The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-04
BIT OF EVASION
Some. Smuggling Ont Of Hong
Kong.
THE DISPATCH BOAT zAFIR0
Capt. Mclean and Contraband
Cargo-Shrewd Work-The
Other Eye Wfnked.

Trying period Us JOId very interestingly
in letter from Professor S. A. Knapp
the confidential agent of the Depart
ment of Agriculture. Professor KNAPP
is now at st. Charles, La, having re
turned to the United States after f:
| tour of Japan. China and the Philip
| pine Islands. He was accompanied Oh
his homeward trip as far as San Fran
cisco by Captain. Walter Mclean, chic
of Admiral Deweys war staff at Ma
Mia.
Captain Mclean was in command o.
che little merchant vessel Zafiro. which
Admiral Dewey bought from the Eng.
lish and which he converted into a
dispatch boat. 1t succeeded the cutter
McCulloch as the carrier of dispatches
from Manila to Hong Kong The Nc
Culloch made the first trip a-.er the
battle had been fought and won; the
Zafiro made all others until the cable
was captured
dispatches were not the only thing
the Zafiro carried" writes Profe asor
Knapp. Mclean turned smuggler
when he got hold of the Zafiro and
went cruising in Chinese waters He
struggled more tons of fresh things to
eat into Manila bay than you have
hairs on your head He became the
most proficient falsifier of manifests
the east ever saw. Did Dewey know
about it? Didn't he know about
everything that was going on?
THE day Mclean was made COM
mander of the Zafiro Admiral Dewey
called him UP on the quarterback of
the flagship, where there were lot OF
dyspeptic looking officers and men
standing around and said: Mclean,
you will take these dispatches down to
Hong Kong ON the Zafiro and cable
hem to Washington
Yes, SIR answered Mclean.
And, remember continued the
in a solemn voice. that this
S time of strife; that Great Britain
las issued a neut raaitv nrsnaIamation
md there is such a thing as contra
Dand of war. Do not allow any con-
.raband article aboard your ship.
Mclean looked around on the hum
cry men of the fleet, and then he look
ed into the eye of Admiral Dewey.
He thought he saw a sort of faint
CULVER of the eye, for he touched his
cap smartly and retired.
when Mclean got ready to start
for Hong Kong he found Col. Smith,
the paymaster of the fleet, aboard the
Zafiro.
Pay asked Mclean Everybody in
the fleet calls Col. Smith Pay-'Pay,
where. are you going?'
4 need a little fresh air, answered
Col. Smith, and l thought l would like
to run down to Hong Kong and see Of
they've got any for sale. l brought my
money along.
You see, it was a put-up job be-
tween Mclean and Pay, but they had
TO make pretence, SO the crew would
not understand. When the Zafro got
to Hong Kong Mclean called Capt.
Written up to the deck and said:
Capt. Written, I am going ashore
with Col. Smith. / won't be back until
the last moment before sailing. Re-
member, that this is time of strife
that Great Britain has issued neu-
trality proclamation, and that there is
such a thing as contraband of war
Yes, SIR answered Capt. Written,
saluting. And say, Whitten,' continu-
ed Mclean, lowering his voice, eff we
get caught at it there'll be the devil to
pay
Yes, sir
$50, if any little packages come
aboard, be quick about it.
We'll, Mclean and Col. Smith
hadn't any more than got out of sight
than Capt. Whittier weighed anchor
and sailed around the corner. He
hadn't been there very long before the
little packages began to arrive. Some
of them came in coal lighters and
others in boxes and barrels and crates.
It didn't take very long to stow them
away, however, and pretty soon the
Zafiro dropped anchor in the har Dor
again. Mclean and Col Smith came
aboard.
Sir said Capt. Written to Mclean
those little packages
Don't bother me, sir thundnred
Mclean in a rage. I'm in a great
hurry to get back to Admiral Dewey
with important cablegrams.'
80 they sailed away. When they
reached Manila, Mclean called Capt
Written up and said: Sir, 1 must has
ten to the flagship and report to tbs
admiral. When / return / shall in
spect your cargo. If I find anything in
| it contraband of war shall order yol
| into irons
We'll, Mclean didn't get back unit
the next morning, and when he Wen
over the cargo he found nothing con
traband. In the meantime every Off
GER and man in the squadron had hat
square meal. That was the first o
many trips. On one Of the trip:
Mclean came pretty near getting int
serious trouble. The Spanish cousu
at Hong Kong got wind of the lighters