The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-20
HE FOUND THE FLEET.
now A "GREENv CAPTAIN DE-
LIVERED THE MAIL ON CUBAN
BLOCKADE.

But He Nearly Lost His shfp-How
the Talbot Tried to Run Down the
Tug Uncas for "a Blockade Boat.
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
One of those sudden Cuban downpours
that leave man drenched and gasping
had just passed over US, and the wind
from shore brought to our nostrils the
rank odor of the Jungle. A tiny spot Of
light from the peephole in the masked
pinnacle played on the features of the
out, the occasional crealing of the wheel
ropes, the steady beat of the engines and
now and then the muffied scrape of a
shovel far down in the freroom told that
men were everywhere, quiet but ready.
Suddenly the lookout forward stopped
in his walk, leaned over the rail and, with
the drowsiness driven from his eyes gazed
ahead at tiny speck of red that showed
far away through the night.
Light, o-o-oi" he shouted.
The captain jumped from his seat In
the wheehouse and was outside in an
instant, No need to ask where away?"
The light showed clear and bright about
five miles dead ahead. Full speed" sang
out the captain. The bell tinkled in the
engineroom, and as the engineer gave her
steam the Uncas jumped like a racehorse
Down in the gangway a group of firemen
stood ready to relieve their mates who
sweated in the fiery hole below.
In the language of the Cuban blockade
runners a single red light meant but one
thing: Send pilot; we are coming in.
Every man of us knew that unless we
could reach the harbor entrance ahead of
the stranger there would be another YES
sci added TO the fleet that lay inside Ma
tanZas harbor waiting for our ships to re-
lax their Wgilance-or for war to the end.
Just outside the harbor and little TO
the westward there was a small village
and toward this she was heading to pick
up a pilot before attempting the entrance.
More Than a Blockade Runner.
AS yet there had been no response from
the shore to her signal. The red light still
burned but in a moment it was dimmed
by line of flame from the deck. A rocket
rose high in the air and burst scattering
a shower of blue stars. They saw her
now. Lights began to show in the village
and little bonfires puffed up along the hill
tops, bearing the news east and west.
Up on the bridge the captain smoked
innumerable cigarettes, now and then
storming at the engineer through the
speaking tube for more speed We hung
closer TO the shore. Soon we could hear
the roar of the breakers and could make
out the dim outline of the village hang
ing half way up the hillside. The cry of
the man at the lead, mo bottom at Ten
soon changed to a Deep nine!' an a
half eight" and still that red light led us
like a will-o' the wisp toward the shore
The captain, who had been staring
ahead. suddenly turned. shes no block
ade runner; she's a gunboatr' We had run
so close now that we could make her out.
The long, black hull lying close to the
water and the dim figures on her deck
became clearer. In a moment an unwieldy
tube, too large for a rifle, swung toward
US, revealing what some had already sus-
pected. "A torpedo boat" cried one of the
men
She had thrown up the chase and slow
| ly swung till she was broadside on. The
captain lit a fresh cigarette hitched his
revolver around and stepped back against
the pilot house. "All ready, boys?" he
queried IAN ready, sir" answered the
gun captains. No. 8, a little Hotchkiss
one-pounder, slipped a shell into the
breech and gave the guns barrel a loving
pat.
Too Lnte to Avoid the Clash.
Full speed ahead! Stand by to ram!"
came the commands in rapid succession
and the Uncas shot ahead. Every man.
except the guns crews, dropped fiat and
bracSd himself for the shock.
Without a word the guns were trained
on the torpedo tube. The helmsman gave
the wheel spoke to port so as TO strike
her fairly amidships. Every one of us held
cur breath and listened for the hiss of
air which would mark the launching of
the torpedo or the crash which would
leave our enemy sinking and helpless.
Just then came hail, Enthusiastically
American:
Ship hoy! What ships that"
Tug Uncas, Who are you?"
''Torredoboat Talbot, from Key West
wi h mail for the squadron.
The s gnal jung ed in our engine room
and the reversed propeller of the Uncas
churned the water at full speed in a van
effort to stop her in time 20 prevent a
collision, but il was too late. A crash,
ard the Talbot was cut frcm deck 10 wa
ter line. Men standing near her rail were
knocked overheard by the impact while
the glare of an exploding lamp made the
forward compartment of the Talbot seem
a mass of flame.
1t was col ision drill, fire drill and man
overheard all az once, but the well-dr1lled
crew of the torpedo beat were equal to
TIE emergency. The boat we lowered had
hardly reached the water before they had
fished out their shipm ates and put out che
fire below. The Tablet was bukheaded
into compartments after fashion, and by
closing the 10 midship bunker, in which
the cut had been made, they kept her
from sinking. But the water gave her such
list TO starboard that she could not be
s.eered, so we had 20 take her in low
We set off for the eastward, and ar
rived az the little island off Cardenas call
ed Pedras Key about daybreak. The
machinists patched up the leak with a
piece of sheet copper, the pumps were set
to going, and in a few hours the Talbot
was on an even keel again.
There were many things 70 be explain
ed at the conference held that day in the
Captains cabin; the red light, the rockets
and all the rest. Yet the explanation
was simple enough, after all. The Talbot
had carried the regular signal, a red
above two whites. but her 10-foot stick
of mast was only high enough to show
the topmast light above the tunnels.
Moreover. il was the Talboi's first ex-
/ q l. 10.