Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-11-27
FIRST BATTLESHIP.
Cuba's Maiden Investment in Ma
terial for a Navy.
The Old United States "Hornet,"
Bought for Five Dollars, Wa
Never in an Encounter-CIose
of Her Career.

ssWhile there is a good deal of talk
these days about Cuba" said the mau
who likes to converse, according to
an eastern exchange, 1T should not
be forgotten that the man who was
first to float the Cuban flag over an
armed deck is in the United States
and is not b~loviating about it, either
He is Col. Prentiss Ingraham, au-
thor, traveller, soldier, sailor and a
lot of other things. In the summer
of 1869 Col. Ingraham bought, in New
York city, for the large sum of IS,
the steamer Hornet, which had once
been the Lady Sterling, a blockade
runner captured by the United States
government and made a dispatch boat
for the service of President Lincoln.
A wealthy Cuban living in New York
had bought her from the govern
ment, and he sold her to Col. 1ngra-
ham for SIS because he wanted to.
You see, she had to belong to some-
body, and Col. Ingraham was the best
man, because he knew his business.
She made two trips to Cuba as a fill
buster, carrying arms which she took
on board at sea so as not to implicate
the United States in any act against
o friendly government, Spain being
on terms with us at the time. Col.
1ngraham was in command.
in October of 1869 she cleared
from Philadelphia for Liverpool and
put in at Halifax under stress of
weather, or SO it "a stated. Here
she was met by Admiral Edward Hig-
gins, an eX-confederate officer, and
formerly of the United States navy.
The Hornet remained in Halifax I'M
til suspicion pointed so strongly her
way that the English authorities
were about to seize her a second
time, though she had already been
searched and nothing had been found
on her which she had no right to
carry.
She left Halifax in such a hurry that
she was fired on from the forts, but
got away all right, making the run
to Cape Sable, 60 miles, in three hours,
course southwark, and the As sailors
on board mutinied, and there was a
fight for the ship, the officers winning
Off Martha's Vineyard, the ship was
met by several small vessels carrying
arms and men, and these were taker
on board, and the Hornet became 6
fully equipped vessel of war, having
&c officers, 300 men and nine guns, on
%100-pound bow chaser, two 60-pound
ers, four 30-pounders and two "a
Founders. Once at sea with this equip
ment, Col. Ingraham, who had beef
in command of her since her purchase
turned her over to Admiral Higgins
the officers receiving their commits
sions, Col. Ingraham becoming a com
mandant of marines, her name wa
changed to the Cuba, and Col. Ingra
ham, with his own hands, raised tn
Cuban flag over her, being the first Gu
ban flag ever to go up over ar arme
deck of a Cuban vessel, and, by tn
way, there has not yet been anothe
one.
"Not long after this, a month o
so, the Cuba was caught in a hurr
cant and had to put in at Wilmington
N. c., for coal. She had hard Goa,
which would not make steam, and sof
was necessary. The Spanish ma:
steamer, with So, 900, 900 in treasur
and 200 Spanish officers from Cubi
had got away from her on this az
count, and this was worse than a hui
ricane. She was suspected by the al
thorities at Wilmington, and, thong
every effort was made to get away b
fore she could be searched, it was in
possible, as her engines had been III
coupled for repairs, and she was cal
tured. Admiral Higgins surrendere
her to Col. Frank, of the United State
army, but refused to pull down his fla
until he had been tried and the shi
was finally confiscated. The trial las
ed a month and resulted in the acqui
tai of Higgins and Ingraham; the othe
officers were sent to Washington unde
bond, and released later, and the me
were paid off and discharged. TIL
Cuba, however, was held and sent t
New York, under command of Cap
Matfitt, formerly of the famous col
federate privateer Florida, and 81
was later taken to Baltimore, whel
she was left to rot. l understand ST
is lying in the mud down there nov
and If she is, the Cubans ought
resurrect her and take her home. &c
Ingraham is now living in New Yo1
city"