The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-31
NAVAL STORES.
CUTTING: THE CABLES
An Account of the Part Taken by the
81. Louis I'm This Work She Comes
Home for Heavier Guns.

New York. May 2S.-The auxiliary
cruiser st. Louis arrived here from
West Indian waters this morning. She
has been ordered to the Cramps ship
yard at Philadelphia, where il IL in
tended to place upon her six 5-inch
quick-tring rifles and thus make her
equal to the st. Paul. The st. Louis
carried only four ~6-pounders.
The incident OF the attempt 10 sever
cable communication between cuba
and the rest OF the world which was
one of the latest, in which the st.
Louis engaged during her stay in West
Indian waters, is told as follows by
one who was on board the cruiser:
Orders were given by Admiral
Sampson to Captain Goodrich on May
18th to take the fleet tender in tow and
proceed to Santiago de Cuba and cut
the cables at that point. The Crap
ping implements were secured from
the tug Wampatuck on May 10th and
at III o'clock p. m. the expedition in
the small boats left the cruiser for the
entrance Of Santiago de Cuba. 1t was
then perfectly dark and hazy, and the
Santiago light was burning brightly.
Moon rise was not until 3:45 o'clock n.
m. At 3 o'clock a. m, MAY 18th the
expedition returned with part OF one
cable, but 1t had failed to find the sec
ond one, which is close under the fort
and was protected by two patrol boats.
Then a start was made to cut the ca
Bile on the other side OF the island. At
Z o'clock a. m. the st. Louis fired its
first gun and after a little time the fire
was returned by one gun, which must
have been a 2-pounder. At o'clock
a.. m. the st. Louis was about two
miles distant from the forts. which
seemed to be unprotected by modern
guns. After three hours graphing
the cable a not been found At l2:4
O'Clock p. m. the guns OF MORO castle
opened fire. followed by the shore bat
terry on the s~outherly point, and also
by the west battery. The st. Louis
KEPT up a constant fire from her bow
guns and soon succeeded in silencing
the guns OF MORO castle. The garrison
OF Spaniards could be seen running In
all directions. Most OF the shots from
the forts fell short Of the ship. Shells
from the mortar battery went over the
cruiser n exploded In the water
quite close to the st. Louis. The NOR
tar battery ceased at H. Sc o'clock. az
ter a fusillade of forty-one minutes.
After firing. the cable was grappled.
hauled on board and cut.
Mole st. Nicholas was visited on
May goth and from there dispatches
were sent TO Washington. The VAN
patuck was ordered TO proceed to Key
West from that place. The st. Louis
proceeded along the north coast OF
Hayti. where IL met the st. Paul. They
parted in about an hour and then the
st. Louis went to Cape Cabarojo to
sever the cable running In from Porto
Rico and San Domingo, but the bot
tom was so foul at that place that the
submarine line could not be placed.
Last Sunday the st. Louis cruised
along the coast Of Porto Rico and ran
within two miles Of the batteries at
Ponce. Cape Malas Pague was visited
on May 23rd and at st. Thomas next
day the cruiser got orders 10 proceed
TO New York to take on her heavier
guns. and then go to Cramps snip
yard at Philadelphia to be armor-plat-
ed. The big guns were put aboard the
cruiser today, and tomorrow. about D
o'clock a. m. she will start Tor Phiia-
delphia.
Captain RandIe says that the bonn
bardment Of San u caused consid-
cradle damage TO the Spanish forts
there and the st. Louis passed the
wrecked Notifications next day. Cap
tain Randle says that neither Schley's
or the Spanish feet was sighted or
heard Of during the trip OF the St.
Louis In West Indian waters. h
cruiser succeeded in cutting three ca
bles in all. n being OF the sid or
Porto Rico. another at Santiago oe
Cuba and the third at Guatanamo.