The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-10
VOYAGE OF THE CYNTHIA.
THE DISPATCH BOATS 5000 MILES
IN THE WEST INDIAN WATERS.


at the Landing in Porto Rico and
the Capture of Guanica-Distanced
All the Dispatch Boats in the Ser
vice.
The Associated Press dispatch boat Gym
thia No arrived al her dock at 9 O'Clock
last night after five days run from ST.
Thomas. The Cynthia II left Savannah
June 20, and in the seven weeks she has
been in the West Indian campaign she has
steamed over 5000 miles, distanced every
other dispatch boat and Is home again
without break in her machinery, a shot
in her side or a mishap Of any kind.
Capt Van Avery, who commanded the
Cynthia. is proud of her record. In the
company of the Dauntless, Dandy, Wan
da, SOmers H. Smith and some of the
crack dispatch boats of the North, her
performance is more than was expected
of her.
While the Cynthia was not in the de-
srruction of the Spanish fleet, having gone
! to Jamaica the afternoon before with the
news of the land fight, she was the only
dispatch boat at the landing of the fleet
In Porto Rico and carried the news of the
capture of Guanica 10 st. Thomas a day
ahead of the other boats and ahead of the
government reports.
Capt Avery followed the fleet which left
Santiago on July 49, supposedly for San
Juan, while the other boats wend down
the south coast, expecting to come up with
the fleet before ii landed. In this they
were mistaken. The straight tip which
Gen. Miles, gave the newspaper men about
the landing In Porto Rico proved not to
he vol a1 Trgf e Co., L.
fleet went up the north coast through the
Mona passage and heading straight for
Ponce. On the east end of the island
Capt. Avery kept ihs position along side
the Massachusetts. When the fleet hove
to off the narrow entrance to Guanica har-
Dor and the Gloucester drew out from the
warships and began feeling her way
inshore the Cynthia followed her and an
chored within fifty yards of her in front
of the town.
There was not a Spaniard woman or
child, in sight," said Capt Avery. THE
town looked completely deserted. A
launch was sent ashore with a crew to
haul down the Spanish flag, which was
| floating from a block house and
to raise the American flag.
A shot or two had been fired from the
Gloucesters 3-pounders into the hills
above the town, TO let the people know
what was going on. The Spanish flag had
been hauled down and the American col
ors run up, when about thirty Spaniards
opened fire with Mauser rifles from the
windows and cracks of the houses, where
they had lain concealed. The Americans
returned the fire briskly, and for a few
minutes the air was filled with whistling
bullets.
Lieut.. Wainwright called to Capt
Avery to move out of range of the fire.
but that was no easy matter. We couldn't
| tell whACe the fire was from" said Capt
/ rha glaFe
rection, and one place was as safe as an
other. Hardly had the firing begun when
| the Gloucester's launch, which was lying
| at The foot of a street leading down
! through the town TO the bay opened a
| sweeping fire with its machine gun. The
American party withdrew out of range and
the bullets from the Colt peppered the
! buildings and everything in its sweep At
the first shot the white coats of the Span
/ iards began to bob up here and there. A
moment later Lieut.. Wainwright had the
! range or the town, and The guns of the
Gloucester were sending shots thick and
1ast The Spanish cavalry which had
| come out and was attacking the Ameri-
| cans, by this time had begun to scatter
! and the hills surrounding the town were
dotted with Spanish uniforms seeking
shelter in the woods, at a safe distance
| from the Gloucester's guns.
The Gloucester and the Cynthia entered
the harbor about 7 O'Clock BY 10 o'clock
| the town was IN American hands. and
/ soon after the transports began disem-
| barking The troops. AT . o'clock the Gym
thia was off for st. Thomas, with the
story of the capture of Guan!ca and the
landing of the troops in Porto Rico For
| ty-elght hours afterWard the other dis
| patch boats arrived"
The Cynthia's first work in the cano-
paingn was the morning of her arrival off
santiago from Key West The lombard
| ment of Moro was in progress and the
cynthia carried the news of the lombard
ment and of the battle of Siboney 10 Ia
maica. After that and until the sailing
OF Gen. Mixes expedition from Guantana-
mo she was engaged in carrying dispatches
| between Santiago and Kingston In her
nearly two months service she came out
without a scratch or a shot mark A
rather singular occurrence happened after
| the surrender and before she left Santi-
ago, that came near proving serious for
her. The Cynthia was a few miles off the
entrance to Santiago harbor and within
| sight of the American fleet, toward which
she was steaming, when a juff of smoke
| followed by a report some distance to the
westward told that shot had been fired.
Another puff of smoke and another report
came. Then another, and a shot fell a
short distance from the Cynthia. Putting
the boat about, Capt. Avery started at
! full steam. second later another shot
dropped few yards astern. A vessel
which, when she was first sighted, Capt.
| Avery took for one of the small vessels
of the fleet, bore down rapidly and hailed
him to come alongside. The correspond
ents on the Cynthia were fighting mad
when the captain of the Potomac, a gov
eminent wrecking tug from New Orleans
which the hailing vessel proved to be, be-
gan getting out hawser TO take the Cyu-
| thia in tow as a Spanish prize. Some
words of explanation were followed by an
] anOlOcV from fhf POtOmOC'S -1a
! and the meeting endeded amicably. The
shots fired at the Cynthia We're the last
| fired az Santiago.
Correspondent Johnson, who was on the
| Cynthia and who was considerably nettled
at being called down by an American yes
sci as a Spanish prize, replied to the re-
mark of the Potomac's master in apollo
giving for taking him for a Spaniard, that
it was his characteristic Spanish mark 3
manship that saved the CYNTHIA from