Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-11

Oisabled One OF Them-The Small
american Vessel With Her One
ponnders-A Rafting Fight in
which the Winslow Drove the
Enemv to the Shelter Of the Har-
Dor Defenses.
Kew West, May 10.-The torpedo
hoat Winslow engaged three Spanish
y,,nhoats off Cardenas bay Sunday
5nernoon. She disabled one and came
mt unscratched. The Winslow and
rnrhoat Machias were on the block
5Sa off Cardenas yesterday. In the
anfrance three small gunboats have
KEN bottled up since the beginning
If the war.
Torpedo boats have tried to draw
the enemy out by lodging inside as
fsr as safety allowed, and scouting
ghouf within full sight of the city.
In Sunday afternoon the Machias
stood to the eastward for a jaunt and
the Winslow was alone to maintain
The blockade. The Wlnslow steamed
in 10 range when three gunboats slip
ned their cables.
Lieut. Bernado no sooner saw the
first white smoke puffs from the Span
ish guns than he gave the word and
tvo forward one-pounders dropped
Shells in the middle of the fiotilla- On
nluuged the Winslow to within 1900
Yards of the gunboats, while the row
raised by the rapid-fire One-pounders
was like a rafting tattoo. The Span
ish were apparently staggered at this
fierce onslaught, single-handed, and
fired wildly,
The WinsloW swung broadside to
bring her two after guns to bear as
the Spanish fleet scattered and lost
formation. The Winslow soon maneu-
yered so that she was peppering at all
three gunboats at once. The sea was
very heavy and the torpedo boat rolled
so wildly that it was impossible to do
good gun practice from her decks, but
the rapidity of her fire and remark
able effectiveness under the circum-
stances demoralized all three opponents
which, after the Winslow had fired
ABOUT FIFTY SHELLS
began gradually to work back toward
The shelter of the harbor.
AT last a one-pound shell from the
Winslow struck the hull of the gun
boat Pinzon little aft of amidships
apparently exploding on the inside
The Winslow yelled. The PinZon stop
ped, evidently disabled, while one OF
her comrades went to her assistance
BY this time the Spanish boats had re-
treated nearly into a position where
they could not be followed because OF
mines and torpedoes.
The Pinzon got under way and limp
ed homeward with the help of a tow
line from her consort. During the
episode the Machias had returned and
when within the two-mile range let lei
fly TWO four-inch shells from her star
board battery, which accelerated the
Spanish flight The flotilla managed
10 creep back into Cardenas harbor in
safety.
The Winslow fired between sixty and
seventy shells and the gunboats thirty
among them. This is the hottest en-
counter of the war in Cuban waters III
10 date although it was in miniature
20 to speak.
Monday morning while the Three
Friends was cruising along the coast
from Matanzas to Havana, fire was
opened by three soldiers, who consti-
luted the garrison of the blockhouse or
The hill to the eastward of Juarcuro
After these shots the garrison disap-
peared to signal news to Havana of an
other Spanish victory
WHEN NEAR HAVANA,
at ii o'clock tangle of masts and
mWky smOke-cloud northwest from
MORO Castle for about ten miles look
ed as if the fleet were assembled in q
marine convention. 1t proved to be the
Norwegian merchant steamer Brats-
berg, surrounded by the gunboat New
port the Mangrove, a small Spanish
schooner and two newspaper dispatch
boats The Bratsberg had been cap
ured in the morning eight miles east
Of MORO by the Newport, which pick
ed up also a deep-laden Havana fishing
schooner. The Bratsberg rolled high
and light. Her decks were built high
with cattle pens, which were empty
ne steamer was trying to run the
blockade in Havana when overhauled
by the Newport. This is the steamer
winch was captured several days ago
from Mexican ports, bound for Havana
with a cargo of live cattle. She was
@ken into Key West but released on
condition that the cargo would be taken
% neutral destination. The Brats-
lerg sailed away with the Norwegian
nag lying. promising to be good. She
Nrned up again to-day with her cargo
81 cattle missing and headed for Ha-
7ana. Her reports were not satisfac-
'ory nor was her conduct approved. A
prize crew from the Newport was put
on board and ordered to take the Brats-
oerg to Key West for further investiga-
non. The schooner was taken along in