The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-02-13
His Account Of The OTagOl'S
Long Run.
THE ANXIETY AND READINESS
Hatches Battened Down-SufferIng
from Heat-Wouid Have Met
Hostile Fleet.

The following extracts from Captain
Clark's account of the OregUn's $4,000
mile journey from Puget Sound TO
Key West are OF special interest now
that the famous fighting ship is AZ this
port:
ON March 2lst the Oregon sailed Tor
the south, and the run down the Pa
cifc Coast TO Callao was without in
cident. save for fire In the port coal
bunker.
Leaving CallaO. on April 9Th, We
steamed due south 1t an 1i-knOt speed
until the evening OF the sixteenth.
when Port lamar. at the western end
of the Straits OF Magellan. was sighted.
Here terrible squall struck us. which
lasted throughout the night.
When Sandy Point was left behind
we all realized the possible dangers
in front of US. The Oregon conveyed
the Marietta to Rio without incident.
And in that harbor the Nictheroy lay
at anchor. about TO be added to the
American navy. There was the Teme-
rario, Detecting her presence at once.
ordered the Marietta to- guard the
harbor mouth and told her captain to
send a boat on board the Spanish craft
and serve notice upon the Temer1Tio
that if she came within one mile Of
the Oregon our guns. big and little,
would open on her without any notice.
Several long Cablegrams were eX-
changed between the government and
myself Nothing whatever in the way
of instructions was issued that could
hamper me or in any way abridge my
responsibility for bringing the Oregon
home. We sailed from Rio on May ith
reached Bahia on the Sth. hut we
were told to Come on We sailed
next morning. and this run OF nine
days to- Barbados was the most thrill
ing OF the entire voyage. We steamed
absolutely with out light. The entire
trip from Sandy Point to Jupiter Inlet
was a lightless voyage. In pitch-Iike
darkness we drove ahead ut our high
est speed-seeing lights many times,
bore them. We were out of court We
had no right OF way without no light.
Even If we met a vessel on our poT;
We gave way.
Might and day the men stood at the
guns. Not for single moment was
vigilance relaxed. The strain on the
men was terrible. For four days at .
time hammocks were never strung
Watch and watch about the men lay
beside the guns sound asleep. while
the men on duty stood silently aboy,
them. All the lookouts were doubled
and changed with unusual frequency
The Barbados was reached just be,
fore daylight May 18th. and after rush
ing two hundred and fifty tons of Goa
aboard. we sailed the same evening
Still the orders read. Come on
From our consul We learned thai
lCervera's fleet was at Martinique jus
TO the north of us. This fleet had beer
extolled for speed and fighting quail
ties. | am not rush man. was no
/
seemed critical. Sailing just befor,
dark | headed northwest. apparent,
into the heart of the Caribbean Sea
The information, | have no doubt. Wa
promptly communicated to Admira
Cervera. But as soon as the darknSs
of moonless night had thorough
set in | changed the course 20 du
south. and ran below Barbados an
thence far to the eastward before
took the Oregon to the northwart
We thus passed far TO the east OF Mar
Unique. and eventually turned into IA
North Atlantic beyond st. Thomas.
/, carefully avoided the windward Char
mel and the shallow waters OF the ~
! hamas.
, The suffering OF the men from N
! heat was beyond description. Batter