisco call., 1898-02-21

NEW YORK. Feb. 2O.-After several nights of peril and extreme discomfort in boisterous weather off Sandy HOOK the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya steamed into port, saluting the flag Of this na- ton on her way, and anchored OH Tompkinsyille at twenty-five minutes to o'clock this afternoon.
 As the clanking of her anchor chain ceased the sound of answering guns from Fort William. Governors Island was carried down the bay, the concus- sion of the saluting cannon being felt rather than heard at that distance. Captain d'Antonio Eulate of the viz caya, after receiving Lieutenant Aaron Ward. representing Rear Admiral Runce. on the quarter deck of the cruiser with due honors. and learning officially from him of the disaster to the Maine, ordered his flag and pen nant at half mast and announced that he and his officers would decline to participate in any social functions and would observe a fitting period or mourning.
 The Vizcaya's commander will pay pay his respects to Rear Admiral Bunce in the Brooklyn navy-Yard to- morrow and will exchange visits with the Spanish Consul. He has received through Lieutenant Commander So- bral, naval ,attache of the Spanish Legation in Washington, instructions which awaited his arrival here. He did not care to say to-day how long the Vizcaya would remain in port. Lieutenant Commander Sobral said he thought she would remain here only few days.
 It was not until after she had an- chored to-day that any one on shore suspected the full measure of danger and annoyance which the Vizcaya's company encountered in the fog and storm off the Hook. Thickening mist, increasing rain and rising sea made the cruisers anchorage a most uncom- fortable one by o'clock on Saturday afternoon. and there was some anxi- ety because of the great strain upon her anchor cables and the presence of other fogbound craft which were lying in her neighborhood.
 Believing he could bring the cruiser up in safety when the weather cleared temporarily, soon after 1 o'clock Pilot Gillespie consented to Captain Eulate's proposal to get up his anchor and at tempt to reach the anchorage off Tomp- kinsville. But as the cruiser began to feel her way toward the city the mist thickened and her lookout lost the channel buoy. The fog closed about her in whirling clouds. With ship under him that drew twenty-five feet of water the pilot decided that there was only one thing to do, and that was to seek deep water. So the Vizcaya's bow was turned seaward and while the marine observers and waiting city sup posed the formidable visitor rode at anchor off the lightship she steamed seaward in an increasing fog and dark ness. She proceeded for an hour and a half under easy steam.
 As she approached Fort Wadsworth where the stars and stripes fioated above the works, the cruiser slackened her speed. The Government tugs Nina and Narkeeta, manned by marines, drawn up along their rails. moved down from the city and took up positions on either side of the cruiser, and the Un- dine. carrying Lieutenant Aaron Ward fell in behind them, gleaming white in the visitors wake. Uniforms of the United States army could be seen on the heights of the fort and inquisitive hundreds lined the shore eager to in spect the oft-heralded cruiser The marines suddenly thronged the Viz caya'ss spar deck and through her open ports could be seen the gun crews Of her second battery busy with Hotck- kiss rifles.
 The whistles of the accompanying fleet were silent. A command in Span ish rang out from the Vizcaya- The stars and stripes rose to the top of the staff. A tongue of flame, burning red in the gray daylight, shot from her bow, smoke belched out in a great cloud as the flame faded, and over the water came the sharp report of Spain's greeting to the United States Regu- larly from port and starboard the guns thundered until the cruiser was lying in white cloud of her own making, and the watchers on the craft and shore counted twenty-one
 There was silence at the forts. Many expected they would return the greet ing, forgetting that Fort William is the saluting station. There was no