Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-07-04
CUBAN BATTLEsHIP.
FIRST AND ONLY ONE THEIsLAND
EVER HAD.

Bought by Colonel Prenfiss InSra.
ham for Five Dollars, 1t Was Never
in Any Armed Encounter Confs-
Gated at Wilmington, n. c.
While there is good deal of talk
these days about Cuba" said the man
who likes to converse, .sit should not
De forgotten that the man who was
nfst to float the Cuban flag over an
armed deck is in the United States
and is not bloyiating about it, either.
he IS Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, au-
thor, traveller, soldier, sailor, and lot
OF other things. In the summer Of
1868 Colonel Ingraham bought, In New
York City, for the large sum Of $5, the
steamer Hornet, which had once been
the Lady Sterling, blockade runner
captured by the United States govern
ment and made dispatch-boat for the
service OF President Lincoln A
wealthy Cuban living in New York
mad bought her from the government.
and he sold her to Colonel Ingraham
Tor 50 because he wanted to. You see
she had to belong to somebody and
| Colonel Ingraham was the best man
because he knew his business, She
made two trips to Cuba as a filibuster.
carrying arms which she took on board
at sea so as not to tmplicate the Unit
ed States in any act against friendly
government, Spain being on terms with
US at the time. Colonel Ingraham 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 was stated. Here she was met
by Admiral Edward Higgins, an ex-
Confederate officer, and formerly of
the United States navy. The Hornet
remained in Halifax until suspicion
pointed so strongly her way that the
English authorities were about to seize
her a second time, though she had al
ready 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, sixty miles, in three
AoNAS' ~ SCn I1SS1uS OIu0T-
ed her course southwark, and the forty
dve sailors on board mutinied, and
there was fight for the ship, the off,
GERS winning. Off Martha's Vineyard, |
the ship was met by several small YES
sells carrying arms and men, and these |
were taken on board, and the Hornet |
became fully equipped vessel of war,
having twenty-six officers, 300 men,
and nine guns, one 1OO-pound bow |
chaser, two sixty-pounders, four thirty
FOUNDERS, and two twenty-four-pound
ers. Once at sea with this equipment,
Colonel 1ngraha-n, who had been in
command Of her since her purchase.
turned her over to Admiral Higgins,
the officers received their commissions,
Colonel Ingraham becoming command
ant OF marines, her name was changed
to the Cuba, and Colonel Ingraham,
with his own hands, raised the Cuban
flag over her, Being the first Cuban
flag ever to go up over an armed deck
Of Cuban vessel, and, by the way,
there has not yet been another one.
Not long after this, a month or so.
the Cuba was caught in a hurricane
and had to put in at Wilmington, N. c., |
for coal. She had hard coal. which
would not make steam, and soft was
necessary. The Spanish mail steamer.
with 100000 in treasure and 200 .
Spanish officer from Cuba, had got
away from her on this account, and !:
his was worse than a hurricane. She
vas suspected by the authorities at ,
Wilmington, and, though every effort :
vas made to get away before she could
,e searched, it was impossible, as her
Engines had been uncoupled for re-
'airs, and she was captured. Admiral
Higgins surrendered her to Colonel :
frank Of the United States army, but
efused to pull down his flag until he :
lad been tried Ind the ship was finally
onfscated. The trial lasted a month
nd resulted in the acquittal of Hig-
ins and Ingraham; the other officers
we're sent to Washington under bond, :,
nd released later, and the men were -
aid off and discharged. The Cuba, :,
owever, was held and sent to New !.
'ork, under command Of Captain Maf- :.
t, formerly Of the famous Confeder- -
tie privateer Florida, and she was
tier taken to Baltimore, where she .,
-as left to rot. I understand she is
ing in the mud down there now, and
she is, the Cubans ought to resur- :,
ect her and take her home. Colonel -
ngraham is now living in New York - :,
Inter Ocean.